Measurement of Thermal Properties of Semiconductor by Utilization of the Peltier Effect

Abstract

A method of measuring Seebeck coefficient, electric conductivity, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of semiconductors with a single apparatus was investigated. The feature of this method, improved from Harman's method is to measure the above properties separately and easily with a single apparatus. P-type and N-type semiconductor-rods are soldered and sandwiched between copper blocks. Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity were measured by heating the sample periodically by the Peltier effect. The principle of the above method was derived from the solution of the equation of heat conduction in semiconductor specimens. Seebeck coefficient and electric conductivity were measured from the steady state temperature and electric potential distribution in semiconductorrods. The dimensions of specimen and the measuring conditions for the measurement with an accuracy of 2% were discussed. Test results for Bi₂Te₃ by this method were shown to agree with these of Goldsmid, Harman and Nii.