Combinatorial synthesis and high throughput evaluation of thermoelectric power factor in Mg–Si–Ge ternary compounds

Discrete phase libraries of thermoelectric compounds, MgxSiyGe1−y, were fabricated by a combinatorial pulsed laser deposition followed by annealing as a thin film form on an integrated ceramic substrate. In the substrate are embedded four probe electrical contacts to each sample, lead wires and pads to be accessed by needle probes. Resistivity and Seebeck coefficient were evaluated electrically, while temperature difference was locally given to each sample by a local heater also embedded in the substrate. The sample temperature (300–673 K) was controlled by a heating stage and temperature difference at the two contact points for each sample was evaluated by an infrared camera. The dependences of polarity and absolute values of Seebeck coefficient on the composition agree well with the data in literature.