New advances in Ultra-Supersonic Plasma-Spray technologies present new opportunities for creating a superior thermoelectric (TE) thick-film technology. Via extremely rapid solidification, these processes can maintain the purity and complex stoichemetry of multi-component TE alloy. This process will eliminate the use of solders yielding unprecedented ruggedness and low cost. Unlike sputtering and other deposition processes which require high vacuum, ultra-clean systems and hours to build up a few microinches, the proposed process can be operated in open air and deposit several thousand microinches in a single pass. These thick-film layers will have the capacity to provide practical cooling in the presence of significant heat loads. TE Technology, Inc. will draw on its experience and success on previous SBIR programs using the wide range of TE material compositions developed under its Navy SBIR program. Forty different N and P-type films will be designed, fabricated and tested to establish the feasibility ofthe plasma-spray, thick-film technology. Testing will include full characterization of all TE transport parameters. Actual cooling performance tests will also be made including the use of temperature sensitive, liquid crystal films to visually observe temperature gradients under operation.
Keywords: MATERIAL, COOLING, THICK-FILM, ENERGY CONVERSION, PLASMA-SPRAY, HVOF, THERMOELECTRIC, METAL SUBSTRAT
