Establishment of optimized metallic contacts on silicon for thermoelectric applications

International audience; This communication describes the development of optimized metallic contacts on Si for thermoelectric applications. Thin solid films of Ni and Pt with the same thickness, were deposited on Si substrates. Two silicides were formed in a vacuum chamber and were studied. The EDX spectroscopy and electron microscopy have supported the presence of silicides in the surface of the samples. The thermoelectric study demonstrated that silicides could play a vital role in the enhancement of the electricity generated by thermoelectric materials that are made of Si. Pt silicide was found to be better candidate than three other metallic contacts (Pt, Ni and Ni silicide), but a comparison with other silicides is needed in the future, to get the best electronic contact on thermoelectric materials.