Apparatus for measuring Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity of small dimension samples using infrared microscope as temperature sensor

An apparatus for measuring the Seebeck coefficient (alpha) and electrical resistivity (rho) was designed to operate under an infrared microscope. A unique feature of this apparatus is its capability of measuring alpha and rho of small-dimension (sub-millimeter) samples without the need for microfabrication. An essential part of this apparatus is a four-probe assembly that has one heated probe, which combines the hot probe technique with the Van der Pauw method for simultaneous measurements of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity. The repeatability of the apparatus was investigated over a temperature range of 40 degrees C-100 degrees C using a nickel plate as a standard reference. The results show that the apparatus has an uncertainty of +/- 4.9% for Seebeck coefficient and +/- 5.0% for electrical resistivity. The standard deviation of the apparatus against a nickel reference sample is -2.43 mu VK-1 (-12.5%) for the Seebeck coefficient and -0.4 mu Omega cm (-4.6%) for the electrical resistivity, respectively. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.