A setup for Seebeck coefficient measurement through controlled heat pulses

Abstract

A setup is designed for measuring the Seebeck coefficient (S) of materials in form of thin film, bar and wire. The main feature of this setup is control in heating and cooling cycles. In this setup heat pulse is used to generate the temperature gradient. To demonstrate the capabilities of this setup, S vs T of standard wire samples such as Au-Fe (0.07 \%), chromel, Pt and thin films of Pt and F doped SnO$_2$ are presented. The standard uncertainty of the repeatability in S measurement is found to be $\sim$ $\pm 0.056~\mu V/K$ while temperature stability is $\sim$ $\pm 10~mK$ (at 320 K), estimated for a chromel wire sample. We have tested the setup in temperature range 100 K to 320 K, while it does not have any intrinsic limitation in going down to liquid He temperatures. For temperatures above 320 K limitation is due to gluing material like varnish.