Thermoelectric properties of segmented Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3//PbTe

The sintered Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ and PbTe compounds were joined by soldering with flux to form segmented materials. The joining with flux was performed under 2 MPa at 650 K for 10s in a N/sub 2/ atmosphere. Soldering with ultrasonic wave was also attempted. Te-Ag eutectic alloy was used as the solder. SEM observation revealed that the solder did not form any undesirable layer in the vicinity of the joined part in both segmented materials formed by both soldering ways. No remarkable increase in resistivity was observed at the interface. The segmented materials showed higher power factor than each monolithic material at the temperature range between 400 K and 650 K.