THERMOELECTRIC-POWER AND RESISTIVITY OF AL-1 AT PERCENT SI THIN WIRES BETWEEN 1.3 AND 350-K

We have measured the thermoelectric power (TEP) of a commercially available Al-1 at % Si wire, 25 mum in diameter, usually used to interconnect circuits by ultrasonic welding. Our results enable wire to be used as a reference material for thermoelectric measurements. This can be very convenient to study small samples (10-100 mum), where it is difficult to work with lead which is the widely used reference. The resistivity ratio between room temperature and 4.2 K has been determined as well as the variation of the resistivity with the temperature in the low temperature range. TEP results are discussed in the frame of the classical phenomenological model in which the TEP is the sum of a diffusion and a phonon drag terms.