Enhanced thermoelectric property and stability of NiCr–NiSi thin film thermocouple on superalloy substrate

Abstract

Thin film thermocouples (TFTCs) can provide fast and accurate surface temperature measurement with minimal impact on the physical characteristics of the supporting components. In this study, NiCr and NiSi films were prepared with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and the influences of vacuum annealing on the resistivity of the films were investigated. Afterward, NiCr–NiSi films were deposited on Ni-based superalloy substrates to form TFTCs. The overall dimension of the thermocouple is 64 mm in length, 8 mm in width and 30 μm in thickness. Compared with those of as-deposited sample, the thermoelectric property and stability of the TFTC are significantly improved by vacuum annealing of NiCr and NiSi films. The variation of the Seebeck coefficient of TFTC was discussed based on the size effect of NiCr and NiSi films. And a lower Seebeck coefficient of TFTC of 38.4 μV·°C−1 is obtained.