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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Advanced Experimental Methods for Low-temperature Magnetotransport Measurement of Novel Materials
Published on: January 21, 2016
Thermo-voltage measurements of atomic contacts at low temperature
Ayelet Ofarim1, Bastian Kopp1, Thomas Möller1
1Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.
Abstract:
We report the development of a novel method to determine the thermopower of atomic-sized gold contacts at low temperature. For these measurements a mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) system is used and a laser source generates a temperature difference of a few kelvins across the junction to create a thermo-voltage. Since the temperature difference enters directly into the Seebeck coefficient S = -ΔV/ΔT, the determination of the temperature plays an important role. We present a method for the determination of the temperature difference using a combination of a finite element simulation, which reveals the temperature distribution of the sample, and the measurement of the resistance change due to laser heating of sensor leads on both sides next to the junction. Our results for the measured thermopower are in agreement with recent reports in the literature.
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