Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
05:39
Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
Published on: August 2, 2019
10.2K
Precise absolute Seebeck coefficient measurement and uncertainty analysis using high-Tc superconductors as a
Y Amagai1, T Shimazaki1, K Okawa1
1National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), Tsukuba 305-8563, Japan.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|February 5, 2020
Summary
High-temperature superconductors like YBCO and Bi-2223 serve as reliable references for precise Seebeck coefficient measurements of platinum at low temperatures. This study validates their use up to liquid nitrogen temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- The Seebeck effect, crucial for thermoelectric applications, is challenging to measure absolutely at low temperatures.
- Superconductors, exhibiting unique properties like the Meissner effect, offer potential as precise measurement references.
- High-Tc superconductors, such as YBCO and Bi-2223, are particularly interesting due to their higher critical temperatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform a precision absolute Seebeck coefficient measurement of a platinum sample.
- To validate the use of high-Tc superconductors (YBCO and Bi-2223) as reliable references for these measurements.
- To analyze the uncertainties associated with the measurement technique.
Main Methods:
- Development of a stable cryostat system for precise temperature control.
- Utilizing YBCO as a reference superconductor for absolute Seebeck coefficient determination.
- Comparison of measurements using Bi-2223 as an alternative high-Tc reference.
- Detailed uncertainty analysis focusing on temperature sensing and noise.
Main Results:
- A precision measurement of the Seebeck coefficient for platinum yielded S = 5.6 ± 0.2 µV/K at 80 K, with a 3% relative expanded uncertainty.
- No significant difference was observed between Seebeck coefficient values obtained using YBCO and Bi-2223 references, within measurement uncertainties.
- The primary sources of uncertainty were identified as temperature difference measurements and analog noise.
Conclusions:
- High-Tc superconductors (YBCO and Bi-2223) are validated as effective and reliable references for absolute Seebeck coefficient measurements up to liquid nitrogen temperatures.
- The developed cryostat system and measurement methodology enable accurate thermoelectric property determination.
- This work contributes to the advancement of low-temperature thermoelectric measurements and material characterization.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Superconductor
1.6K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.6K
01:28Types Of Superconductors
1.5K
A superconductor is a substance that offers zero resistance to the electric current when it drops below a critical temperature. Zero resistance is not the only interesting phenomenon as materials reach their transition temperatures. A second effect is the exclusion of magnetic fields. This is known as the Meissner effect. A light, permanent magnet placed over a superconducting sample will levitate in a stable position above the superconductor. High-speed trains that levitate on strong...
1.5K
02:46Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments
49.7K
Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...
49.7K
03:37Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision
99.1K
Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.
99.1K
01:21Carrier Transport
858
The generation of electrical current in semiconductors is fundamentally driven by two mechanisms: drift and diffusion. These processes are essential for the functionality and performance of semiconductor-based devices.
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
858
01:17Theory of Metallic Conduction
1.7K
The conduction of free electrons inside a conductor is best described by quantum mechanics. However, a classical model makes predictions close to the results of quantum mechanics. It is called the theory of metallic conduction.
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
1.7K