Abstract: In this paper, the buckling behavior of thermoelectric thin film bonded to elastic substrates is studied. Combining the interface shear stress with the axial stress of the thin film, the calculation model of the thermoelectric thin film is established and the problem is transformed into a singular integral equation by using boundary conditions. The singular integral equation is separated by using Chebyshev polynomials, and the normalized stress intensity factors are obtained. The effects of film stress and interfacial stress intensity factors are determined by the film thickness and the stiffness ratio of substrate to film. The influence of the film length and the thickness ratio on film stress and interface stress intensity factors is discussed. The result shows that the stiffness ratio between the film and the substrate has a significant effect on the stress level of the film.

Key words: thermoelectric film, stress, stress intensity factor, singular integral equation, Chebyshev polynomial