Thermoelectric and optical properties of advanced thermoelectric devices from Ni/Bi2Te3/Ni and Ni/Sb2Te3/Ni thin films
Abstract
Thermoelectric devices were prepared from Ni/Bi2Te3/Ni and Ni/Sb2Te3/Ni thin films using both direct current/radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and E-beam deposition systems. Thermoelectric thin film devices were annealed at different temperatures to form nanostructures in the multilayer thin films for 1 h to increase both the Seebeck coefficients and the electrical conductivity and decrease the thermal conductivity. The highest Seebeck coefficient of −437.78 μV/K for Ni/Bi2Te3/Ni thin films was achieved when the fabricated thin film device was annealed at 300 °C. The highest electrical conductivity of σ = 4.26 × 106 (Ω m)−1 for Ni/Bi2Te3/Ni thin films was achieved when the sample was annealed at 100 °C, and then the electrical conductivity decreases when the annealing continues. The highest Seebeck coefficient of −1253.85 μV/K for the Ni/Sb2Te3/Ni thin films was achieved when the fabricated devices were annealed at 200 °C. The highest electrical conductivity value of σ = 1.45 × 104 (Ω m)−1 was achieved for the Ni/Sb2Te3/Ni thin films when the sample was annealed at 250 °C. A scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM) shows that there is some nanodot formation at the surface of the Ni thin film when Ni/Bi2Te3/Ni was annealed continuously at different temperatures between 0 and 300 °C. Ni/Sb2Te3/Ni thin films show smooth surfaces when they were annealed at different temperatures between 0 and 300 °C.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1116/1.5001046
Entities
People
- Dennis Price
- Jorden Cole
- Mohammad A. Alim
- Satilmis Budak
- Tiara Strong
- Tyler S Davis
- Zhigang Xiao
Organizations
- Alabama A & M College
- National Science Foundation
- United States Army
- United States Department of Energy
- United States Department of Homeland Security