Structural, electrical, and thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride: Silicon/carbon nanocomposites thin films

Abstract

In this study, the effect of the presence of secondary phases on the structural, electrical, and thermoelectric properties of nanocomposite Bi2Te3 films prepared by co-sputtering of silicon and carbon with Bi2Te3 has been investigated. Growth temperature and the presence of Si and C phase are observed to have a strong effect on the topography and orientation of crystallites. X-ray diffraction study demonstrates that Bi2Te3 and Bi2Te3:C samples have preferred (0 0 15) orientation in comparison to Bi2Te3:Si sample, which have randomly oriented crystallites. Atomic force, conducting atomic force, and scanning thermal microscopy analysis show significant differences in topographical, electrical, and thermal conductivity contrasts in Bi2Te3:Si and Bi2Te3:C samples. Due to the randomly oriented crystallites and the presence of Si along the crystallite boundaries, appreciable Seebeck coefficient, higher electrical conductivity, and lower thermal conductivity is achieved resulting in relatively higher value of power factor (3.71 mW K−2 m−1) for Bi2Te3:Si sample. This study shows that by incorporating a secondary phase along crystallite boundaries, microstructural, electrical, and thermoelectric properties of the composite samples can be modified.