Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure
Abstract
The room temperature electronic transport properties of 1 μm thick Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 (BST) films correlate with overall microstructural quality. Films with homogeneous composition are deposited onto fused silica substrates, capped with SiN to stop both oxidation and Te loss, and postannealed to temperatures ranging from 200 to 450 °C. BST grain sizes and (00l) orientations improve dramatically with annealing to 375 °C, with smaller increases to 450 °C. Tiny few-nanometer-sized voids in the as-deposited film grain boundaries coalesce into larger void sizes up to 300 nm with annealing to 350 °C; the smallest voids continue coalescing with annealing to 450 °C. These voids are decorated with few-nanometer-sized Sb clusters that increase in number with increasing annealing temperatures, reducing the Sb content of the remaining BST film matrix. Resistivity decreases linearly with increasing temperature over the entire range studied, consistent with improving crystalline quality. The Seebeck coefficient also improves with crystalline quality to 350 °C, above which void coalescence and reduced Sb content from the BST matrix correlate with a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient. Yet, a plateau exists for an optimal power factor between 350 and 450 °C, implying thermal stability to higher temperatures than previously reported.
- Authors:
-
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); 3M Corporate Research Lab., St. Paul, MN (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1575278
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1510360
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2019-0942J
Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979; 671922; TRN: US2001231
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 125; Journal Issue: 17; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; bismuth antimony telluride; films; thermoelectric
Citation Formats
Siegal, M. P., Podkaminer, J., Lima-Sharma, A. L., Sharma, P. A., and Medlin, D. L. Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.5089647.
Siegal, M. P., Podkaminer, J., Lima-Sharma, A. L., Sharma, P. A., & Medlin, D. L. Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5089647
Siegal, M. P., Podkaminer, J., Lima-Sharma, A. L., Sharma, P. A., and Medlin, D. L. Thu .
"Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5089647. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1575278.
@article{osti_1575278,
title = {Correlating thermoelectric (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film electric transport properties with microstructure},
author = {Siegal, M. P. and Podkaminer, J. and Lima-Sharma, A. L. and Sharma, P. A. and Medlin, D. L.},
abstractNote = {The room temperature electronic transport properties of 1 μm thick Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 (BST) films correlate with overall microstructural quality. Films with homogeneous composition are deposited onto fused silica substrates, capped with SiN to stop both oxidation and Te loss, and postannealed to temperatures ranging from 200 to 450 °C. BST grain sizes and (00l) orientations improve dramatically with annealing to 375 °C, with smaller increases to 450 °C. Tiny few-nanometer-sized voids in the as-deposited film grain boundaries coalesce into larger void sizes up to 300 nm with annealing to 350 °C; the smallest voids continue coalescing with annealing to 450 °C. These voids are decorated with few-nanometer-sized Sb clusters that increase in number with increasing annealing temperatures, reducing the Sb content of the remaining BST film matrix. Resistivity decreases linearly with increasing temperature over the entire range studied, consistent with improving crystalline quality. The Seebeck coefficient also improves with crystalline quality to 350 °C, above which void coalescence and reduced Sb content from the BST matrix correlate with a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient. Yet, a plateau exists for an optimal power factor between 350 and 450 °C, implying thermal stability to higher temperatures than previously reported.},
doi = {10.1063/1.5089647},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
number = 17,
volume = 125,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Thu May 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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