TY - JOUR
T1 - Pulsed laser deposition of Bi 2 Te 3 thermoelectric films
AU - Bailini, A.
AU - Donati, F.
AU - Zamboni, M.
AU - Russo, V.
AU - Passoni, M.
AU - Casari, C. S.
AU - Li Bassi, A.
AU - Bottani, C. E.
PY - 2007/12/15
Y1 - 2007/12/15
N2 - Bi 2 Te 3 is one of the most used materials for thermoelectric applications at ambient temperature. An improvement of thermoelectric performances through a suitable modification of electron and phonon transport mechanisms is predicted for low dimensional or nanostructured systems, but this requires a control of the material structure down to the nanoscale. We show that pulsed laser deposition provides control on film composition, phase and structure, necessary for a comprehension of the relationship between structure and thermoelectric properties. We have explored the role of deposition temperature, background inert gas type and pressure, laser fluence and target-to-substrate distance and we found the experimental condition ranges to obtain crystalline films containing the Bi 2 Te 3 phase only, by comparing energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Variations of substrate temperature and deposition gas pressure prove to be crucial also for the control of film morphology and crystallinity. Substrate type has no influence on film stoichiometry and crystallinity, but highly oriented growth can be achieved on mica due to van der Waals epitaxy.
AB - Bi 2 Te 3 is one of the most used materials for thermoelectric applications at ambient temperature. An improvement of thermoelectric performances through a suitable modification of electron and phonon transport mechanisms is predicted for low dimensional or nanostructured systems, but this requires a control of the material structure down to the nanoscale. We show that pulsed laser deposition provides control on film composition, phase and structure, necessary for a comprehension of the relationship between structure and thermoelectric properties. We have explored the role of deposition temperature, background inert gas type and pressure, laser fluence and target-to-substrate distance and we found the experimental condition ranges to obtain crystalline films containing the Bi 2 Te 3 phase only, by comparing energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Variations of substrate temperature and deposition gas pressure prove to be crucial also for the control of film morphology and crystallinity. Substrate type has no influence on film stoichiometry and crystallinity, but highly oriented growth can be achieved on mica due to van der Waals epitaxy.
KW - Bi Te
KW - Pulsed laser deposition (PLD)
KW - Raman spectroscopy
KW - Thermoelectric thin films
KW - X-ray diffraction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36248950260&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2007.09.039
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2007.09.039
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:36248950260
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 254
SP - 1249
EP - 1254
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
IS - 4
ER -