Development of Thermoelectric Thin Films Based on Bi2Te3

In this research p- type thin films based on Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 compound were developed for radiation sensors. The films were grown by two physical vapor deposition methods, namely an electron gun and flash evaporation techniques. The parameters of the different processes were examined and compared in order to maximize the c axis preferred orientation of the film as well as its thermoelectric figure of merit. The crystal structure and Seebeck coefficient of these films were investigated at room temperature. The electrical conductivity and Hall coefficient were measured from 80 to 300 K. The results indicate a high c axis preferred orientation for the films developed by the electron gun technique accompanied by a power factor in the vicinity of 30 µW cm-1 K-2 at room temperature.