Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of <I>p</I>-Type Bi<SUB>0.5</SUB>Sb<SUB>1.5</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB> Thin Films by Post-Annealing Process

Achieving Out-of-Plane Thermoelectric Figure of Merit ZT = 1.44 in a p-Type Bi2Te3/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Superlattice Film with Low Interfacial Resistance

“…After the deposition of the p-BT/BST SL films, all of the samples were annealed at 200 °C for 30 min under the Ar atmosphere. 19 For comparison, 200 nm-thick p-BST thin films were also prepared using the same RF sputtering and annealing conditions.…”

“…The total thickness of the samples was ∼200 nm, as verified by the cross-sectional field emission scanning electron microscopy image (SIGMA/Carl Zeiss, Germany). After the deposition of the p-BT/BST SL films, all of the samples were annealed at 200 °C for 30 min under the Ar atmosphere . For comparison, 200 nm-thick p-BST thin films were also prepared using the same RF sputtering and annealing conditions.…”

“…The ternary bismuth antimony telluride (Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 , BST) alloy − in bulk and film forms is currently the most widely commercially available p-type TE material for use in electronic refrigeration and generators with antimony telluride (Sb 2 Te 3 ) alloy materials . Recently, Kim et al reported a Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 polycrystalline bulk material with dense dislocation arrays in grain boundaries that achieves a high ZT value of ∼1.86 at 320 K. In addition, Luo et al reported a similar Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 polycrystalline bulk material with ZT = 1.71 at 323 K. This high ZT in p-BST bulk was obtained by the optimization of both electrical and thermal transport properties during the melting–solidification process under a ∼2 T magnetic field.…”

High In-Plane Seebeck Coefficients of Bi–Sb–Te Alloy Thin Films with Growth Texture and Their Field-Controlled Seebeck Coefficients

“…High performance of thermoelectric (TE) materials requires high electrical conductivity, low thermal conductivity, and a high Seebeck coefficient and power factor. This leads to a large figure of merit, ZT = S 2 σ T /κ, where σ is the electrical conductivity, S is the Seebeck coefficient, T is the absolute temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity. − Recently, Bi 2 Te 3 and Sb 2 Te 3 and the alloys (Bi–Sb–Te) of these materials have played a significant role in TE technology due to their promising TE properties for operations around 300 K or up to 400 K. − For instance, the ternary bismuth antimony telluride (Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 , BST) alloy − is the most commercially available p-type TE material for use in electronic refrigeration and energy generators with Sb 2 Te 3 alloy materials . Recently, Kim et al reported a Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 polycrystalline bulk material with dense dislocation arrays in grain boundaries.…”