Properties of Thermoelectric Nanocomposite Bi2Te3 Layers Prepared by PLD

• Main Authors: Radek ZEIPL, Miroslav JELÍNEK, Tomáš KOCOUREK, Jan REMSA, Jan VANIŠ, Milan VLČEK
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IFSA Publishing, S.L. 2014-12-01
• Series: Sensors & Transducers
• Subjects: Thermoelectric materials; Thin layers; Pulsed laser deposition; Thermal conductivity measurement.
• Online Access: http://www.sensorsportal.com/HTML/DIGEST/december_2014/Vol_183/P_2549.pdf

Some properties of thermoelectric nano-layers prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition from hot pressed Bi2Te3 target are presented. The layers were prepared under various deposition conditions that include the substrate temperature during the deposition and the laser beam density, to study its influence on the quality of the surface. Crystallinity, composition and morphology of the layers are presented. Transport and thermoelectric properties such as electrical resistivity, the Seebeck coefficient, power factor and the thermoelectric figure of merit for the smoothest layers prepared at substrate temperature of 200 °C applying laser beam density 3 Jcm-2 are also given. Nano crystallites observed on the layer’s surface are studied by X-ray Diffraction and by Atomic Force Microscope. The problematic of a new method for a relative thermal conductivity characterization of thin thermoelectric layers and multi-layered structures in nanometre range using a scanning thermal microcsope working in an active constant current mode and the first results are described.