Optimizing the power factor of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 thermoelectric thin films via Zn doping

Numerous studies have been conducted on enhancing the performance of thermoelectric materials through Zn doping. Nevertheless, there are scant reports on Zn-doped bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric thin films. We successfully introduced Zn into Bi[Formula: see text]Sb[Formula: see text]Te 3 thin films by employing an intermittent co-sputtering magnetron sputtering strategy, while maintaining the stability of the films’ composition. Introducing Zn into the Sb sites alters the crystal structure of the thin film, increases carrier concentration, and improves effective mass, ultimately leading to a synergistic enhancement of both the conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of Bi[Formula: see text]Sb[Formula: see text]Te 3 thin films. As a result, a maximum power factor of 691 [Formula: see text]Wm[Formula: see text]K[Formula: see text] at 380 K was achieved for the Bi[Formula: see text]Sb[Formula: see text]Te 3 films doping with 4 min, increasing by approximately 15%.