Thermoelectric performance of Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3 thin film

Thermoelectric thin films of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 were deposited by using sputtering technique. Structural characterizations of as deposited films were done by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis and electrical properties have been evaluated at room temperature by Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity measurement. These sputtered films were established to be polycrystalline and of desired single phase in nature with stoichiometric composition. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity of p-type Sb2Te3 thin film and n-type Bi2Te3 thin films were found to be about 111 μV/K, 8.25×10-5 Ω- m and −98.52μV/K, 5.87×10-6 Ω-m, respectively whereas to that of n-type Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 multilayer having 5BL combination is −145μV/K, 9.31×10-5 Ω-m and 10BLcombination is −170 μV/K, 9.86×10-5 Ω-m. The power factor value has increased reasonably well in case of multilayer as compared to that of individual single layer, maximum power factor value 2.95×10-3 W/m K2 has been achieved for 10BL combination. These results indicate that good quality antimony telluride, bismuth telluride and their multilayer thin films can be grown easily by using sputtering technique. It also suggests that these types of nano-structuring (multilayer structure) in these categories of materials can be promissory engineering concept for the fabrication of micro-Peltier modules.