Thermoelectric properties and micro-structure characteristics of annealed N-type bismuth telluride thin film

N-type bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) thermoelectric thin films were deposited by co-sputtering simple substance Te and Bi targets. The deposited films were annealed under various temperatures. The composition ratio, micro-structure and thermoelectric properties of the prepared films were systematically investigated by energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, four-probe method and Seebeck coefficient measurement system. When the annealing temperature is 400 °C, the stoichiometric N-type Bi2Te3 film is achieved, which has a maximum thermoelectric power factor of 0.821 × 10−3 W m−1 K−2. Furthermore, the dependence of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and power factor of the stoichiometric N-type Bi2Te3 film annealed at film 400 °C on the applied temperature ranging from 25 °C to 315 °C was investigated. The results show that a highest power factor of 3.288 × 10−3 W m−1 K−2 is obtained at the applied temperature of 275 °C. The structural and thermoelectric properties of the deposited bismuth telluride thin films are greatly improved by annealing and the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and power factor increase with the applied temperature rising, which are helpful and could be guidance for preparing the high-performance thin film thermoelectric materials for thermoelectric application.