Abstract
Electrochemically deposited n-type BiTe alloy thin films were grown from nitric acid baths on sputtered Bi x Te y /SiO/Si substrates. The film compositions, which varied from 57 to 63 at.% Te were strongly dependent on the deposition conditions. Surface morphologies varied from needle-like to granular structures depending on deposited Te content. Electrical and thermoelectric properties of these electrodeposited Bi x Te y thin films were measured before and after annealing and compared to those of bulk Bi 2 Te 3 . Annealing at 250 °C in reducing H 2 atmosphere enhanced thermoelectric properties by reducing film defects. In-plane electrical resistivity was highly dependent on composition and microstructure. In-plane Hall mobility decreased with increasing carrier concentration, while the magnitude of the Seebeck coefficient increased with increasing electrical conductivity to a maximum of −188.5 μV/K. Overall, the thermoelectric properties of electrodeposited n-type BiTe thin films after annealing were comparable to those of bulk BiTe films.
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