Fabrication of Si Thermoelectric Nanomaterials Containing Ultrasmall Epitaxial Ge Nanodots with an Ultrahigh Density

Abstract

A Si-based nanomaterial is proposed for use as a thermoelectric material. Ultrasmall epitaxial Ge nanodots (NDs) with an ultrahigh density are introduced into Si films as phonon scatterers using an ultrathin SiO2 film technique. The nanomaterial has the stacked structure Si/Ge NDs/Si on Si substrates. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction reveals epitaxial growth of the Ge NDs and Si layers in all of the stacking stages. Sharp interfaces of the Ge NDs/Si in the stacked structures were observed by high-angle annular field scanning transmission electron microscopy. The Ge NDs were controlled in terms of their composition and strain: main parts of the NDs did not alloy with Si, and the elastic strain was relaxed. These features were confirmed by Raman scattering and x-ray diffraction measurements. The fabrication techniques used to make the simple Si-based stacked structure with strain-relaxed almost pure Ge NDs are useful to develop thermoelectric nanomaterials.