Low-Temperature ALD of SbOx/Sb2Te3 Multilayers with Boosted Thermoelectric Performance

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jun Yang - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Samik Mukherjee - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Jio Institute (Author)
  • Sebastian Lehmann - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Fabian Krahl - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Xiaoyu Wang - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Hainan University (Author)
  • Pavel Potapov - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Axel Lubk - , CEOS- Endowed Chair of Electron Optics (with IFW), Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Tobias Ritschel - , Chair of Physics of Quantum Materials (Author)
  • Jochen Geck - , Chair of Physics of Quantum Materials (Author)
  • Kornelius Nielsch - , Chair of Metallic Materials and Metal Physics, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)

Abstract

Nanoscale superlattice (SL) structures have proven to be effective in enhancing the thermoelectric (TE) properties of thin films. Herein, the main phase of antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) thin film with sub-nanometer layers of antimony oxide (SbOx) is synthesized via atomic layer deposition (ALD) at a low temperature of 80 °C. The SL structure is tailored by varying the cycle numbers of Sb2Te3 and SbOx. A remarkable power factor of 520.8 µW m−1 K−2 is attained at room temperature when the cycle ratio of SbOx and Sb2Te3 is set at 1:1000 (i.e., SO:ST = 1:1000), corresponding to the highest electrical conductivity of 339.8 S cm−1. The results indicate that at the largest thickness, corresponding to ten ALD cycles, the SbOx layers act as a potential barrier that filters out the low-energy charge carriers from contributing to the overall electrical conductivity. In addition to enhancing the scattering of the mid-to-long-wavelength at the SbOx/Sb2Te3 interface, the presence of the SbOx sub-layer induces the confinement effect and strain forces in the Sb2Te3 thin film, thereby effectively enhancing the Seebeck coefficient and reducing the thermal conductivity. These findings provide a new perspective on the design of SL-structured TE materials and devices.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2306350
JournalSmall
Volume20
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - 8 Mar 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37880880
ORCID /0000-0002-2438-0672/work/158767748

Keywords

Keywords

  • atomic layer deposition, interface engineering, nanothermoelectricity, SbO/SbTe, transport property