Funct. Mater. 2022; 29 (1): 44-51.

doi:https://doi.org/10.15407/fm29.01.44

Growth mechanism, structure and thermoelectric properties of thermally evaporated Bi2(Te0.9Se0.1)3 thin films

E.I.Rogacheva1, S.I.Krivonogov2, A.G.Fedorov2, A.Yu.Sipatov1, A.N.Doroshenko1, O.N.Nashchekina1, K.V.Novak1

1National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", 2 Kyrpychova Str., 61002 Kharkiv, Ukraine
2Institute for Single Crystals, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauky Ave., 61001 Kharkiv, Ukraine

Abstract: 

The growth mechanism, crystal structure, and morphology of thin films with thicknesses d = 16-207 nm prepared by thermal evaporation in vacuum of p-Bi2(Te0.9Se0.1)3 polycrystal on glass substrates were studied using X-ray diffractometry and atomic force microscopy. The obtained polycrystalline thin films were single-phase and homogeneous, had a tetradymite-type structure and a unit cell parameter very close to that of Bi2(Te0.9Se0.1)3 polycrystal but, unlike the initial polycrystal, exhibited n-type conductivity. With increasing d, the grain size and roughness of the thin films increased. It was found that the predominant direction of the crystallite growth was [0 0 l], but at d larger than ~ 130 nm, along with the reflections from the (0 0 l) planes, weak reflections from other planes appeared, indicating a certain disorientation of crystallites. An increase in d led to a monotonic increase in the Seebeck coefficient, which indicated the presence of the classical size effect. The obtained data have shown that using a low-cost method of thermal evaporation in vacuum from a single source, one can grow thin Bi2(Te0.9Se0.1)3 films with partial Te -> Se substitution in Bi2Te3 of a sufficiently high quality with preferential orientation [0 0 l].

Keywords: 
Bi<sub>2</sub>(Te<sub>0.9</sub>Se<sub>0.1</sub>)<sub>3</sub> polycrystal, thermal evaporation, thin film, thickness, phase composition, crystal structure, microstructure, growth direction, Seebeck coefficient.

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