Influence of annealing on the structural and electrical transport properties of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3.0 thin films deposited by co-sputtering

Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3.0 thin films were deposited on silicon substrates at room temperature by co-sputtering and the effects of annealing temperatures on structure and thermoelectric properties were investigated. The composition, crystallinity, and microstructure of these thin films were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The crystalline quality of the thin films was enhanced with a rising annealing temperature. When annealed at 573 K, the layered structure of the Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3.0 thin films with a preferred orientation along the (00l) plane was formed. However, excessive high annealing temperature caused the thin films to become porous due to the separation of substantial Sb-rich precipitates. The electrical transport properties of the thin films, in terms of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were determined at room temperature. The carrier concentration and mobility were calculated from the Hall coefficient measurement. By optimizing the annealing temperature and time to 573 K for 6 h, the thermoelectric power factor was enhanced to 22.54 μW/(cm K²) at its maximum with a moderate electrical conductivity of 6.21 × 10² S/cm and a maximum Seebeck coefficient of 190.6 μV/K.