• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.149-151
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• 2005

The electric properties of a single crystal bismuth telluride doped with a small concentration of Erbium, $Bi_{z-x}Er_xTe_3$ with x = 0.002, are investigated as a function of temperature. The resistivity was obtained by using the van der Pauw method. The measured electrical resistivity is 78 ${\mu}{\Omega}cm$ at 4.2 K. The charge density of $Bi_{z-x}Er_xTe_3$ is found to be $2{\times}10^{19}/cm^3$ at 4.2 K. It turns out that $Bi_{z-x}Er_xTe_3$ is a p-type semiconductor. It is discussed that the high mobility and less density support that $Bi_{z-x}Er_xTe_3$ is a potential sensor with high energy resolution. Comparison with an established material (i.e. Au:Er alloy) is also discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.304.2-304.2
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• 2014

Chalcogenides (Te,Se) and pnictogens(Bi,Sb) materials have been widely investigated as thermoelectric materials. Especially, Bi2Te3 (Bismuth telluride) compound thermoelectric materials in thin film and nanowires are known to have the highest thermoelectric figure of merit ZT at room temperature. Currently, the thermoelectric material research is mostly driven in two directions: (1) enhancing the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity using quantum confinement effects and (2) decreasing thermal conductivity using phonon scattering effect. Herein we demonstrated influence of annealing temperature on structural and thermoelectrical properties of Bismuth-telluride-selenide ternary compound thin film. Te-rich Bismuth-telluride-selenide ternary compound thin film prepared co-deposited by thermal evaporation techniques. After annealing treatment, co-deposited thin film was transformed amorphous phase to Bi2Te3-Bi2Te2Se1 polycrystalline thin film. In the experiment, to investigate the structural and thermoelectric characteristics of Bi2Te3-i2Te2Se1 films, we measured Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning eletron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Seebeck coefficient measurement and Hall measurement. After annealing treatment, electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient was increased by defect states dominated by selenium vacant sites. These charged selenium vacancies behave as electron donors, resulting in carrier concentration was increased. Moreover, Thermal conductivity was significantly decreased because phonon scattering was enhanced through the grain boundary in Bi2Te3-Bi2Te2Se1 polycrystalline compound. As a result, The enhancement of thermoelectric figure-of-merit could be obtained by optimal annealing treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.185-185
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• 2011

ZnTe semiconductor is very attractive materials for optoelectronic devices in the visible green spectral region because of it has direct bandgap of 2.26 eV. The prototypes of ZnTe light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been reported [1], showing that their green emission peak closely matches the most sensitive region of the human eye. Another application to photovoltaics proved that ZnTe is useful for the production of high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells [2,3]. By using the pulse laser deposition system, ZnTe thin films were deposited on ZnO thin layer, which is grown on (0001) Al2O3substrates. To produce the plasma plume from an ablated ZnO and ZnTe target, a pulsed (10 Hz) YGA:Nd laser with energy density of 95 mJ/$cm^2$ and wavelength of 266 nm by a nonlinear fourth harmonic generator was used. The laser spot focused on the surface of the ZnO and ZnTe target by using an optical lens was approximately 1 mm2. The base pressure of the chamber was kept at a pressure around $10^{-6}$ Torr by using a turbo molecular pump. The oxygen gas flow was controlled around 3 sccm by using a mass flow controller system. During the ZnTe deposition, the substrate temperature was $400^{\circ}C$ and the ambient gas pressure was $10^{-2}$ Torr. The structural properties of the samples were analyzed by XRD measurement. The optical properties were investigated by using the photoluminescence spectra obtained with a 325 nm wavelength He-Cd laser. The film surface and carrier concentration were analyzed by an atomic force microscope and Hall measurement system.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2024

The n-type Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ compounds have been of great interest due to its potential to achieve a high thermoelectric performance, comparable to that of p-type Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃. However, a comprehensive understanding on the thermoelectric properties remains lacking. Here, we investigate the thermoelectric transport properties and band characteristics of n-type Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ (x = 0.1 - 1.1) based on experimental and theoretical considerations. We find that the higher power factor at lower Sb content results from the optimized balance between the density of state effective mass and nondegenerate mobility. Additionally, a higher carrier concentration at lower x suppresses bipolar conduction, thereby reducing thermal conductivity at elevated temperatures. Consequently, the highest zT of ~ 0.5 is observed at 450 K for x = 0.1 and, according to the single parabolic band model, it could be further improved by ~70 % through carrier concentration tuning.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.254-259
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• 2015

$Bi_2Te_3$ related compounds show the best thermoelectric properties at room temperature. However, n-type $Bi_2Te_{2.7}Se_{0.3}$ showed no improvement on ZT values. To improve the thermolectric propterties of n-type $Bi_2Te_{2.7}Se_{0.3}$, this research has Cu-doped n-type powder. This study focused on effects of Cu-doping method on the thermoelectric properties of n-type materials, and evaluated the comparison between the Cu chemical and mechanical doping. The synthesized powder was manufactured by the spark plasma sintering(SPS). The thermoelectric properties of the sintered body were evaluated by measuring their Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and hall coefficient. An introduction of a small amount of Cu reduced the thermal conductivity and improved the electrical properties with Seebeck coefficient. The authors provided the optimal concentration of $Cu_{0.1}Bi_{1.99}Se_{0.3}Te_{2.7}$. A figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.22 was obtained for $Cu_{0.1}Bi_{1.9}Se_{0.3}Te_{2.7}$ at 373K by Cu chemical doping, which was obviously higher than those of $Cu_{0.1}Bi_{1.9}Se_{0.3}Te_{2.7}$ at 373K by Cu mechanical doping (ZT=0.56) and Cu-free $Bi_2Se_{0.3}Te_{2.7}$ (ZT=0.51).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.445-449
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• 2021

Zintl compound Mg₃Sb₂ is a promising candidate for efficient thermoelectric material due to its small band gap energy and characteristic electron-crystal phonon-glass behavior. Furthermore, this compound enables fine tuning of carrier concentration via chemical doping for optimizing thermoelectric performance. In this study, nominal compositions of Mg_3.8Sb_2-xTe_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) are synthesized through controlled melting and subsequent vacuum hot pressing method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are carried out to investigate phase development and surface morphology during the process. It should be noted that 16 at. % of excessive Mg must be added to the system to compensate for the loss of Mg during melting process. Herein, thermoelectric properties such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity are evaluated from low to high temperature regimes. The results show that Te substitution at Sb sites effectively tunes the majority carriers from holes to electrons, resulting in a transition from p to n-type. At 873 K, a peak ZT value of 0.27 is found for the specimen Mg_3.8Sb_1.99Te_0.01, indicating an improved ZT value over the intrinsic value.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.408-412
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• 1998

Thermoelectric properties of Bi$_{2}$(Te$_{1-x}$Se$_{ x}$)$_{3}$(0.05$\leq$x$\leq$0.25) prepared by mechanical alloying and hot pressing, were investigated. Contrary to the p-type behavior of single crystals, the hot-pressed Bi$_{2}$(Te$_{1-x}$Se$_{ x}$)$_{3}$ exhibited ntype conduction without addition of donor dopant. When $Bi_2(Te_{0.85}Se_{0.15})_3$powders were annealed in (50% $H_2$ + 50% Ar) atmosphere, the hot-pressed specimen exhibited a positive Seebeck coefficient due to the reduction of the electron concentration by removal of the oxide layer on the powder surface and annealing-out of the excess Te vacancies. Among the Bi$_{2}$(Te$_{1-x}$Se$_{ x}$)$_{3}$fabricated by mechanical alloying and hot pressing, $Bi_2(Te_{0.85}Se_{0.15})_3$ exhibited a maximum figure-of-merit of 1.92 $\times$ $lO^{-3}$/K.

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.44-56
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• 1996

CuInTe2 synthesised in a horizontal electric furnace was found to be polycrystalline. Single crystals of CuInTe2 were grown with the vertical Bridgman technique. The structure, Hall effect of the crystals were measured in the temperature range 30 to 293K. Both the polycrystals and single crystals of CuInTe2 were tetragonal in structure. The lattice constants of the polycrytals were measured as a=6.168Å and c=12.499Å, with c/a=2.026, these of the single crystals were measured as a=6.186Å and c=12.453Å, with c/a=2.013. The growth plane of the oriented single crystals was confirmed to be a (112) plane from the back-reflection Laue patterns. The Hall effect of the CuInTe2 single crystals was measured with the method of van der Pauw The Hall data of the samples measured at room temperature showed a carrier concentration of 2.14×1023holes/m3, a conductivity of 739.58Ω-1m-1, and a mobility of 2.16×10 -2m 2/V·s for the sample perpendicular to the c-axis. Values of 1.51×1023holes/m3, 717.55Ω-1m-1, and 2.97×10-2 m2/V·s were obtained for the sample parallel to the c-axis. The Hall coefficients for the samples both perpendicular and parallel to the c-axis in the temperature range 30K to 293K were always positive values. Thus the CuInTe2 single crystal was determined to be a p-type semiconductor.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.280-284
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• 2012

Bismuth antimony telluride (BiSbTe) thermoelectric materials were successfully prepared by a spark plasma sintering process. Crystalline BiSbTe ingots were crushed into small pieces and then attrition milled into fine powders of about 300 nm ~ 2${\mu}m$ size under argon gas. Spark plasma sintering was applied on the BiSbTe powders at 240, 320, and $380^{\circ}C$, respectively, under a pressure of 40 MPa in vacuum. The heating rate was $50^{\circ}C$/min and the holding time at the sintering temperature was 10 min. At all sintering temperatures, high density bulk BiSbTe was successfully obtained. The XRD patterns verify that all samples were well matched with the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3}$. Seebeck coefficient (S), electric conductivity (${\sigma}$) and thermal conductivity (k) were evaluated in a temperature range of $25{\sim}300^{\circ}C$. The thermoelectric properties of BiSbTe were evaluated by the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT (ZT = $S^2{\sigma}T$/k). The grain size and electric conductivity of sintered BiSbTe increased as the sintering temperature increased but the thermal conductivity was similar at all sintering temperatures. Grain growth reduced the carrier concentration, because grain growth reduced the grain boundaries, which serve as acceptors. Meanwhile, the carrier mobility was greatly increased and the electric conductivity was also improved. Consequentially, the grains grew with increasing sintering temperature and the figure of merit was improved.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2024

We report the effect of plastic deformation on the thermoelectric properties of n-type Bi₂Te_2.5Se_0.5 compounds. N-type Bi₂Te_2.5Se_0.5 powders are synthesized by an oxide-reduction process and consolidated via spark-plasma sintering. To explore the effect of plastic deformation on the thermoelectric properties, the sintered bodies are subjected to uniaxial pressure to induce a controlled amount of compressive strains (-0.2, -0.3, and -0.4). The shaping temperature is set using a thermochemical analyzer, and the plastic deformation effect is assessed without altering the material composition through differential scanning calorimetry. This strategy is crucial because the conventional hot-forging process can often lead to alterations in material composition due to the high volatility of chalcogen elements. With increasing compressive strain, the (00l) planes become aligned in the direction perpendicular to the pressure axis. Furthermore, an increase in the carrier concentration is observed upon compressive plastic deformation, i.e., the donor-like effect of the plastic deformation in n-type Bi₂Te_2.5Se_0.5 compounds. Owing to the increased electrical conductivity through the preferred orientation and the donor-like effect, an improved ZT is achieved in n-type Bi₂Te_2.5Se_0.5 through the compressive-forming process.