Thermoelectric and Optical Properties of Advanced Thermoelectric Devices from Different Multilayer Thin Films

Abstract

Thermoelectric devices were prepared using different multilayered thin film structures in the order of Ge/Si+Ge, Si+Ge, Si, Sb+Ge, Ge and SiO₂/SiO₂+Ge by DC/RF Magnetron Sputtering. The thickness of the deposited thin films were measured using Filmetrics UV thickness measurement system. The prepared thermoelectric devices have been modified with 5 MeV Si ions bombardments at the different fluences (doses) using Pelletron high energy beam accelerator at Alabama A and M University to form quantum structures in the multilayer thin films to improve the efficiency of the thermoelectric devices. The conductivity measurements, the fluence dependence of the power factor measurements, the fluence dependence of thermal conductivity measurements and the figure of merit calculations of multilayered thin films at room temperature have been performed. After the thermoelectric devices were prepared, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) + Energy-Dispersive X-beam Spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) measurements have been done from the cross section of the prepared multilayer thin films to give us some answer for the thickness of the fabricated thermoelectric devices.