Electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and crystal growth of p-type tellurium films through temperature dependent RF sputtering

Abstract

Abstract Te thin films have recently received considerable attention owing to its superior electrical and thermoelectric properties. During the deposition process, if the temperature of the substrate is raised, high crystallinity and improved electrical properties can be expected. In this study, we used radio frequency sputtering for Te deposition to study the relationship between the deposition temperature, crystal size, and electrical performance. As the deposition temperature is increased from room temperature to 100 °C, we observed an increase in crystal size from the x-ray diffraction patterns and full-width half maximum calculations. With this grain size increment, the Hall mobility and Seebeck coefficient of the Te thin film increased significantly from 16 to 33 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 50 to 138 μV K−1, respectively. This study reveals the potential of a facile fabrication method for enhanced Te thin films using temperature control and highlights the importance of the Te crystal structure in determining the electrical/thermoelectrical properties. These findings are particularly significant for the development of semiconductor material systems for various applications, including thermoelectric devices, CMOS, FET, and solar devices.