Abstract
Most approaches to silicon-based thermoelectrics are focused on reducing the lattice thermal conductivity with minimal deterioration of the thermoelectric power factor. This study investigates the potential of p-type hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon thin films (μc-Si:H), produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, for thermoelectric applications. We adopt this heterogeneous material structure, known to have a very low thermal conductivity (~ 1 W/m K), in order to obtain an optimized power factor through controlled variation of carrier concentration drawing on stepwise annealing. This approach achieves a best thermoelectric power factor of ~ 3 × 10−4 W/mK2 at a carrier concentration of ~ 4.5 × 1019 cm3 derived from a significant increase of electrical conductivity ~ × 8, alongside a less pronounced reduction of the Seebeck coefficient, while retaining a low thermal conductivity. These thin films have a good thermal and mechanical stability up to 500°C with appropriate adhesion at the film/substrate interface.
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The present study is supported by the National Secretary of Science and Technology of Ecuador (SENESCYT).
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Acosta, E., Smirnov, V., Szabo, P.S.B. et al. Optimizing Thermoelectric Power Factor in p-Type Hydrogenated Nano-crystalline Silicon Thin Films by Varying Carrier Concentration. J. Electron. Mater. 48, 2085–2094 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-019-07036-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-019-07036-6