Electrical Characteristics of ZnTe Thermoelectric Thin Films

Thermal coating growth of ZnTe thermoelectric films were deposited on n-type Si substrate is studied. Structural analysis through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were sensitive to the RTA treatment. The electrical properties and microstructure of these films were investigated with special emphasis on the effects of various annealing temperatures from 600°C to 800°C by RTA technique. The highest carrier concentration, lowest resistivity and mobility at an annealing temperature of 700°C are 3.5×1015 cm-3, 0.25 Ω-cm, and 49 cm2V-1S-1. The resultant electrical properties have made ZnTe films as very interesting materials for thermoelectric device applications.