Control of crystal growth and thermoelectric properties of sputter-deposited BiTe thin films embedded with alumina nanoparticlesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: FESEM, XRD and XPS spectra of films. See DOI: 10.1039/c6ce02191c

BiTe thin films embedded with alumina nanoparticles were prepared by co-sputtering Al and Bi 2 Te 3 targets at 300 °C. The Al content in the films was determined by varying the applied power of the Al target. Al transformed into alumina by oxygen contamination during deposition, and alumina nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in the films. This facilitated the control of crystal growth of BiTe. The thermoelectric properties of BiTe thin films embedded with alumina nanoparticles were enhanced compared with those of pure BiTe thin films. We demonstrate a preparation of BiTe thin films embedded with alumina nanoparticles using a sputter-deposition method. The morphologies, growth orientation, and thermoelectric properties of BiTe thin films are controlled by the quantities of alumina nanoparticles.