Semiconducting chalcogenide Ge-Se-Sb-Cu as new prospective thermoelectric materials

Abstract

This work examines the electrical and thermoelectric characteristics of Ge25Se65Sb10-xCux (0 ≤ x ≤ 10 at.%) thin films within the temperature range of 300–450 K. In order to get thin films from the bulk specimens, thermal evaporation technique was employed. The electrical conductivity increases from 2.89 × 10−9 Ω−1 m−1 to 6.39 × 10−7 Ω−1 m−1 as the Cu content increases from 0 to 10 at.%. During this investigation, A p-type Ge25Se65Sb10-xCux films were considered, to keep the thermoelectric power positive throughout the temperature range. In addition to that, the dc electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power readings were taken into account to ascertain the level of free carriers presence. As the Cu content increases, the activation energy falls even though power factor; an important thermoelectric parameter, rises. The outcome of the chalcogenide glassy composition investigation revealed that it is a likely source for acquiring high action thermoelectric materials. Keywords: Electrical properties, Seebeck coefficient, Chalcogenide thin films, Thermoelectric materials