Abstract
Both n- and p-type bismuth telluride (Bi<_>2Te<_>3) thermoelectric thin films were prepared by coaxial type vacuum arc evaporation method. The atomic compositions of the as-deposited thin films and several annealed thin films were comparable to that of bulk Bi<_>2i'e<_>3. Their thermoelectric properties were measured. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the as-deposited thin films were improved by the annealing process. The measured figure of merits (ZT) of the n- and p-type Bi<_>2Te<_>3 thin films were 0.86 and 0.41 at 300 K when the annealing temperatures were 573 K and 523 K respectively. The in-plane thermoelectric generators were fabricated on a glass substrate through shadow masks. The output power was 0.9 μW at 77 K temperature difference.
