Congruent Growth of Cu2Se Thermoelectric Thin Films Enabled by Using High Ablation Fluence During Pulsed Laser Deposition

doi:10.15541/jim20150197

Abstract

Abstract:

The importance of the laser ablation fluence in congruent growth of Cu₂Se thermoelectric thin films during pulsed laser deposition was shown in this work. By using a larger laser ablation fluence, a more consistent composition between as-grown thin films and the target material has been realized in the pulsed laser deposition of Cu₂Se films. This is associated with the enhanced plasma shielding effect, which weakens direct laser-solid interaction when increasing laser fluence. Reducing the ablation fluence can obviously increase the amount of the copper deficiencies, due to more effective laser ablation of Se (higher vapor pressure) than that of Cu when the laser direct lasser-solid interaction becomes more efficient. Apart from tuning the ablation fluence, thermoelectric performances of as-grown Cu₂Se thin films are further optimized as a function of the used argon background gas pressures. The maximum thermoelectric performance of the Cu₂Se thin film can be obtained when using the highest ablation fluence (~10 J/cm²) and a low argon background pressure(~10^-1 Pa).

Key words: Cu2Se film, pulsed laser deposition, thermoelectric, ablation fluence

CLC Number:

TQ174

LV Yan-Hong, CHEN Ji-Kun, DOBELI Max, LI Yu-Long, SHI Xun, CHEN Li-Dong. Congruent Growth of Cu₂Se Thermoelectric Thin Films Enabled by Using High Ablation Fluence During Pulsed Laser Deposition[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2015, 30(10): 1115-1120.

Figures/Tables 5

Fig. 1 (a) Composition of CuxSe thin films grown in vacuum using different ablation fluences, (b) deviation in the copper composition of as-grown thin films as compared to the target (Cu2.06Se): (x-2.06)/2.06 and (c) X-ray diffraction of the CuxSe thin films grown using an ablation fluence of 10 J/cm2 and 5 J/cm2

Fig. 2 (a) SEM micrographs of surface as well as cross section morphologies of CuxSe films grown using various ablation fluences and (b) electrical conductivity (σ), Seebeck coefficient (S) and power factor (PF) of as-grown CuxSe thin films using various ablation fluences

Fig. 3 Sputter yield of Cu and Se atoms in a 10 nm Cu2Se layer by the arriving Cu+ or Se+ with various incoming energies, estimated by stopping and range of ions in matter

Fig. 4 Electrical conductivity (σ), Seebeck coefficient (S) and power factor (PF) of as-grown CuxSe thin films using an ablation fluence of 10 J/cm2 at various argon background pressures

Fig. 5 (a) Power factor (PF) of as-grown CuxSe thin films using an ablation fluence of 10 J/cm2 or 5 J/cm2 at various argon background pressures and (b) Comparison of the surface morphology of the CuxSe grown at 5 Pa argon pressure using 10 J/cm2 and 5 J/cm2 ablation fluence

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Congruent Growth of Cu₂Se Thermoelectric Thin Films Enabled by Using High Ablation Fluence During Pulsed Laser Deposition

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