Enhanced Interfacial Adhesion and Thermal Stability in Bismuth Telluride/Nickel/Copper Multilayer Films with Low Electrical Contact Resistance. Issue 23 (10th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Xudong; Cao, Lili; Zhu, Wei; Deng, Yuan
• Is Part Of: Advanced materials interfaces. Volume 5:Issue 23(2018)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2018-10-10
• Subjects: electrical contact resistivity -- element diffusion -- interfacial adhesion -- thermal stability; Materials science -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/admi.201801279
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2196-7350

Abstract

Abstract: The interfacial property between thermoelectric films and metal electrodes greatly affects the performance and practical application of thin‐film thermoelectric devices. Here, Ni intermediate layer is chosen and inserted into Bi2 Te3 /Cu to simultaneously regulate the electrical and mechanical performance of the interface. Meanwhile, Ar/H2 plasma cleaning is also adopted to optimize the interfacial connection during the sputtering process. Results show the interfacial element diffusion can be effectively blocked after the introduction of Ni interlayer, and the Bi2 Te3 /Ni/Cu multilayer thin film performs an excellent interfacial adhesion and maintains a low specific contact resistivity about 2.7 × 10 −6 Ω cm 2, which can be attributed to the matching of thermal expansion coefficient between Bi2 Te3, Ni, and Cu, and the reduction of lattice mismatch. Furthermore, the Ni interlayer can also alleviate the degradation of interfacial mechanical and electrical properties after 1000 cycles of thermal shock, consequently enhancing the reliability and stability of the interfacial connection. This work provides an effective way to improve the comprehensive performance of multilayer interface in thin‐film thermoelectric devices. Abstract : The introduction of Ni interlayer improves the interfacial adhesion and atomic thermal stability of Bi2 Te3 /Ni/Cu multilayer films, and also keeps the film with low interfacial contact resistivity and better thermal shock resistance. This work conducts a comprehensive investigation of interfacial performance in multilayer films, and provides an effective way to improve the stability and reliability in thin‐film thermoelectric devices.