MeV Si ions bombardments effects on thermoelectric properties of SiO2/SiO2+Ge nanolayers

Abstract The performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S 2 σT / K , where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature and K is the thermal conductivity. ZT can be increased by increasing S , increasing σ , or decreasing K . We have prepared the thermoelectric generator device of SiO 2 /SiO 2 +Ge multilayer superlattice films using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The 5 MeV Si ion bombardments have been performed using the AAMU Pelletron ion beam accelerator at five different fluences to make quantum structures (nanodots and/or nanoclusters) in the multilayer superlattice thin films to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity, increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and cross plane electrical conductivity. To characterize the thermoelectric generator devices before and after MeV Si ions bombardments at the different fluences we have measured the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient, the cross-plane electrical conductivity, and the cross-plane thermal conductivity, Raman spectra to get some information about the sample structure and bond structures among the used elements in the superlattice thin film systems.