Thermal conductivities of sub-micron Bi2Te3 films sputtered on anisotropic substrates

Approximately 450 nm thick Bi2Te3 films were deposited on flat Al2O3 substrate and nanochannel alumina (NCA) templates with different pore diameters through radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The structure and morphology of Bi2Te3 films were investigated by x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the thermal conductivities of the films deposited on anisotropic substrates were evaluated by micro-Raman method combined with numerical simulation and optimization conducted by COMSOL Multiphysics. The thermal conductivities of Bi2Te3 films deposited on NCA templates with discontinuous Φ20 and Φ100 nm pores and flat Al2O3 substrate were 0.80, 0.99 and 1.54 Wm−1 K−1, respectively. The lower thermal conductivities of Bi2Te3 films deposited on NCA templates are attributed to much smaller grain size, bottom porous layers, and rougher surfaces through analysis.