Atomic Layer Deposition of Nanolaminate Structures of Alternating PbTe and PbSe Thermoelectric Films

and bis-(triethyl silyl) selane ((Et3Si)2Se) as ALD precursors for lead, tellurium and selenium. The experimental evidence revealed the ALD growth of lead telluride and lead selenide followed the Vollmer-Weber island growth mode. We found a strong dependence of the nucleation process on the temperature. In this paper, we present the optimized conditions for growing PbTe and PbSe thin film nanolaminates within the ALD process window range of 170 ◦ C to 210 ◦ C and discuss an early nano-scale PbTe/PbSe bilayer