Pulsed laser melting of bismuth telluride thermoelectric materials

Abstract While laser melting, deposition, and annealing of semiconductor thin films are well-established, pulsed laser processing of bulk semiconductor material powders has been minimally investigated. This work investigates nanosecond pulsed laser melting of bismuth telluride, a common thermoelectric material. Using both experimental and computational modeling methods, a process window was determined in which melting is achieved before ablation occurs. The process window was determined for Bi 2 Te 3 powder compacts, with melt depths on the order of 20–100 μm. The melted region had a fine-grained, columnar microstructure and showed typical selective laser melting defects such as microcracking. Stroboscopic imaging was used as an in situ imaging technique to observe molten pool features, revealing a teardrop-shaped molten pool with little resolidification between pulses. A simplified thermal model of the nanosecond pulsed laser melting process was developed, and two models for the solid phase thermal conductivity were used to investigate the impact of thermal conductivity on the size, shape, and duration of the molten pool. The results demonstrate the narrow process window available for pulsed laser processing of bulk bismuth telluride powders, and the discussion includes thermal management approaches possible for reducing defects such as microcracking.