Thickness dependence of thermal conductivity and electron transport properties of Fe₂VAl thin-films prepared by RF sputtering technique
by Satoshi Hiroi; Masashi Mikami; Koichi Kitahara; Tsunehiro Takeuchi
International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT), Vol. 13, No. 10/11/12, 2016

Abstract: We prepared thin-films of Fe₂VAl-based Heusler phase (L2₁ structure) by means of radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique to investigate the thickness dependence of thermoelectric properties. Epitaxial growth of L2₁ structure was confirmed in the samples deposited at 1073 K on single crystal magnesia substrate. Electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient showed weak variations, while the lattice thermal conductivity drastically decreased with decreasing thickness. The reduction of lattice thermal conductivity of the thin-films became remarkable in the samples thinner than 400 nm most likely because the mean free path of phonons was limited by the thickness of films. As a result, the figure of merit of thin-films increased significantly with decreasing thickness and showed double value of bulk sample.

Online publication date: Wed, 16-Nov-2016

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