A Study on the Characteristics of Mg2Si Films Prepared by Electron Beam Evaporation Technique

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials Vol. 51; no. 6; pp. 3226 - 3236
• Main Authors: Gupta, Suniksha, Howlader, Smita, Sharma, Atul, Asokan, K., Banerjee, M. K., Sachdev, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Atomic force microscopy; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Crystallites; Deposition; Electron beams; Electronics and Microelectronics; Emission analysis; Evolution; Experimentation; Field emission microscopy; Film thickness; Grain structure; Instrumentation; Intermetallic compounds; Magnesium compounds; Materials Science; Metal silicides; Microscopy; Optical and Electronic Materials; Original Research Article; Raman spectroscopy; Residual stress; Room temperature; Silicides; Silicon substrates; Solid State Physics; Thermoelectric materials; Thin films; X-ray diffraction; thermoelectric; electrical properties; Si; Mg; high-energy ball milling; Magnesium silicide; thin films
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-022-09568-w

Thin film-based thermoelectric materials have attracted enormous research interest due to their potential to exhibit excellent thermoelectric (TE) behavior. Considering the potential of earth-abundant and nontoxic magnesium silicide (Mg 2 Si) to behave as a mid-temperature TE material, the present study was conducted to assess the structural evolution and electrical behavior of Mg 2 Si films prepared by electron beam thin film deposition technique. The films were deposited on silicon (100) substrate at room temperature with thickness ranging from 0.5 µm to 4 µm. The investigation revealed that the electrical behavior of this alloy film is considerably influenced by its thickness. The effect of film thickness on evolution of the structure was also studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It was observed that the present experimentation could produce a nanocrystalline grain structure of Mg 2 Si alloy with a small quantity of excess magnesium phase. Moreover, XRD results delineated that the crystallite size is influenced by the thickness of the film under the same deposition conditions. The residual stress within the e-beam-deposited film, as manifested through the measured strain values of the films, was found to be thickness-dependent. Moreover, it was confirmed that there was no influence of the substrate on the structure and properties of the studied films. Graphical Abstract