Interfacial Distortion of SbTe-SbSe Multilayers via Atomic Layer Deposition for Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an effective technique for depositing thin films with precise control of layer thickness and functional properties. In this work, SbTe-SbSe nanostructures were synthesized using thermal ALD. A decrease in the SbTe layer thickness led to the emergence of distinct peaks from the Laue rings, indicative of a highly textured film structure with optimized crystallinity. Density functional theory simulations revealed that carrier redistribution occurs at the interface to establish charge equilibrium. By carefully optimizing the layer thicknesses, we achieved an obvious enhancement in the Seebeck coefficient, reaching a peak figure of merit () value of 0.38 at room temperature. These investigations not only provide strong evidence for the potential of ALD manipulation to improve the electrical performance of metal chalcogenides but also offer valuable insights into achieving high performance in two-dimensional materials.