Transport Properties of Cubic Crystalline Ge$_{2}$Sb$_{2}$Te$_{5}$: A Potential Low-temperature Thermoelectric Material

TL;DR

This study reveals that cubic crystalline Ge$_{2}$Sb$_{2}$Te$_{5}$ exhibits high Seebeck coefficients at high doping levels and low temperatures, indicating its potential as an efficient low-temperature thermoelectric material.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates the thermoelectric potential of cubic crystalline GST at low temperatures with high Seebeck coefficients and low thermal conductivity, a novel application for this phase change material.

Findings

High Seebeck coefficients (200-300 μV/K) at high doping levels.

Seebeck coefficient exceeds 200 μV/K at 200 K for specific doping.

Lattice thermal conductivity is extremely low (~0.7 W/m-K at 300 K).

Abstract

Ge$_{2}$Sb$_{2}$Te$_{5}$ (GST) has been widely used as a popular phase change material. In this study, we show that it exhibits high Seebeck coefficients 200 - 300 $\mu$V/K in its cubic crystalline phase ($\it{c}$-GST) at remarkably high $\it{p}$-type doping levels of $\sim$ 1$\times$10$^{19}$ - 6$\times$10$^{19}$ cm$^{-3}$ at room temperature. More importantly, at low temperature (T = 200 K), the Seebeck coefficient was found to exceed 200 $\mu$V/K for a doping range 1$\times$10$^{19}$ - 3.5$\times$10$^{19}$ cm$^{-3}$. Given that the lattice thermal conductivity in this phase has already been measured to be extremely low ($\sim$ 0.7 W/m-K at 300 K),\citep{r51} our results suggest the possibility of using $\it{c}$-GST as a low-temperature thermoelectric material.