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Structural, morphological and spectroscopic studies of Bi–Ca co-doped SnTe

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Abstract

Bi–Ca co-doped SnTe materials are investigated for thermoelectric and infrared detector applications. Solvothermal technique is used to synthesize Sn1−3xBixCa2xTe (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) materials. Rock-salt crystal structure of SnTe is confirmed by powder X-ray Diffraction. In Sn0.91Bi0.03Ca0.06Te and Sn0.88Bi0.04Ca0.08Te, a secondary phase of Ca is verified by Rietveld refinement of XRD data. Crystallite size of all the samples are found in nanometer dimensions. FESEM micrographs display the agglomeration of synthesized particles. Te can exist in oxidation states of − 2 and + 4, while Sn can exist in + 2, + 4 states. Raman shift towards higher wavenumber is observed following Bi–Ca co-doping. The band gap of pure SnTe is 0.31 eV, which makes it suitable for infrared photodetector applications. An increase in band gap of SnTe is reported from 0.31 eV to 0.38 eV in Sn0.91Bi0.03Ca0.06Te. Hole carrier concentration is of pristine SnTe is decreased from 14 × 1019 cm−3 to 6.2 × 1019 cm−3 in Sn0.88Bi0.04Ca0.08Te. Decrease of carrier concentration and increase of band gap following doping can enhance thermoelectric performance of SnTe. Experimental findings reveal that Bi-Ca co-doped SnTe is a potential candidate as an infrared detector and thermoelectric material.

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  1. Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, India

    Anita Bugalia & Vivek Gupta

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  1. Anita Bugalia
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  2. Vivek Gupta
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A: conceptualization, investigation, methodology, formal analysis, writing—original draft. VG:conceptualization, methodology, validation, writing—review and editing, supervision.

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Correspondence to Vivek Gupta.

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Bugalia, A., Gupta, V. Structural, morphological and spectroscopic studies of Bi–Ca co-doped SnTe. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 2190 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11616-y

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