Abstract

Mg₂Sn-based semiconductors are promising candidates for electrical and thermoelectric device applications. Mg₂Sn is a narrow-bandgap semiconductor, and its thin films have not been extensively studied. In this study, Mg₂Sn films were deposited on glass substrates by co-sputtering with a fixed RF source for the Mg target and varying the DC sputtering power for the Sn target. The variation of the Sn sputtering power was found to influence the structural properties, surface morphology, and elemental composition, as well as the thermoelectric properties of the films. The results showed that the films showed evidence of a transition from cubic to a mixed cubic–orthorhombic structure along with the incorporation of Mg₂Sn stoichiometric elemental composition at a sputtering power of 40W. These two factors markedly improved the thermoelectric properties of the Mg₂Sn films, reaching a power factor of 0.72 mW/mK² at 590 K.