Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) is a binary compound made of bismuth and tellurium and is a type of material that can be used as a substrate in various applications. This material has a layered crystal structure, making it a topological insulator, which is a material that has insulating properties in the interior but allows for conducting properties on the surface.
This property makes Bi2Te3 a popular material for electronic devices, particularly in the field of thermoelectrics, where it is used to generate electricity from heat. The material also has high thermal stability and high thermal conductivity, making it ideal for high-temperature applications. Additionally, Bi2Te3 has strong spin-orbit interaction, making it useful for spintronics applications, where the spin of electrons is used for information processing.
Bi2Te3 can be grown as single crystals using methods such as the Bridgman-Stockbarger method or the modified Bridgman method, and these crystals can then be used as substrates for the growth of other single-crystal materials or for the fabrication of various devices.