TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: A main phase of the thermoelectric material has a rhombohedral crystal structure. The thermoelectric film further comprises a resin substrate, and the thermoelectric film is provided on the resin substrate. Preferred Properties: The average crystal grain size of the thermoelectric material is greater than about 1 microns. At least one crystal phase of the thermoelectric material has a strongest X-ray diffraction line having a width at half maximum of less than about 0.5degrees. An index of alignment (A=I(222)/I(-110)) of thermoelectric material is at least about 10, where I(222) and I(-110) are relative diffraction intensities with respect to associated baseline intensities for X-ray diffraction associated with indices (222) and (-110), respectively. Preferred Process: The modulated composite is formed on surface of a substrate. The modulated composite is optionally separated from the substrate and sintered by exposing the modulated composite to temperature of 50-585degreesC. The thermoelectric material is separated from the substrate using a solvent. Preferred Compounds: The powder includes separate constituent powders for rare earth element and tellurium, respectively. The constituent powder for tellurium is chosen from tellurium powder, tellurium-bismuth powder, tellurium-selenium powder, tellurium-antimony powder, tellurium-antimony-selenium powder, tellurium-bismuth-antimony powder, and tellurium-bismuth-selenium powder. The constituent powder for rare earth element (R) is chosen from ytterbium powder, ytterbium-bismuth powder, ytterbium-antimony powder, ytterbium-bismuth-antimony powder, cerium-bismuth powder, cerium-antimony powder, cerium-bismuth-antimony powder, samarium powder, samarium-bismuth powder, samarium-antimony powder, samarium-ytterbium powder, and samarium-bismuth-antimony powder. The powder includes bismuth powder is bismuth-antimony powder, or bismuth-selenium powder constituent. Preferred Definitions:    R=cerium, samarium or ytterbium;and    a,b=0.    EXAMPLE - Cerium-bismuth-tellurium-based modulated composite having thickness of 50-70 nm was prepared by alternately evaporating and laminating bismuth in a thickness of 2-4 nm, tellurium in a thickness of 4.8-9.5 nm and cerium in a thickness of 0.3-0.5 nm on silicon wafer with polymethylmethacrylate layers spin-coated in a thickness of 0.4 microns. The modulated composite was maintained at 100degreesC/minute, and heat-treated at 300degreesC for 40 hours under nitrogen atmosphere, to obtain thermoelectric material of formula: Ce0.1B2Te3 having rhombohedral crystal structure in the main phase. The obtained thermoelectric material had cerium content of 2 atomic%, bismuth content of 40 atomic%, Seebeck coefficient (alpha) of -60 microvolts/K, electrical resistivity of 0.6 mOmega.cm and power factor of 0.6 mW/mK2.