Quantum Effects in the Thermoelectric Power Factor of Low-Dimensional Semiconductors

We theoretically investigate the interplay between the confinement length L and the thermal de Broglie wavelength Λ to optimize the thermoelectric power factor of semiconducting materials. An analytical formula for the power factor is derived based on the one-band model assuming nondegenerate semico...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2016-07, Vol.117 (3), p.036602-036602, Article 036602
Main Authors: Hung, Nguyen T, Hasdeo, Eddwi H, Nugraha, Ahmad R T, Dresselhaus, Mildred S, Saito, Riichiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Confinement
De Broglie wavelengths
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical models
Power factor
Semiconductors
Thermoelectricity
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Summary:We theoretically investigate the interplay between the confinement length L and the thermal de Broglie wavelength Λ to optimize the thermoelectric power factor of semiconducting materials. An analytical formula for the power factor is derived based on the one-band model assuming nondegenerate semiconductors to describe quantum effects on the power factor of the low-dimensional semiconductors. The power factor is enhanced for one- and two-dimensional semiconductors when L is smaller than Λ of the semiconductors. In this case, the low-dimensional semiconductors having L smaller than their Λ will give a better thermoelectric performance compared to their bulk counterpart. On the other hand, when L is larger than Λ, bulk semiconductors may give a higher power factor compared to the lower dimensional ones.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.117.036602