Estimation of the thermal band gap of a semiconductor from Seebeck measurements

It is shown that the magnitude of the Seebeck coefficient of a semiconductor has a maximum value that is close to one-half the energy gap divided by eT. An expression for the position of the Fermi level at which the Seebeck coefficient has a maximum or minimum value is derived, with account taken of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of electronic materials 1999-07, Vol.28 (7), p.869-872
Main Authors: GOLDSMID, H. J, SHARP, J. W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators
Electron density of states and band structure of crystalline solids
Electron states
Electronic transport in condensed matter
Energy gap
Estimation
Exact sciences and technology
Mass ratios
Physics
Seebeck effect
Semiconductor compounds
Thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects
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Summary:It is shown that the magnitude of the Seebeck coefficient of a semiconductor has a maximum value that is close to one-half the energy gap divided by eT. An expression for the position of the Fermi level at which the Seebeck coefficient has a maximum or minimum value is derived, with account taken of the mobility and effective mass ratios. It is concluded that measurement of the Seebeck coefficient as a function of temperature on any novel semiconductor is one of the simplest ways of estimating its band gap.
ISSN:0361-5235
1543-186X
DOI:10.1007/s11664-999-0211-y