Thermoelectric properties of silicon nanostructures

Abstract

Semiconductor nanostructures are promising candidates for efficient thermoelectric energy conversion, with applications in solid-state refrigeration and power generation. The design of efficient semiconductor thermocouples requires a thorough understanding of both charge and heat transport; therefore, thermoelectricity in silicon-based nanostructures requires that both electronic and thermal transport be treated on an equal footing. In this paper, we present semiclassical simulation of carrier and phonon transport in ultrathin silicon nanomembranes and gated nanoribbons. We show that the thermoelectric response of Simembrane-based nanostructures can be improved by employing the anisotropy of the lattice thermal conductivity, revealed in ultrathin Si due to boundary scattering, or by using a gate to provide additional carrier confinement and enhance the thermoelectric power factor. © Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2010.