Thermoelectric effects in nanowire-based MOSFETs

Abstract

We review a series of works describing thermoelectric effects (TEs) in gated disordered nanowires (field-effect transistor device configuration). After considering the elastic coherent regime characterising sub-Kelvin temperatures, we study the inelastic activated regime occurring at higher temperatures, where electronic transport is dominated by phonon-assisted hops between localised states (Mott variable range hopping). The TEs are studied as a function of the location of the Fermi level inside the nanowire conduction band, notably around its edges where they become very large. We underline the interest of using electron–phonon coupling around the band edges of large arrays of parallel nanowires for energy harvesting and hot spot cooling at small scales. Multiterminal thermoelectric transport and ratchet effects are eventually considered in the activated regime. (Figure presented.).