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Theoretical model for the Seebeck coefficient in superlattice materials with energy relaxation
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Vargiamidis, Vassilios, Thesberg, Mischa and Neophytou, Neophytos (2019) Theoretical model for the Seebeck coefficient in superlattice materials with energy relaxation. Journal of Applied Physics, 126 (5). 055105. doi:10.1063/1.5108607 ISSN 0021-8979.
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WRAP-Theoretical-model-Seebeck-coefficient-superlattice-energy-relaxation-Neophytou-2019.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (3150Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5108607
Abstract
We present an analytical model for the Seebeck coefficient S of superlattice materials that explicitly takes into account the energy relaxation due to electron-optical phonon (e-ph) scattering. In such materials, the Seebeck coefficient is not only determined by the bulk Seebeck values of the materials but, in addition, is dependent on the energy relaxation process of charge carriers as they propagate from the less-conductive barrier region into the more-conductive well region. We calculate S as a function of the well size d, where carrier energy becomes increasingly relaxed within the well for d>λE, where λE is the energy relaxation length. We validate the model against more advanced quantum transport simulations based on the nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) method and also with an experiment, and we find very good agreement. In the case in which no energy relaxation is taken into account, the results deviate substantially from the NEGF results. The model also yields accurate results with only a small deviation (up to ∼3%) when varying the optical phonon energy ℏω or the e-ph coupling strength D0, physical parameters that would determine λE. As a first order approximation, the model is valid for nanocomposite materials, and it could prove useful in the identification of material combinations and in the estimation of ideal sizes in the design of nanoengineered thermoelectric materials with enhanced power factor performance
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Subjects: | Q Science > QC Physics | ||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > Engineering | ||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Superlattices as materials, Nanotechnology, Nanostructured materials, Power resources -- Research | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Applied Physics | ||||||||
| Publisher: | American Institute of Physics | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 0021-8979 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | 7 August 2019 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 126 | ||||||||
| Number: | 5 | ||||||||
| Article Number: | 055105 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1063/1.5108607 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
| Copyright Holders: | © 2019 Author(s) | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 5 August 2019 | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 1 August 2020 | ||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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