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Thermoelectric Transport in Superlattices

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Abstract

The thermoelectric transport properties of superlattices have been studied using an exact solution of the Boltzmann equation. The role of heat transport along the barrier layers, of carrier tunneling through the barriers, of valley degeneracy and of the well width and energy dependences of the carrier-phonon scattering rates on the thermoelectric figure of merit are given. Calculations are given for Bi2Te3 and for PbTe, and the results of recent experiments are discussed.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by the US Office of Naval Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, 20375, USA

    T. L. Reinecke

  2. Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02167, USA

    D. A. Broido

Authors
  1. T. L. Reinecke
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  2. D. A. Broido
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Reinecke, T.L., Broido, D.A. Thermoelectric Transport in Superlattices. MRS Online Proceedings Library 478, 161–167 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-478-161

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