Thermal and thermoelectric behavior of silicon-germanium quantum well structures

Abstract

Tailoring thermoelectric materials for specific designs and applications has been gaining momentum during past three decades. Initially confined to conventional (bulk) framework an entirely new scenario emerged with inclusion of low-dimensional structures in the scheme of things. The paper examines the effect of size reduction on phonon and electron properties in two-dimensional (quantum well) structures with an aim to maximize thermoelectric performance. The formulation has been applied to silicon-germanium quantum wells with well width ranging from 50–500 Å aimed at finding best alloy combination for thermoelectric applications. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 200773.50.Lw Thermoelectric effects, 73.63.Hs Quantum wells, 73.61.Ey III-V semiconductors,