Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance
A three-terminal thermoelectric device based on a p–i–n semiconductor junction is proposed, where the intrinsic region is mounted onto what is typically a bosonic thermal terminal. Remarkably, the figure of merit of the deviceis governed also by the energy distribution of the bosons participating in...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2013-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/7/075021 |
| _version_ | 1797751417981632512 |
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| author | Jian-Hua Jiang Ora Entin-Wohlman Yoseph Imry |
| author_facet | Jian-Hua Jiang Ora Entin-Wohlman Yoseph Imry |
| author_sort | Jian-Hua Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A three-terminal thermoelectric device based on a p–i–n semiconductor junction is proposed, where the intrinsic region is mounted onto what is typically a bosonic thermal terminal. Remarkably, the figure of merit of the deviceis governed also by the energy distribution of the bosons participating in the transport processes, in addition to the electronic. An enhanced figure of merit can be obtained when the relevant distribution is narrow and the electron–boson coupling is strong (such as for optical phonons). We study the conditions for which the figure of merit of the three-terminal junction can be greater than those of the usual thermoelectrical devices made of the same material. A possible setup with a high figure of merit, based on Bi _2 Te _3 /Si superlattices, is proposed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:49:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0cbc0a776dac45acb10018bc0387c8f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:49:13Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0cbc0a776dac45acb10018bc0387c8f12023-08-08T11:25:46ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302013-01-0115707502110.1088/1367-2630/15/7/075021Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performanceJian-Hua Jiang0Ora Entin-Wohlman1Yoseph Imry2Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, Israel; Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China; Department of Physics, University of Toronto , 60 Saint George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A7, CanadaRaymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Department of Physics and the Ilse Katz Center for Meso- and Nano-Scale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University , Beer Sheva 84105, IsraelDepartment of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 76100, IsraelA three-terminal thermoelectric device based on a p–i–n semiconductor junction is proposed, where the intrinsic region is mounted onto what is typically a bosonic thermal terminal. Remarkably, the figure of merit of the deviceis governed also by the energy distribution of the bosons participating in the transport processes, in addition to the electronic. An enhanced figure of merit can be obtained when the relevant distribution is narrow and the electron–boson coupling is strong (such as for optical phonons). We study the conditions for which the figure of merit of the three-terminal junction can be greater than those of the usual thermoelectrical devices made of the same material. A possible setup with a high figure of merit, based on Bi _2 Te _3 /Si superlattices, is proposed.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/7/075021 |
| spellingShingle | Jian-Hua Jiang Ora Entin-Wohlman Yoseph Imry Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance New Journal of Physics |
| title | Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance |
| title_full | Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance |
| title_fullStr | Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance |
| title_short | Three-terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices: improving performance |
| title_sort | three terminal semiconductor junction thermoelectric devices improving performance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/7/075021 |
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