Semiconductor Nanowire and Nanoribbon Thermoelectrics: A Comprehensive Computational Study
Abstract
Through detailed microscopic simulation, this project advances our understanding of the transport of charge and heat in Si, SiGe, and graphene nanostructures, with the objective of furthering their applications in thermoelectric cooling and energy harvesting. Main findings include: (1) Room-temperature thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, of ultrathin silicon nanowires varies slowly with thickness, having a soft maximum of about 0.4 at the nanowire thickness of 4 nm. The benefit of nanostructuring is much less dramatic than previously suggested; (2) We find a significantly enhanced thermoelectric power factor in gated Si nanomembanes, and explain that it occurs due to include quantum confinement, low scattering due to the absence of dopants, and, at low temperatures, a significant phonon-drag contribution; (3) In Si nanomembranes, in-plane thermal conductivity is minimal on {001}, due to the strong coupling of TA modes to {001} surfaces. Highest in-plane conductivity is achieved in [100]/(011) SOI, with benefits for passive cooling applications. (4) Thermal transport in suspended graphene nanoribbons is edge-dominated and highly anisotropic, but isotropic in realistic-sized supported nanoribbons owing to strong substrate scattering.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- AD1013116
Entities
People
- I. Knežević
Organizations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison