The thermoelectric properties of aligned quantum dot chains are calculated taking in account the change in band structure due to quantum size effects. From the calculated band structure, the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity are calculated in a constant relaxation time approximation (CRTA). The power factor is plotted as a function of the size and spacing of dots and an increase is shown in the power factor for decreasing dot size. The net power factor is calculated using a parallel conductor model. The results are compared to the case of randomly spaced dots which have a power factor calculated using an effective resistance model.

Volume Subject Area:
Materials
Topics:
Gallium arsenide, Quantum dots, Superlattices, Approximation, Chain, Electrical conductivity, Relaxation (Physics)
1.
Hicks
L. D.
,
Harman
T. C.
,
Sun
X.
,
Dresselhaus
M. S.
,
Experimental study of the effect of quantum-well structures on the thermoelectric figure of merit
.
Physical Review B: Condensed Matter
(
1996
),
53
(
16)
,
R10493–R10496
R10493–R10496
2.
Harman
T. C.
,
Taylor
P. J.
,
Walsh
M. P.
,
LaForge
B. E.
,
Quantum Dot Superlattice Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
.
Science
(
2002
),
297
(
5590)
,
2229
–
2232
3.
Sun
X.
,
Zhang
Z.
,
Dresselhaus
M. S.
,
Theoretical modeling of thermoelectricity in Bi nanowires
.
Applied Physics Letters
(
1999
),
74
(
26)
,
4005
–
4007
.
4.
Lin
Y-M.
,
Dresselhaus
M. S.
,
Thermoelectric properties of superlattice nanowires
,
Physical Review B: Condensed Matter
(
2003
),
68
,
075304
075304
5.
Ye
W.
,
Hanson
S.
,
Reason
M.
,
Weng
X.
,
Goldman
R. S.
,
Control of InAs/GaAs quantum dot density and alignment using modified buffer layers
,
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B
(
2005
),
23
,
1736
1736
6.
Califano
M.
,
Harrison
P.
,
Quantum box energies as a route to the ground state levels of self-assembled InAs pyramidal dots
,
Journal of Applied Physics
(
2000
),
88
(
10)
,
5870
–
4
7.
Merzbacher E., Quantum Mechanics, Wiley (1997)
8.
Lundstrom M., Fundamentals of carrier transport, Cambridge (2000)
9.
Lazarenkova
O. L.
,
Balandin
A. A.
,
Quantum dot crystals: electron band structure and electrical conductivity
,
Proceedings of the International symposium on Quantum confinement VI: Nanostructured materials and devices
(
2001
),
19
,
238
–
250
.
10.
MacDonald D. K. C., Thermoelectricity: an introduction to the principles, John Wiley & sons (1962).
11.
Kleber
X.
,
Simonet
L.
,
Fouquet
F.
,
Delnondedieu
M.
,
Thermoelectric power of a two dimensional metal/metal composite: a numerical approach
,
Modeling and Simulations in Materials Science and Engineering
, (
2005
),
13
,
341
–
354
This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright © 2006
 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.