Fabrication and characterization of nanostructured III-V thermoelectric materials

Clint Novotny; Fred Sharifi

doi:10.1117/12.2032673

26 September 2013 Fabrication and characterization of nanostructured III-V thermoelectric materials

Clint Novotny, Fred Sharifi

Proceedings Volume 8816, Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices X; 88160Q (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2032673
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2013, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Approximately two thirds of all fossil fuel used is lost as heat. Thermoelectric materials, which convert heat into electrical energy, may provide a solution to partially recover some of this lost energy. To date, most commercial thermoelectric materials are too inefficient to be a viable option for most waste heat applications. This research proposes to investigate the fabrication and characterization of nanostructured III-V semiconductor thermoelectric materials with the goal of increasing the performance of existing technology. In order to improve thermoelectric material efficiency, either the lattice thermal conductivity must be lowered or the thermoelectric power factor must be increased. This research will focus on the latter by modifying the density of states of the semiconductor material and studying the effect of quantum confinement on the material’s thermoelectric properties. Using focused ion beam milling, nanostructured cantilevers are fabricated from single crystal wafers. An all around gate dielectric and electrode are deposited to create a depletion region along the outer core of the cantilever, thus creating an inner conductive core. The Seebeck coefficient can then be measured as a function of confinement by varying the gate voltage. This technique can be applied to various material systems to investigate the effects of confinement on their thermoelectric properties.

Citation Download Citation

Clint Novotny and Fred Sharifi "Fabrication and characterization of nanostructured III-V thermoelectric materials", Proc. SPIE 8816, Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices X, 88160Q (26 September 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2032673

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