The dependencies of the thermoelectric properties of n-PbTe∕p-SnTe∕n-PbTe heterostructures on the SnTe quantum well width (dSnTe=0.5–6.0nm) at fixed PbTe barrier layers thicknesses were studied. It was established that the thickness dependencies of the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, the Hall coefficient, charge carrier mobility, and the thermoelectric power factor are distinctly nonmonotonic. The observed effect is attributed to the size quantization of the energy spectrum of the hole gas in a SnTe quantum well.
A new approach is presented to thermoelectric phenomena, as a linear transport process of nonequilibrium charge carriers. The role of non-equilibrium carriers, as well as surface and bulk recombination, has shown to be crucial even within the linear approximation. Electron and hole Fermi quasilevels that appeared in a thermal field are calculated for the case of thermoelectric current flow through a circuit and the corresponding boundary conditions are obtained. It is shown for the first time that the Fermi quasi-level of one of the subsystems of quasi-particles, can be a non-monotonous function of the coordinates. General expressions for the thermoelectric current, thermo-e.m.f., and electrical resistance of bipolar semiconductors have been obtained. For the first time, surface recombination and surface resistance were taken into account in thermoelectric phenomena.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.