The Growing Interest in the Thermoelectric Properties of Scaled Silicon Nanowires

With the growing demand for new energy sources and more efficient power management solutions, researchers continue to turn their attention to the study of the thermoelectric properties of silicon nanowires. In recent years, significant improvements in the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, have been reported for materials with low dimensionality. Researchers are exploring the potential of silicon nanowires as a potentially promising solution to improve the efficiency of thermoelectric devices.

The atomistic sp3d5s*-spinorbit-coupled tight-binding model is a powerful tool that enables researchers to calculate the electronic structure of silicon nanowires. This model provides a comprehensive understanding of the thermoelectric properties of silicon nanowires by taking into account all relevant scattering mechanisms and their effects on the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermoelectric power factor.

Researchers have examined n-type silicon nanowires of diameter 3nm and 12nm in transport orientations [100], [110], and [111] at different carrier concentrations. They have also used experimental values for the lattice thermal conductivity in nanowires to compute the expected ZT value.

Although scaling the diameter of the silicon nanowires below 7nm can be beneficial to the power factor owing to changes in the band structure, at these dimensions, enhanced phonon and surface roughness scattering can degrade the conductivity and reduce the power factor. Therefore, thorough understanding of the effects of dimensional scaling on the thermoelectric properties of silicon nanowires is vital to optimize their performance.

Silicon is a widely used material for a variety of electronics applications, so it is natural that researchers would explore its thermoelectric properties. For instance, silicon's low-cost, abundant availability, and excellent thermal stability make it a great candidate for making high-performance thermoelectric devices.

Overall, there is growing interest in silicon-based thermoelectric devices for potential large-scale applications. By improving the efficiency of thermoelectric devices, we can achieve improved energy conversion and management, which will ultimately lead to a more sustainable future.