The impact of commonly used approximations on the computation of the Seebeck coefficient and mobility of polar semiconductors
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Seebeck coefficient modeling and measurement has important applications in direct thermal to electrical energy conversion and solid-state physics. The computations of the Seebeck coefficient and mobility of polar semiconductors in the literature often employ certain approximations, notably the relaxation time approximation (RTA) and the truncation of the Boltzmann transport equation. We study the accuracy of these approximations as a function of the effective mass, temperature, and carrier concentration using a recently developed technique for rigorous solution of the Boltzmann transport equation. We find that the approximations give rise to considerable error in the computed Seebeck coefficients of heavily doped semiconductors with a low effective mass, and that the RTA is entirely inapplicable for the accurate computation of the mobility of several important materials.
Source: Applied Physics Letters
DOI: 10.1063/1.4764517
Authors: Ashok T. Ramu, John E. Bowers
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy
OpenAlex ID: W2099982254