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We study the relationship between the shape of the electronic band structure and the thermoelectric properties. In order to study the band shape dependence of the thermoelectric properties generally, we first adopt models with band structures having the dispersion E(k)∼|k|n with n = 2, 4, and 6. We consider one-, two-, and three-dimensional systems and calculate the thermoelectric properties using the Boltzmann equation approach within the constant quasi-particle lifetime approximation. n = 2 corresponds to the usual parabolic band structure, while the band shape for n = 4 and 6 has a flat portion at the band edge, so that the density of states diverges at the bottom of the band. We call this kind of band structure the “pudding mold type band”. n ≥ 4 belong to the pudding mold type band, but since the density of states diverges even for n = 2 in the one dimensional system, this is also categorized as the pudding mold type. Due to the large density of states and the rapid change of the group velocity around the band edge, the spectral conductivity of the pudding mold type band structures becomes larger than that of the usual parabolic band structures. It is found that the pudding mold type band has a coexistence of a large Seebeck coefficient and a large electric conductivity and a small Lorenz number in the Wiedemann–Franz law due to the specific band shape. We also find that the low dimensionality of the band structure can contribute to large electronic conductivity and hence a small Lorenz number. We conclude that the pudding mold type band, especially in low dimensional systems, can enhance not only the power factor but also the dimensionless figure of merit due to stronger reduction of the Lorenz number.
Usui et al. (Mon,) studied this question.