What question did this study set out to answer?

Investigate physical mechanisms governing electrical and thermal conductivity in semiconductors and solid solutions to maximize the ratio of carrier mobility to thermal conductivity for thermoelectric applications.

January 1, 1959Reports on Progress in PhysicsOpen Access

Physical problems of thermoelectricity

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Authors

AJAbram F. JoffePhysico-Technical Institute LSL.S. Stil'bansRussian Academy of Sciences

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Implication

Experimental study demonstrates carrier and phonon transport modulation in semiconductor solid solutions, indicating pathways to optimize thermoelectric efficiency.

Key Points

Investigate physical mechanisms governing electrical and thermal conductivity in semiconductors and solid solutions to maximize the ratio of carrier mobility to thermal conductivity for thermoelectric applications.
Analyzed semiconductor solid solutions, examining phonon mean free path and carrier transport under isovalent ion substitutions such as antimony in bismuth telluride and tin in lead telluride.
Investigated scattering cross sections associated with crystal lattice defects, unfilled vacancy sites, and sublattice distortions.
Employed degenerate systems of free charge carriers to isolate velocity-dependent electron scattering from thermal lattice vibrations.
Reduced thermal conductivity to levels where phonon mean free paths equaled a few interatomic distances through solid solution alloying.
Demonstrated that positive ion substitutions selectively decreased electron mobility by multiple folds while preserving hole mobility, whereas negative sublattice distortions selectively reduced hole mobility.
Identified that lattices with unfilled sites exhibited exceptionally short mean free paths smaller than lattice constants, producing carrier mobility that increased with temperature.

Cite This Study

Joffe et al. (1959) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9480f73ad1a6e51bdf40eb https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/22/1/306

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Implication

Experimental study demonstrates carrier and phonon transport modulation in semiconductor solid solutions, indicating pathways to optimize thermoelectric efficiency.

Physical problems of thermoelectricity

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Physical problems of thermoelectricity

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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