2015/08/04 by Yunjin Choi, Andrew N. Jordan
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices #Coefficient of performance #Composite material #Condensed matter physics #Current (fluid) #Engineering #Heat current #Heat engine #Heat exchanger #Heat pump #Materials science #Nuclear engineering #Optoelectronics #Phonon #Physics #Refrigerator car #Seebeck coefficient #Stirling engine #Superlattice #Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies #Thermal conductivity #Thermal properties of materials #Thermodynamics #Thermoelectric cooling #Thermoelectric effect #Thermoelectric materials #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.physe.2015.08.002
published as Physica E 74, 465 (2015) · 11 pages, 8 figures
openalex publication_date 2015/08/04 · arxiv created 2015/08/12 · arxiv updated 2015/09/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We propose a three terminal heat engine based on semiconductor superlattices for energy harvesting. The periodicity of the superlattice structure creates an energy miniband, giving an energy window for allowed electron transport. We find that this device delivers a large power, nearly twice than the heat engine based on quantum wells, with a small reduction of efficiency. This engine also works as a refrigerator in a different regime of the system's parameters. The thermoelectric performance of the refrigerator is analyzed, including the cooling power and coefficient of performance in the optimized condition. We also calculate phonon heat current through the system, and explore the reduction of phonon heat current compared to the bulk material. The direct phonon heat current is negligible at low temperatures, but dominates over the electronic at room temperature and we discuss ways to reduce it.