Silicon Wafers Exhibiting Highly Surface-Related Thermoelectric Properties
Journal
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Journal Volume
129
Journal Issue
10
Start Page
5254
End Page
5259
ISSN
1932-7447
1932-7455
Date Issued
2025-03-13
Author(s)
Arnab Pal
Bo-Chia Chen
Wan-Ting Dai
Chung-Chi Yang
Chih-Shan Tan
Michael H. Huang
Abstract
Recognizing the facet-dependent electrical conductivity responses of silicon wafers should affect their thermoelectric properties, phosphorus-doped and intrinsic Si (110), (111) and (100) wafers were employed for electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity measurements. Particularly due to the large electrical conductivity differences, as well as considerable thermal conductivity variation, in these wafers, their room-temperature thermoelectric zT values can differ by an order of magnitude or more. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern analysis reveals lattice constant deviations in the wafers that cause these physical property changes, which also lead to large differences in their dielectric constants. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) also shows temperature-dependent surface potential and work function changes for the examined wafers. This work demonstrates that surface control or application of a pressure to introduce crystal lattice deviations can greatly tune a material’s transport properties.
Subjects
Electric conductivity
Germanium compounds
Lattice constants
Organoclay
Surface potential
Thermal conductivity of solids
X ray diffraction analysis
Conductivity variation
Electrical conductivity
Orders of magnitude
Phosphorus-doped
Si(110)
Thermal
Thermal conductivity measurements
Thermoelectric
Thermoelectric properties
X ray diffraction patterns
Silicon wafers
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Type
journal article