Increasing Efficiencies of Thermoelectric Devices Through Angular Interface Geometries

Abstract

The phonon Boltzmann transport equation model is used to evaluate the reduction of out-of-plane thermal conductivity and subsequent increase in thermoelectric figure of merit when an angular interface is patterned between a germanium thin-film and silicon substrate. According to the acoustic mismatch model, the angular structure reduces the out-of-plane thermal conductivity by spatially redistributing phonons traveling in the out-of-plane direction. Simulation results demonstrate a 43% reduction in out-of-plane thermal conductivity when operating in the fully ballistic regime. This decrease in phononic thermal conductivity would result in an increase of intrinsic thermoelectric efficiency by a factor of 1.75.