Influence of Electron–Phonon Interaction on the Lattice Thermal Conductivity in Single‐Crystal Si

Abstract

AbstractLattice thermal conductivity can be reduced by introducing point defect, grain boundary, and nanoscale precipitates to scatter phonons of different wave‐lengths, etc. Recently, the effect of electron–phonon (EP) interaction on phonon transport has attracted more and more attention, especially in heavily doped semiconductors. Here the effect of EP interaction in n‐type P‐doped single‐crystal Si has been investigated. The lattice thermal conductivity decreases dramatically with increasing P doping. This reduction on lattice thermal conductivity cannot be explained solely considering point defect scattering. Further, the lattice thermal conductivity can be fitted well by introducing EP interaction into the modified Debye–Callaway model, which demonstrates that the EP interaction can play an important role in reducing lattice thermal conductivity of n‐type P‐doped single‐crystal Si.