| Title: |
Geometric Symmetry Breaking and Nonlinearity Can Increase Thermoelectric Power |
| Authors: |
Fast, Jonatan; Lundström, Hanna; Dorsch, Sven; Samuelson, Lars; Burke, Adam; Samuelsson, Peter; Linke, Heiner |
| Contributors: |
Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse; Vetenskapsrådet; NanoLund, Lunds Universitet |
| Source: |
Physical Review Letters ; volume 133, issue 11 ; ISSN 0031-9007 1079-7114 |
| Publisher Information: |
American Physical Society (APS) |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Description: |
Direct thermal-to-electric energy converters typically operate in the linear regime, where the ratio of actual maximum power relative to the ideal maximum power, the so-called fill factor (FF), is 0.25. Here, we show, based on fundamental symmetry considerations, that the leading order nonlinear terms that can increase the FF require devices with broken spatial symmetry. Studying nonlinear, thermoelectric transport across an asymmetric energy barrier defined in a single semiconductor nanowire, we find in both experiment and theory that we can increase the FF as well as maximum power. Geometric symmetry breaking combined with the design of nonlinear behavior thus represents a strategy for increasing the performance of thermoelectric or hot-carrier devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2024 |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1103/physrevlett.133.116302 |
| DOI: |
10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.116302 |
| DOI: |
10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.116302/fulltext |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.133.116302; https://link.aps.org/article/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.116302; http://harvest.aps.org/v2/journals/articles/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.116302/fulltext |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.AE697D31 |
| Database: |
BASE |