The optimum configuration design of a nanostructured thermoelectric device with resonance tunneling

Abstract

Abstract A nanostructured thermoelectric device is designed by connecting a double-barrier resonant tunneling heterostructure to two electron reservoirs. Based on Landauer’s equation and Fermi–Dirac statistics, the exact solution of the heat flow is calculated. The maximum power output and efficiency are calculated through the optimizations of several key parameters. The optimum characteristic curve of the performance is obtained. The thermodynamic performance characteristics of thermodynamic device are analyzed, including output power and efficiency, and the optimal operation region of device is determined by optimize the main parameter. The results obtained show that the heterojunction may become a perfect energy filter by appropriately regulating the chemical potentials of electron reservoirs and optimally choosing the widths of barrier and quantum well and the nanostructured thermoelectric device with resonance tunneling may obtain simultaneously a large power output and a high efficiency.