Development of Silicon-Based Thermoelectric Generators: From Multi-Barrier Nanodevices to Fully Integrated On-Chip Systems

Nanostructured silicon represents a promising material for the development of efficient on-chip thermoelectric generators and localized coolers, thanks to its drastically reduced thermal conductivity compared to bulk silicon. We report on our multiple strategies for the enhancement of the performance of thermoelectric devices based on silicon nanostructures, which exploit CMOS standard technologies for the design and fabrication of integrated devices. These strategies focus on separating thermal and electrical transport to achieve high electrical conductivity while minimizing thermal conductivity. Additionally, they aim to decouple electrical transport from the energy distribution of charge carriers, to enhance the Seebeck coefficient and also the power factor.