Quantum Confinement Suppressing Electronic Heat Flow below the Wiedemann-Franz Law.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35030004.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c03437 and PMC identifier 8802316.
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Abstract
The Wiedemann-Franz law states that the charge conductance and the electronic contribution to the heat conductance are proportional. This sets stringent constraints on efficiency bounds for thermoelectric applications, which seek a large charge conduction in response to a small heat flow. We present experiments based on a quantum dot formed inside a semiconducting InAs nanowire transistor, in which the heat conduction can be tuned significantly below the Wiedemann-Franz prediction. Comparison with scattering theory shows that this is caused by quantum confinement and the resulting energy-selective transport properties of the quantum dot. Our results open up perspectives for tailoring independently the heat and electrical conduction properties in semiconductor nanostructures.