Thermoelectric properties of InGaN/GaN superlattices structure with high indium composition quantum dots

High indium composition InGaN is a promising material for thermoelectric harvesting application, which can work at high temperature and extreme environments. Due to the strong composition segregation, high indium composition InGaN material usually forms localized quantum dots, which advantageously enhances the thermoelectric (TE) properties. In this research, the two-dimensional InGaN/GaN superlattices (SLs) structured TE material with high In composition of 35% quantum dots is first grown and characterized. Using open-circuit voltage measurement, the Seebeck coefficient (S) exhibits a high value of −571 μV/K. Analysis indicates this relatively high S value is related to the increased density of electron states near the Fermi level induced by the reduced dimensionality, resulting in a power factor of 11.83 × 10−4W/m·K2. The dense boundary between InGaN quantum dots also increases the interface phonon scattering, thereby suppressing the heat transportation and leading to a low thermal conductivity (k) value of 19.9 W/m·K. As a result, a TE figure of merit (ZT) value of 0.025 is demonstrated in the sample. This work first clarifies the impact of embedded quantum dots in InGaN/GaN SLs structure on TE properties. It is very conductive for the design and fabrication of low-dimensional GaN based TE device.