Scaling theory of charge transport and thermoelectric response in disordered 2D electron systems: From weak to strong localization

TL;DR

This paper presents a unified theoretical framework for charge transport and thermoelectric response in disordered 2D systems, capturing the crossover from weak to strong localization and explaining temperature-dependent behaviors.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scaling theory combining Anderson localization with Kubo-Luttinger theory, unifying weak and strong localization regimes with temperature dependence.

Findings

Seebeck coefficient scales as T in the weak localization regime.

Seebeck coefficient scales as T^{1-p} in the strong localization regime.

The theory successfully explains experimental data for organic semiconductor thin films.

Abstract

We develop a new theoretical scheme for charge transport and thermoelectric response in two-dimensional disordered systems exhibiting crossover from weak localization (WL) to strong localization (SL). The scheme is based on the scaling theory for Anderson localization combined with the Kubo-Luttinger theory. Key aspects of the scheme include introducing a unified $\beta$ function that seamlessly connects the WL and SL regimes, as well as describing the temperature ($T$) dependence of the conductance from high to low $T$ regions on the basis of the dephasing length. We found that the Seebeck coefficient, $S$, behaves as $S\propto T$ in the WL limit and as $S\propto T^{1-p}$ ($p < 1$) in the SL limit, both with possible logarithmic corrections. The scheme is applied to analyze experimental data for thin films of the p-type organic semiconductor poly[2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno(3,2-b)thiophene] (PBTTT).