Angle-dependent resonant tunneling and thermoelectric energy management in a hybrid 1D-2D-1D semiconductor nanostructure

TL;DR

This paper introduces a theoretical approach using angle-dependent electron transmission in a hybrid nanostructure to enhance thermoelectric energy management, enabling dynamic control over heat and charge transport without chemical potential adjustments.

Contribution

It proposes a novel angle-dependent electron transmission strategy in a 2D-1D-2D heterostructure for improved thermoelectric control, bypassing traditional doping limitations.

Findings

Demonstrated angle-dependent resonant tunneling and negative differential resistance.

Achieved near-Carnot efficiency in thermoelectric conversion.

Enabled dynamic thermoelectric regime switching via angular modulation.

Abstract

Low-dimensional semiconductors have been widely exploited in thermoelectric energy conversion for high efficiencies due to their suppressed lattice thermal conduction, sharply defined electronic density of states, and tunable energy-selective electron transmission. However, the widespread challenge of Fermi-level pinning or doping constraints limit precise control over thermoelectric energy management via chemical potential modulation. Here, we proposed an alternative strategy: leveraging angle-dependent electron incidence to dynamically manipulate electron transmission and heat transport, which was implemented theoretically in a two-dimensional InP/InAs/InP double-barrier heterostructure integrated with laterally one-dimensional electrodes. By combining the transfer matrix method and Landauer formalism, we demonstrated the angle-dependent resonant tunneling dynamics, tunable negative differential resistance effect, and near-Carnot limits in thermoelectric energy conversions. Angular modulation enables precise control over transmission resonances, facilitating dynamic transitions among thermoelectric regimes (power generation, cooling, and hybrid heating) without requiring extreme chemical potential shifts. This work establishes angularly resolved electron transmission as a versatile mechanism for on-chip thermal management and cryogenic applications, offering a pathway to circumvent material limitations in next-generation nanoelectronics and quantum devices.