Numerical Study of Effects of Scattering Processes on Transport Properties of Bi Nanowires

In this study, we investigated the effects of scattering on the transport properties of Bi nanowires. The electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients of Bi nanowires were calculated using the Boltzmann equation, with an energy-dependent relaxation time corresponding to the scattering process. Decreasing the wire diameter increased the Seebeck coefficient for all of the scattering processes examined, because a semimetal–semiconductor transition occurred. In 80-nm-diameter nanowires, the Seebeck coefficient for ionized impurity scattering was larger than that of the acoustic deformation potential. On the other hand, in 20-nm-diameter nanowires, the dependence of the Seebeck coefficient on the scattering process was negligible, compared with the influence of wire diameter.