Abstract
A self-consistent Ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) model was developed to simulate the thermionic effect in heterostructure barrier coolers. The model was validated on an InGaAs-InGaAsP heterostructure device of variable barrier height and width, producing good quantitative agreement with previous literature results. The operation of the cooler was found to be a complex and intricate process depending on the field, conduction band and details of barrier structure. When applied to a GaAs-AlGaAs micro-cooler there was good agreement with the experimental results. Importantly, very small alterations in the barrier structure were found to lead to considerable changes in device performance
Original language | English |
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Article number | 043717 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Physics |
Volume | 114 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Jul 2013 |