Breakthrough in Thermoelectric Semiconductors: Thickness Doping Unlocks a New Path to Energy Harvesting

Flexible thermoelectric semiconductor thin film via thickness doping

A research team from City University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology has developed a pioneering approach known as thickness doping to dramatically improve the performance of semiconductor thermoelectric materials — a technology that directly converts waste heat into usable electricity. The findings, published in Science Advances, offer a scalable and flexible way to manufacture high-efficiency thermoelectric films, potentially revolutionizing waste-heat recovery, wearable electronics, and solid-state cooling devices.

Thermoelectric materials have long been recognized for their ability to convert heat differentials into electric power (the Seebeck effect) and vice versa (the Peltier effect). However, despite their promise for sustainable energy technologies, their practical deployment has been hindered by low efficiency, expensive manufacturing, and limited flexibility in film fabrication. This new thickness doping approach changes the game.

Harnessing Heat with Advanced Thermoelectrics

The basic principle of thermoelectrics is simple: when one side of a material is heated, charge carriers (electrons or holes) move to the cooler side, generating voltage. In reverse, applying an electrical current can drive heat transfer, allowing for cooling without mechanical parts or refrigerants. This dual functionality enables applications ranging from portable generators and industrial waste heat harvesters to miniaturized on-chip coolers for advanced electronics.

The challenge, however, has been boosting a material’s power factor (a measure of electrical conductivity multiplied by the Seebeck coefficient) while keeping its thermal conductivity low — a delicate balancing act. Bulk materials like bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) have shown high performance in the past, but their synthesis involves energy-intensive steps such as melting, milling, and hot pressing, limiting scalability.

Introducing “Thickness Doping”: A New Strategy for Thin Films

The study, led by Prof. Jiaqing He and Dr. Yi Zhou, introduces a new paradigm for tuning the properties of thermoelectric semiconductors by manipulating both their thickness and doping profile during fabrication. Using physical vapor deposition (PVD) — a widely used process for semiconductor coatings — the researchers achieved precise control over film thickness at the nanoscale, allowing them to modulate electron transport and carrier concentration dynamically.

In contrast to traditional doping, which introduces impurities uniformly throughout a material, thickness doping adjusts doping concentration along the film’s depth, creating a gradient that optimizes charge carrier flow while minimizing scattering losses. The result is a flexible Bi₂Te₃-based film with a record-high power factor exceeding 20 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² at room temperature — the first time such performance has been achieved using a single deposition technique.

Flexible, Scalable, and Efficient

One of the major advantages of this method is its compatibility with large-area fabrication. The team demonstrated flexible thermoelectric films spanning up to 120 cm², produced via scalable PVD without the need for post-deposition annealing or complex multi-step synthesis. The films maintained high uniformity and mechanical flexibility, making them suitable for integration into wearable energy-harvesting devices and flexible electronics.

Beyond scalability, the technique opens the door to tailoring film properties for specific operational environments — from high-temperature waste-heat recovery systems to compact thermoelectric generators embedded in consumer devices. By refining both electron mobility and crystal orientation, thickness doping enables high-performance energy conversion even at reduced thicknesses, addressing the traditional trade-off between film flexibility and thermoelectric output.

Why This Matters for Sustainable Technology

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than two-thirds of all energy produced globally is lost as waste heat. Recovering even a fraction of that through efficient thermoelectric conversion could drastically reduce carbon emissions and energy waste. However, most current thermoelectric materials are either too brittle or too costly for mass production. The introduction of thickness-doped, flexible Bi₂Te₃ films could change this by merging high performance with manufacturability.

“This approach gives us the ability to fine-tune both the structural and electronic aspects of thermoelectric films, leading to materials that are not only efficient but also lightweight and flexible,” explains Prof. He. “It’s a crucial step toward scalable devices that can power the future of sustainable electronics.”

The Future of Thermoelectrics: From Chips to Clothes

As miniaturized electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to grow, self-powered sensors and low-power microdevices will demand compact, maintenance-free energy sources. Flexible thermoelectric films could serve as a key enabler of this ecosystem, harvesting body heat or ambient temperature gradients to power health monitors, smart textiles, and wireless sensors. On a larger scale, they could also be applied to automotive exhaust systems or industrial machinery to convert waste heat into electrical energy.

The concept of thickness doping might also be extended beyond Bi₂Te₃ to other semiconductor families, such as SnSe, PbTe, and Mg₃Sb₂-based compounds, further broadening its potential impact. Future research will likely focus on optimizing dopant types, film uniformity, and stability under operational stress to commercialize this promising technology.

Original article: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-advancing-semiconductor-thermoelectrics-thickness-doping.html
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz1019

This article on Quantum Server Networks was prepared with the assistance of advanced AI technologies to enhance clarity, structure, and SEO optimization for readers in materials science and nanotechnology.

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#Thermoelectrics #ThicknessDoping #SemiconductorMaterials #EnergyHarvesting #BismuthTelluride #FlexibleElectronics #WasteHeatRecovery #PhysicalVaporDeposition #SustainableTechnology #SolidStateCooling #ScienceAdvances #QuantumServerNetworks #ResearchInnovation #GreenEnergy

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