Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thermo-Coulomb effects in mesoscopic tunnel junctions

  • Published:
Zeitschrift für Physik B Condensed Matter

Abstract

We present a study of the thermoelectric effect in tunnel junctions. In particular we calculate the thermopower coefficientS and the Peltier coefficient π. For macroscopic junctions we demonstrate the sensitivity ofS and π to the structure of the density of states. For mesoscopic junctions we show that Coulomb effects modify the ordinary Onsager picture and the relation π=TS. The coefficientsS and π are found to be very sensitive to the coupling of the junctions to the external world. We analyze measurements of the thermopower in granular films in terms of the thermo-Coulomb effects. We comment on the relevance of these effects to scanning tunneling microscope measurements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Other papers in this volume, Z. Phys. B—Condensed Matter85, 319–468 (1991) and references therein

  2. Amman, M., Ben-Jacob, E., Cohn, J.: Phys. Lett. A (submitted for publication)

  3. Callen, H.B.: Phys. Rev.73, 1349 (1948)

    Google Scholar 

  4. As was pointed out by Harrison (Harrison, W.A.: Phys. Rev.123, 85 (1961), for an ideal planar junction the tunneling matrix element is proportional to the inverse of the density of states. Here, when we refer to the normalized density of states, we refer to the energy dependent part of the density of states and the tunneling matrix element product. The normalized density of states is then proportional to the square root of the conductivity

    Google Scholar 

  5. Buttiker, M., Landauer, R.: Phys. Rev. Lett.49, 1739 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Amman, M., Wilkins, R., Ben-Jacob, E., Maker, P.D., Jaklevic, R.C. Phys. Rev. B43, 1146 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cohn, J.L., Ben-Jacob, E., Uher, C.: Phys. Lett. A148, 110 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lee, P.A., Ramakrishnan, T.V.: Rev. Mod. Phys.57, 287 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Efros, A.L., Shklovskii, B.I.: J. Phys. C8, L49 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wilkins, R., Amman, M., Ben-Jacob, E., Jaklevic, R.C.: Phys. Rev. B42, 8698 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Williams, C.C., Wickramasinghe, H.K.: Nature344, 317 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Stovneng, J.A., Lipavsky, P.: Phys. Rev. B42, 9214 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Leavens, C.R., Aers, G.C.: Solid State Commun.61, 289 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Michigan, 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    M. Amman

  2. Raymond and Beverly Sackler, Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    E. Ben-Jacob

  3. Naval Research Laboratories, 20375, Washington DC, USA

    J. Cohn

Authors
  1. M. Amman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Ben-Jacob
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Cohn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Amman, M., Ben-Jacob, E. & Cohn, J. Thermo-Coulomb effects in mesoscopic tunnel junctions. Z. Physik B - Condensed Matter 85, 405–411 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01307637

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01307637

Keywords

Search

Navigation