Programme

O.18 -- Oral, VCTP-51

Date: Tuesday, 4 August 2026

Time: 11:30 - 11:50

Quantum Confinement Effects on Thermoelectric Transport in Nonuniform Ultrathin Films

Nguyen Trung Kien (1), Dinh Thi Hien (1), Pham Thi Hong (1), Nguyen Tran Thuat (1,2), Bach Huong Giang (1) and Nguyen Quoc Hung (1,3)

(1) Fauculty of Physics, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University; (2) Semiconductor and Advanced Materials Institute, Technology and Science Park, Vietnam National University; (3) Institute for Quantum Technologies, Technology and Science Park, Vietnam National University

Quantum confinement provides an effective route to enhance thermoelectric performance in thickness-limited two-dimensional materials. In this work, we theoretically investigate the influence of reduced thickness on the electronic transport and thermoelectric response of ultrathin material systems. By incorporating quantum confinement into the electronic density of states and transport calculations, we show that decreasing the film thickness can significantly modify the carrier distribution near the Fermi level, leading to an enhanced Seebeck coefficient and improved thermoelectric response. Importantly, the model is extended beyond the ideal uniform-thickness limit by considering spatially inhomogeneous thickness distributions, which more closely represent realistic thin-film fabrication conditions. The calculations demonstrate that the thermoelectric enhancement remains observable even in non-uniform systems, indicating that strict atomic-scale thickness uniformity is not an essential requirement for achieving the confinement-induced improvement. These results suggest that quantum confinement can be exploited as a practical strategy for optimizing thermoelectric properties in two-dimensional and ultrathin materials, while also providing theoretical guidance for experimentally accessible fabrication conditions.

Presenter: Nguyễn Trung Kiên