Mechanisms of the thermal electromotive force, heating and cooling in semiconductor structures

A comprehensive study of the mechanisms of the thermal electromotive force, heating and cooling originated by a temperature gradient and an electric current in semiconductor devices is reported. The Seebeck, Peltier, Joule and Thomson phenomena are studied self-consistently under the approximation of weak electric current and temperature gradient. Analytical calculations show that the contributions of each effect to the temperature distribution are commensurable. A new formulation and interpretation of the Thomson effect are given. Additionally, attention is paid to some questions of nonequilibrium thermodynamics of thermoelectric and electrothermic phenomena, that demand some clarification. •An analytic self-consistent study of Seebeck, Peltier, Joule and Thomson is given.•The study is valid for weak electric currents and temperature gradients.•We show that contribution of each effect to temperature distribution is commensurable.•A new formulation and interpretation of the Thomson effect is given.•Kinetic coefficients dependence was considered up to quadratic terms in current.