A Nanoscale Standard for the Seebeck Coefficient

The Seebeck coefficient, a key parameter describing a material's thermoelectric performance, is generally difficult to measure, and no intrinsic calibration standard exists. Quantum dots and single electron tunneling devices with sharp transmission resonances spaced by many kT have a material-independent Seebeck coefficient that depends only on the electronic charge and the average device temperature T. Here we propose the use of a quantum dot to create an intrinsic, nanoscale standard for the Seebeck coefficient and discuss its implementation.