Thermopower of a Two-Dimensional Semimetal in a HgTe Quantum Well

Abstract

The thermopower in a two-dimensional semimetal existing in HgTe quantum wells 18–21 nm thick has been studied experimentally and theoretically for the first time. It has been found theoretically and experimentally that the thermopower has two components—diffusion and phonon-drag—and that the second component is several times larger than the first. It has been concluded that the electron–hole scattering plays an important role in both mechanisms of the thermopower.