Thermoelectric properties of an N-type silicon–germanium alloy related to the presence of silica nodules dispersed in the microstructure

Tailoring the amount of nanometer-sized nodules made of amorphous silica, resulting from natural oxidation during the processing steps, in an N-type sintered polycrystalline Si92Ge08 material is shown as an effective way to reduce the thermal conductivity without affecting significantly the thermoelectric power factor.