Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Various possible mechanisms for the recently discovered enhanced Seebeck coefficient S in PbTe/Te superlattices relative to the corresponding PbTe bulk are investigated. Among the various mechanisms which can account for the enhanced S, the energy dependent τ model (τ ∼ ɛr) seems the most plausible. Here the effective scattering parameter r is preferably increased due to the extra scattering by the periodic Te layers introduced in the superlattice. Other transport properties including the longitudinal magnetoresistance are also discussed.