Diameter dependence of SiGe nanowire thermal conductivity

We theoretically compute the thermal conductivity of SiGe alloy nanowires as a function of nanowire diameter, alloy concentration, and temperature, obtaining a satisfactory quantitative agreement with experimental results. Our results account for the weaker diameter dependence of the thermal conductivity recently observed in Si1-xGex nanowires (x < 0.1), as compared to pure Si nanowires. We also present calculations in the full range of alloy concentrations, 0 <= x <= 1, which may serve as a basis for comparison with future experiments on high alloy concentration nanowires. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3486171]