Effects of point defects on thermal and thermoelectric properties of InN

In contrast to most semiconductors, electrical conductivity of InN is known to increase upon high-energy particle irradiation. The effects of irradiation on its thermal and thermoelectric properties have yet to be investigated. Here we report the thermal conductivity of high-quality InN to be 120 W/m K and examine the effects of point defects generated by irradiation on the thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. We show that irradiation can be used to modulate the thermal and thermoelectric properties of InN by controlling point defect concentrations. The thermoelectric figure of merit of InN was found to be insensitive to irradiation.