Electrical behaviors of a piezoelectric semiconductor fiber under a local temperature change

We study the effects of a local temperature change on the electrical behaviors of a piezoelectric semiconductor fiber in extensional deformation. A one-dimensional model for thin fibers derived previously from the macroscopic theory of thermopiezoelectric semiconductors is used. Through a combined theoretical and numerical analysis, it is shown that a local temperature change produces a local electric potential barrier and a potential well, which prohibits the flow of currents along the fiber unless the voltage is above a temperature-dependent critical value. The results are useful for thermally manipulating the currents in the fiber and have potential applications in piezotronics.