  The thermoelectric properties of quantum dot arrays (QDAs) embedded in
nanowires connected to electrodes are studied theoretically in the Coulomb
blockade regime. A Hurbbard-Anderson model is used to simulate the electronic
contribution to thermoelectric proper- ties of a QDA junction system. The
electrical conductance, Seebeck coefficient, and electron thermal conductance
are calculated by both the Keldysh Green function method and the mean-field
approach. The phonon thermal conductivities are calculated by using the
equation of phonon radiative transfer method. In the Coulomb blockade regime
the electron thermal conductance is much smaller than the phonon thermal
conductance. Therefore, the optimal figure of merit (ZT) can be enhanced by
increasing thermal power and decreasing phonon thermal conductance
simultaneously. We found that it is possible to obtain ZT value of InGaAs/GaAs
QDAs embedded in nanowires larger than one at room temperature.
