  Quantum dots are useful model systems for studying quantum thermoelectric
behavior because of their highly energy-dependent electron transport
properties, which are tunable by electrostatic gating. As a result of this
strong energy dependence, the thermoelectric response of quantum dots is
expected to be nonlinear with respect to an applied thermal bias. However,
until now this effect has been challenging to observe because, first, it is
experimentally difficult to apply a sufficiently large thermal bias at the
nanoscale and, second, it is difficult to distinguish thermal bias effects from
purely temperature-dependent effects due to overall heating of a device. Here
we take advantage of a novel thermal biasing technique and demonstrate a
nonlinear thermoelectric response in a quantum dot which is defined in a
heterostructured semiconductor nanowire. We also show that a theoretical model
based on the Master equations fully explains the observed nonlinear
thermoelectric response given the energy-dependent transport properties of the
quantum dot.
