초록 ▼

A heterostructure thermionic cooler and a method for making thermionic coolers, employing a barrier layer of varying conduction bandedge for n-type material, or varying valence bandedge for p-type material, that is placed between two layers of material. The barrier layer has a high enough barrier fo

A heterostructure thermionic cooler and a method for making thermionic coolers, employing a barrier layer of varying conduction bandedge for n-type material, or varying valence bandedge for p-type material, that is placed between two layers of material. The barrier layer has a high enough barrier for the cold side to only allow "hot" electrons, or electrons of high enough energy, across the barrier. The barrier layer is constructed to have an internal electric field such that the electrons that make it over the initial barrier are assisted in travel to the anode. Once electrons drop to the energy level of the anode, they lose energy to the lattice, thus heating the lattice at the anode. The barrier height of the barrier layer is high enough to prevent the electrons from traveling in the reverse direction.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A thermionic cooling device, comprising:a first semiconductor layer with a first bandedge;a first barrier layer attached to the first semiconductor layer, wherein the first barrier layer has a higher bandedge than the bandedge of the first semiconductor layer and selectiv

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A thermionic cooling device, comprising:a first semiconductor layer with a first bandedge;a first barrier layer attached to the first semiconductor layer, wherein the first barrier layer has a higher bandedge than the bandedge of the first semiconductor layer and selectively allows charge carriers to travel from the first semiconductor layer via thermionic emission to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer; anda heat sink, coupled to the first barrier layer, wherein the charge carriers that travel from the first semiconductor layer to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer carry heat away from the first semiconductor layer to the heat sink.