[특허]Self-powered microthermionic converter

Sandia Corporation

검색어에 아래의 연산자를 사용하시면 더 정확한 검색결과를 얻을 수 있습니다.
검색연산자

검색도움말
검색연산자	기능	검색시 예
()	우선순위가 가장 높은 연산자	예1) (나노 (기계 \| machine))
공백	두 개의 검색어(식)을 모두 포함하고 있는 문서 검색	예1) (나노 기계) 예2) 나노 장영실
\|	두 개의 검색어(식) 중 하나 이상 포함하고 있는 문서 검색	예1) (줄기세포 \| 면역) 예2) 줄기세포 \| 장영실
!	NOT 이후에 있는 검색어가 포함된 문서는 제외	예1) (황금 !백금) 예2) !image
*	검색어의 *란에 0개 이상의 임의의 문자가 포함된 문서 검색	예) semi*
""	따옴표 내의 구문과 완전히 일치하는 문서만 검색	예) "Transform and Quantization"

과학기술 지식인프라 ScienceON

연합인증

연합인증 가입 기관의 연구자들은 소속기관의 인증정보(ID와 암호)를 이용해 다른 대학, 연구기관, 서비스 공급자의 다양한 온라인 자원과 연구 데이터를 이용할 수 있습니다.

이는 여행자가 자국에서 발행 받은 여권으로 세계 각국을 자유롭게 여행할 수 있는 것과 같습니다.

연합인증으로 이용이 가능한 서비스는 NTIS, DataON, Edison, Kafe, Webinar 등이 있습니다.

한번의 인증절차만으로 연합인증 가입 서비스에 추가 로그인 없이 이용이 가능합니다.

다만, 연합인증을 위해서는 최초 1회만 인증 절차가 필요합니다. (회원이 아닐 경우 회원 가입이 필요합니다.)

연합인증 절차는 다음과 같습니다.

최초이용시에는
ScienceON에 로그인 → 연합인증 서비스 접속 → 로그인 (본인 확인 또는 회원가입) → 서비스 이용

그 이후에는
ScienceON 로그인 → 연합인증 서비스 접속 → 서비스 이용

연합인증을 활용하시면 KISTI가 제공하는 다양한 서비스를 편리하게 이용하실 수 있습니다.

특허 상세정보

MyON담기

내보내기 페이스북 공유 트위터 공유 카카오톡 공유

Self-powered microthermionic converter

특허상세정보
국가/구분	United States(US) Patent 등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)	H01L-037/00
미국특허분류(USC)	310/304; 310/305; 060/203.1; 375/321; 136/201
출원번호	US-0028144 (2001-12-20)
발명자 / 주소	Marshall, Albert C. King, Donald B. Zavadil, Kevin R. Kravitz, Stanley H. Tigges, Chris P. Vawter, Gregory A.
출원인 / 주소	Sandia Corporation
대리인 / 주소	Watson Robert D.
인용정보	피인용 횟수 : 2 인용 특허 : 12

초록
▼

A self-powered microthermionic converter having an internal thermal power source integrated into the microthermionic converter. These converters can have high energy-conversion efficiencies over a range of operating temperatures. Microengineering techniques are used to manufacture the converter. The utilization of an internal thermal power source increases potential for mobility and incorporation into small devices. High energy efficiency is obtained by utilization of micron-scale interelectrode gap spacing. Alpha-particle emitting radioisotopes can be u...

대표
청구항
▼

1. A self-powered microthermionic converter comprising:an emitter electrode;a collector electrode separated from said emitter electrode a micron-scale interelectode gap;a self-powered thermal power source in thermal contact with said emitter electrode;means for removing electrons emitted by the emitter electrode; andmeans for returning the emitted electrons to the collector electrode;wherein said interelectrode gap is less than about 10 μm. 2. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein said interelectrode gap is between approximately 1 μm and approximately 10 μm. 3. The microthermionic converter of claim 2, wherein said interelectrode gap is between approximately 1 μm and 3 μm. 4. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein said interelectrode gap comprises a vacuum. 5. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein said interelectrode gap comprises an encapsulated, low pressure, vapor system, wherein the vapor coats the electrode surfaces, resulting in a reduced work function. 6. The microthermionic converter of claim 5, wherein said vapor is selected from the group consisting of cesium and barium vapors. 7. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein said thermal power source comprises a radioactive isotope. 8. The microthermionic converter of claim 7, wherein said radioactive isotope comprises an alpha-emitting isotope selected from the group consisting of Curium-242, Curium-244, and Polonium-210. 9. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein a thermionic emissive material is used in the composition of an electrode selected from the group consisting of the emitter electrode and the collector electrode. 10. The microthermionic converter of claim 9, wherein the thermionic emissive material comprises an alkaline earth oxide. 11. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, wherein the alkaline earth oxide comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of barium oxide, strontium oxide, and calcium oxide. 12. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, wherein the thermionic emissive material further comprises an adjunct oxide selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide and scandium oxide. 13. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, wherein the thermionic emissive material further comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and mixtures thereof. 14. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, further comprising a metal capping layer disposed on the thermionic emissive material, wherein the metal capping layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of scandium, scandium oxide, and mixtures thereof. 15. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, wherein the environment in the interelectrode gap comprises a vacuum. 16. The microthermionic converter of claim 10, wherein the thermionic emissive material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, tantalum oxide, and mixtures thereof. 17. The microthermionic converter of claim 16, wherein the environment in the interelectrode gap comprises a vapor selected from the group consisting of cesium and barium vapors. 18. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, a length of said emitter electrode is less than approximately 200 μm. 19. The microthermionic converter of claim 18, wherein said emitter electrode length is between approximately 50 μm and approximately 200 μm. 20. The microthermionic converter of claim 19, wherein said emitter electrode length is between approximately 50 μm and approximately 100 μm. 21. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, additionally comprising a thermal heat barrier. 22. A self-powered microthermionic converter comprising:an emitter electrode;a collector electrode separated from said emitter electrode by a micron-scale interelectrode gap;a self-powered thermal power sour ce in thermal contact with said emitter electrode;means for removing electrons emitted by the emitter electrode;means for returning the emitted electrons to the collector electrode; andadditionally comprising a thermal heat barrier;wherein said thermal heat barrier comprises a micro heat barrier comprising a plurality of microspikes and at least one highly IR reflective surface. 23. A self-powered microthermionic converter comprising:an emitter electrode;a collector electrode separated from said emitter electrode by a micron-scal interelectrode gap;a self-powered thermal power source in thermal contact with said emitter electrode;means for removing electrons emitted by the emitter electrode;means for returning the emitted electrons to the collector electrode; andadditionally comprising an electrically insulating material disposed between non-interacting portions of said emitter electrode and collector electrode. 24. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein a temperature for operation is between approximately 850 K and approximately 1200 K. 25. The microthermionic converter of claim 24, wherein said temperature for operation is between approximately 1100 K and approximately 1200 K. 26. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, wherein said collector electrode and emitter electrode comprise a diode. 27. The microthermionic converter of claim 1, additionally comprising a fuel cup. 28. The microthermionic converter of claim 27, wherein said fuel cup comprises an outer surface and said outer surface is coated with a thermionic emissive material comprising said emitter electrode. 29. A method of converting heat to electrical energy using thermionic electron emission comprising the steps of:providing an incorporated thermal power source that is in thermal contact with an emitter electrode;heating the emitter electrode with the incorporated thermal power source, thereby causing electrons to be emitted from the emitter electrode;streaming electrons emitted from the emitter electrode across a micron-spaced interelectrode gap to a collector electrode;collecting the electrons reaching the collector electrode;providing the collected electrons to an external electrical load; andreturning the electrons to the emitter electrode, thereby completing an electrical circuit;wherein said interelectrode gap is less than about 10 μm. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein thermal power source comprises a radioisotope. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the radioisotope comprises an alpha-emitting radioisotope from the group consisting of Curium-242, Curium-244, and Polonium-210. 32. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of placing an incorporated thermal power source in thermal contact with an emitter electrode comprises enclosing the power source within the emitter electrode. 33. The method of claim 29, additionally comprising the step of utilizing a heat barrier on the non-diode regions of the thermal source. 34. A method of manufacturing a self-powered microthermionic converter comprising the steps of:providing a thermally and electrically insulating material as a substrate;forming at least one fuel cup having an outer surface from the substrate through micromachining techniques;depositing at least one thermionic electron emissive layer on the outer surface of the fuel cup to provide an emitter electrode;forming a collector electrode by depositing at least one layer of a thermionic electron emissive material on the substrate while maintaining a micron-spaced interelectrode gap between the collector electrode and emitter electrode; andplacing a thermal power source inside the fuel cup. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the thermal power source comprises a radioisotope. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the radioisotope comprises an alpha-emitting radioisotope from the group consisting of Curium-242, Curium-244, and Polonium-210. 37. The method of claim 34, further comprising enclosing the fuel source within the emitter electrode . 38. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of disposing a thermal heat barrier internally on the base of the fuel cup. 39. The method of claim 34, wherein the interelectrode gap is less than about 10 μm. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein the interelectrode gap is between approximately 1 μm and approximately 10 μm. 41. The method of claim 40, wherein the interelectrode gap is between approximately 1 μm and approximately 3 μm. 42. The method of claim 34, further comprising providing a vacuum in the micron-spaced interelectrode gap. 43. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing a micron-spaced interelectrode gap between the collector electrode and emitter electrode comprises providing a low pressure vapor within the micron-space interelectrode gap, wherein the vapor coats the electrode surfaces, resulting in a reduced work function. 44. The method of claim 34, wherein the vapor is selected from the group consisting of barium and cesium vapors. 45. The method of claim 34, additionally comprising the step of forming a fuel cup and forming a collector electrode by using micromachining techniques. 46. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of disposing at least one thermionic electron emissive layer on an outer surface of the fuel cup to provide a emitter electrode is through vapor deposition. 47. The method of claim 34, additionally comprising the step of incorporating the converter in a micromachine or microcircuit. 48. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of forming a fuel cup additionally comprises the steps of:forming a fuel grid;inserting the thermal power source in the fuel cup;capping the fuel cup; anddissolving the fuel grid. 49. The method of claim 48, wherein the step of inserting the thermal power source in the fuel cup comprises inserting a radioisotope as the thermal power source. 50. The method of claim 49, wherein the step of inserting the thermal power source in the fuel cup comprises inserting an alpha-emitting radioisotope selected from the group consisting of Curium-242, Curium-244, and Polonium-210. 51. The method of claim 49, wherein the step of capping the fuel cup comprises capping the fuel cup with a non-reactive metal. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of capping the fuel cup comprises capping the fuel cup with gold. 53. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of capping the fuel cup comprises capping the fuel cup with a highly reflective, non-reactive material. 54. The method of claim 48, wherein the step of forming a fuel grid comprises fabricating a precision grid having dissolvable source buckets.

이 특허에 인용된 특허 (12)

이 특허를 인용한 특허 피인용횟수: 2

IPC 상위 출원인

내보내기

상세정보
내보내기 구분	파일저장 인쇄 메일전송
구성항목	관리번호, 국가코드, 자료구분, 상태, 출원번호, 출원일자, 공개번호, 공개일자, 등록번호, 등록일자, 발명명칭(한글), 발명명칭(영문), 출원인(한글), 출원인(영문), 출원인코드, 대표IPC 관리번호, 국가코드, 자료구분, 상태, 출원번호, 출원일자, 공개번호, 공개일자, 공고번호, 공고일자, 등록번호, 등록일자, 발명명칭(한글), 발명명칭(영문), 출원인(한글), 출원인(영문), 출원인코드, 대표출원인, 출원인국적, 출원인주소, 발명자, 발명자E, 발명자코드, 발명자주소, 발명자 우편번호, 발명자국적, 대표IPC, IPC코드, 요약, 미국특허분류, 대리인주소, 대리인코드, 대리인(한글), 대리인(영문), 국제공개일자, 국제공개번호, 국제출원일자, 국제출원번호, 우선권, 우선권주장일, 우선권국가, 우선권출원번호, 원출원일자, 원출원번호, 지정국, Citing Patents, Cited Patents
저장형식	Text(ASCII format) Excel format PIAS분석(.xls)
메일정보	받는사람 (필수) @ 보내는사람 (선택) @ 제목 내용 KISTI 검색결과 이메일 서비스
안내	> 총 건의 자료가 검색되었습니다. > 다운받으실 자료의 인덱스를 입력하세요. (1-10,000) > 검색결과의 순서대로 최대 10,000건 까지 다운로드가 가능합니다. > 데이타가 많을 경우 속도가 느려질 수 있습니다.(최대 2~3분 소요) > 다운로드 파일은 UTF-8 형태로 저장됩니다. 파일의 내용이 제대로 보이지 않을실 때는 웹브라우저 상단의 보기 -> 인코딩 -> 자동선택 여부를 확인하십시오 > ~ > Text(ASCII format) Excel format

과학기술 지식인프라 ScienceON

ScienceON Chatbot

연합인증

특허 상세정보

Self-powered microthermionic converter

초록
▼

대표
청구항
▼

이 특허에 인용된 특허 (12)

이 특허를 인용한 특허 피인용횟수: 2

IPC 상위 출원인

과제정보

상세정보조회

원문조회

IPC 상세정보(version : 201201)

연구과제 성과물(0)

참여연구원의 다른 문헌(0)

처리중입니다.

잠시만 기다려주세요.

ScienceON Chatbot

연합인증

특허 상세정보

Self-powered microthermionic converter

초록 ▼

대표청구항 ▼

이 특허에 인용된 특허 (12)

이 특허를 인용한 특허 피인용횟수: 2

IPC 상위 출원인

과제정보

상세정보조회

원문조회

IPC 상세정보(version : 201201)

연구과제 성과물(0)

참여연구원의 다른 문헌(0)

처리중입니다.

잠시만 기다려주세요.

초록
▼

대표
청구항
▼