IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0284771
(2008-09-24)
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등록번호 |
US-8258672
(2012-09-04)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Borealis Technical Limited
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
13 |
초록
▼
A thermionic or thermotunneling generator or heat pump is disclosed, comprising electrodes substantially facing one another and separated by spacers disposed between the electrodes, wherein the substrate material for the cathode is preferably a single crystalline silicon wafer while the substrate fo
A thermionic or thermotunneling generator or heat pump is disclosed, comprising electrodes substantially facing one another and separated by spacers disposed between the electrodes, wherein the substrate material for the cathode is preferably a single crystalline silicon wafer while the substrate for the anode is an organic wafer, and preferably a polished polyimide (PI) wafer. On the cathode side, standard silicon wafer processes create the 10-1000 nm thin spacers and edge seals from thermally grown oxide. Either wafer is partially covered with a thin film of material that is characterized by high electrical conductivity and low work function. In one embodiment, the cathode is partially covered with a thin film of Ag—Cs—O. In another embodiment, the anode is additionally covered with a thin film of Ag—Cs—O, in which case the work function of the cathode coating material is reduced further utilizing an Avto Metal structure of nanoscale patterned indents. A method for fabricating the composite structure device is further disclosed.
대표청구항
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1. A thermionic converter comprising a pair of nonmagnetic, nonflexible electrodes with surfaces substantially facing each other and separated by spacers disposed between facing surfaces to maintain a gap between the electrodes, wherein one of said pair of electrodes comprises a silicon wafer substr
1. A thermionic converter comprising a pair of nonmagnetic, nonflexible electrodes with surfaces substantially facing each other and separated by spacers disposed between facing surfaces to maintain a gap between the electrodes, wherein one of said pair of electrodes comprises a silicon wafer substrate processed to form a cathode and said spacers, the other of said pair of electrodes comprises an anode formed of an organic material wafer substrate, and the facing surface of each of said electrodes is an active surface comprising a thin film of a high electrical conductivity and a low work function material formed on each said substrate, wherein at least one of the cathode active surface or the anode active surface is modified to reduce electron work function and the electron work function of the anode active surface is reduced below the work function of the cathode active surface. 2. The converter of claim 1, wherein said cathode substrate is formed of a single crystalline silicon wafer and said spacers have a thinness of 10-1000 nm. 3. The converter of claim 1, wherein said anode substrate is formed of a polished polyimide wafer. 4. The converter of claim 1, wherein said modified active surface is comprised of a series of indents on the scale of the de Broglie wavelength. 5. The converter of claim 4, wherein the walls of said indents are substantially perpendicular to one another. 6. The converter of claim 4, wherein the walls of said indents are substantially sharp. 7. The converter of claim 4, wherein the depth of said indents is approximately 5 to 20 times a roughness of said surface. 8. The converter of claim 4, wherein the width of said indents is approximately 5 to 15 times said depth. 9. The converter of claim 4, wherein said modified active surface comprises an Avto Metal. 10. A method for building the converter of claim 4, comprising the steps of: creating a pattern of nano-sized indents on a facing surface of either said cathode, said anode, said cathode and said anode, or neither said cathode or said anode,coating the facing surfaces of both of said cathode and said anode with a thin film of material comprising Ag—Cs—O characterized by high electrical conductivity and low work function so that the electron work function of the anode is reduced below the electron work function of the cathode, andjoining said cathode and said anode such that the coated surfaces are substantially facing one another across said gap. 11. A heat pump comprising the converter of claim 4. 12. A power generator comprising the converter of claim 4. 13. The converter of claim 1, wherein said anode active surface comprises a thin film of material characterized by work function on the order of 1 eV. 14. The converter of claim 13, wherein said thin film of material is Ag—Cs—O. 15. The thermionic converter of claim 1, wherein the cathode and anode active surfaces comprise thin films of Ag—Cs—O with a work function of about 1 eV. 16. The thermionic converter of claim 1, wherein the anode substrate comprises an organic material selected to reduce parasitic heat losses during regular operation of said thermionic converter. 17. The thermionic converter of claim 1, comprising a thermionic or thermotunneling generator or heat pump with an operating temperature of up to 500° C., wherein the cathode is connected thermally to a heat source and the anode is connected to a heat sink, and the cathode active surface is separated from the anode active surface by a vacuum gap. 18. The thermionic converter of claim 1, wherein the anode organic wafer substrate comprises an organic material that creates a degree of thermal expansion identical to the thermal expansion of the cathode silicon substrate. 19. A method for building a thermionic converter, wherein said thermionic converter comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and said first and second electrodes have surfaces substantially facing one another with a gap between said first and second electrodes, said method comprising the steps of: a. providing a first electrode comprised of inorganic material having a modified surface;b. providing a second electrode comprised of organic material having a modified surface,c. providing a small reservoir of cesium in either said first or said second electrode,d. joining said first and second electrodes in an oxygen-rich atmosphere,e. initiating the step of a bond anneal, whereby edge seal material fuses to create an inseparable bond, andf. providing for the evaporation of said cesium to homogeneously cover said first and said second electrode and further react with said oxygen thereby creating low work function films on said first and second electrodes and a high vacuum in said gap. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said oxygen-rich atmosphere additionally comprises hydrogen, wherein said hydrogen protects said metal films from oxidation, and wherein during said step initiating bond annealing creating an inseparable bond, said hydrogen diffuses out.
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