Method and structure for thermoelectric unicouple assembly
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H01L-035/34
H01L-027/16
출원번호
US-0947400
(2013-07-22)
등록번호
US-9257627
(2016-02-09)
발명자
/ 주소
Aguirre, Mario
Scullin, Matthew L.
출원인 / 주소
Alphabet Energy, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Jones Day
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
34
초록▼
Method for assembling thermoelectric unicouples is provided and applied with silicon-based nanostructure thermoelectric legs. The method includes preparing and disposing both n-type and p-type thermoelectric material blocks in alternative columns on a first shunt material. The method includes a sequ
Method for assembling thermoelectric unicouples is provided and applied with silicon-based nanostructure thermoelectric legs. The method includes preparing and disposing both n-type and p-type thermoelectric material blocks in alternative columns on a first shunt material. The method includes a sequence of cutting processes to resize the thermoelectric material blocks to form multiple singulated unicouples each having an n-type thermoelectric leg and a p-type thermoelectric leg bonded to a section of the first shunt material. Additionally, the method includes re-disposing these singulated unicouples in a serial daisy chain configuration with a predetermined pitch distance and bonding a second shunt material on top. The method further includes performing additional cutting processes to form one or more daisy chains of thermoelectric unicouples. The first shunt material is coupled to a cold-side heat sink and the second shunt material is coupled to a hot-side heat sink.
대표청구항▼
1. A method for assembling a plurality of thermoelectric unicouples, the method comprising: providing a plurality of blocks, each block having a generally rectangular shape having a width and a length, each block of the plurality including either an n-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor mat
1. A method for assembling a plurality of thermoelectric unicouples, the method comprising: providing a plurality of blocks, each block having a generally rectangular shape having a width and a length, each block of the plurality including either an n-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material or a p-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material;disposing the plurality of blocks on a first shunt wafer in a 2D array wherein each of the blocks including the n-type thermoelectric functional material is alternately disposed next to one of the blocks including the p-type thermoelectric functional material;performing a first cutting operation along the length of each block to reduce the width of each block and increase a gap spacing between two neighboring blocks substantially without removing any material of the first shunt wafer;performing a second cutting operation along the width of each block through the first shunt wafer below to divide each block along the length into a column of multiple units;performing a third cutting operation along a middle line of each column of multiple units through the first shunt wafer below to further cut each unit of each of the columns of multiple units into two thermoelectric functional legs respectively attached on two separate remaining pieces of the first shunt wafer, the combination of the first cutting operation, the second cutting operation, and the third cutting operation causing a formation of a plurality of unicouples each comprising the two thermoelectric functional legs, the two thermoelectric functional legs comprising an n-type thermoelectric functional leg attached at one end of a same remaining piece of the first shunt wafer and a p-type thermoelectric functional leg attached at another end of the same remaining piece of the first shunt wafer;re-arranging the plurality of unicouples in one or more serial chains by bonding the same remaining piece of the first shunt wafer of each unicouple onto a first base plate such that every unicouple in the serial chain comprises a same spatial orientation of the n-type thermoelectric functional leg on one end and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg of that unicouple on another end of the same remaining piece of the first shunt wafer;bonding a second shunt wafer to the n-type thermoelectric functional leg and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg of each unicouple in the one or more serialchains;performing a fourth cutting operation to remove material of the second shunt wafer partially from regions beyond two longitudinal edges of each serial chain and regions between the n-type thermoelectric functional leg and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg of each unicouple substantially without removing any material of the first shunt wafer and the first base plate; andattaching a second base plate from above to bond with each and every remaining piece of the second shunt wafer. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a fifth cutting operation for forming one or more daisy chains of thermoelectric unicouples assembled between the first base plate and the second base plate, the daisy chain of thermoelectric unicouples being characterized at least by a serial electrical conduction path from at least one piece of the first shunt wafer, through one or more of the n-type thermoelectric functional legs, through at least one piece of the second shunt wafer, to one or more of the p-type thermoelectric functional legs, and a parallel thermal conduction path from the first base plate through all pieces of the first shunt wafer, through all the n-type thermoelectric functional legs and all the p-type thermoelectric functional legs, through all pieces of the second shunt wafer, to the second base plate. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the n-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material or the p-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material comprises silicon-based thermoelectric material bearing one or more forms of nanostructures selected from the group consisting of: an array of nanowires, nanotubes, or nanoholes, a bulk nanohole structure, and a bulk nanoporous structure. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the n-type functional semiconductor material or the p-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material comprises a nanocomposite material synthesized from a plurality of nano- or micro-sized particles, nanowires, or nanotubes, or from a nanoporous bulk including a single element or an alloy including at least two materials. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein disposing the plurality of blocks comprises bonding each block onto the first shunt wafer via a metalized material using a brazing process, the metalizing material including a multilayered film including Ti/TiN/Ni/Au/Au—Sn alloy or Ni/TiN/Ni/Au/Au—Sn alloy. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first shunt wafer comprises a conductive material selected from the group consisting of: a silicon-based composite material having a metalized surface, a Cu lead frame plated with Ni material, a W lead frame plated with Ni material, and a conductive ceramic material. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cutting operation is configured to reduce the width of each block to about 3.5 mm while increasing the gap spacing to about 12.5 mm between the two neighboring blocks, wherein the two neighboring blocks include one of the blocks including the n-type thermoelectric functional material and a neighboring one of the blocks including the p-type thermoelectric functional material along the width direction. 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising taping the first shunt material including the plurality of blocks thereon onto a removable tape after the first cutting operation. 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second cutting operation is configured to form the column of multiple units bearing the same n-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material or the same p-type thermoelectric functional material of the block respectively bonded on remaining pieces of the first shunt wafer, each unit bearing a width of about 0.5 mm and a length of about 3.5 mm. 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the third cutting operation is configured to form the two thermoelectric functional legs with substantially a same dimension ranging from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm by removing the semiconductor material from a middle region of each of the column of multiple units. 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first base plate includes an electrically insulating heat sink material comprising hard anodized aluminum. 12. The method of claim 1 wherein re-arranging the plurality of unicouples comprises disposing each of the unicouples with a gap spacing of about 10 mm from another of the unicouples that has the same spatial orientation of the n-type thermoelectric functional leg on one end and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg on another end of a same piece of the first shunt wafer. 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the second shunt wafer includes a W lead frame. 14. The method of claim 1 wherein bonding the second shunt wafer the n-type thermoelectric leg and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg comprises brazing a multilayer of metalized film, the multilayer of metalized film including Ni/TiN/W/W—Pt alloy with 2% of B or Ti/TiN/W/W—Pt alloy Alley including a Pd—Al nanofoil for facilitating the brazing process. 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the second base plate includes a low electrical conductivity heat sink material including alumina. 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first base plate defines a cold side heat sink and the second base plate defines a hot side heat sink. 17. A method for assembling thermoelectric unicouples to form a thermoelectric module, the method comprising: disposing a plurality of thermoelectric blocks, each block including either an n-type semiconductor characteristic or a p-type semiconductor characteristic, onto a first shunt wafer;resizing the thermoelectric blocks of the plurality of thermoelectric blocks and resizing a gap spacing between at least one of the blocks including the n-type semiconductor characteristic and at least one of the blocks including the p-type semiconductor characteristic without removing any material from the first shunt wafer;partially removing one or more materials of each of the thermoelectric blocks of the plurality and the first shunt wafer along a middle region of that thermoelectric block to form a plurality of unicouples comprising a separate partial piece of the first shunt wafer with an n-type thermoelectric leg attached on one end and a p-type thermoelectric leg attached on another end;rearranging the plurality of unicouples to form one or more daisy chains on a first heat sink plate, wherein each unicouple has a same spatial orientation of the n-type thermoelectric leg and the p-type thermoelectric leg and is disposed at a predetermined space from a neighboring unicouple within each of the one or more daisy chains;bonding a second shunt wafer onto the plurality of unicouples;resizing the second shunt wafer to retain a partial piece of the second shunt wafer connecting the n-type thermoelectric leg of one unicouple with the p-type thermoelectric leg of the neighboring unicouple; andattaching a second heat sink plate onto each retained partial piece of the second shunt wafer. 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first shunt wafer and the second shunt wafer each include a metal-based lead frame respectively bonded via a multilayer-metallization film with a cold end and a hot end of each n-type thermoelectric leg or each p-type thermoelectric leg. 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the plurality of thermoelectric blocks is provided from a nanocomposite material bearing silicon-based nano-structures or sintered nano-particles doped with either n-type or p-type electronic impurities. 20. The method of claim 17 wherein the first heat sink plate and the second heat sink plate each include an electrically insulating material respectively configured to couple the first shunt wafer to a cold side surface near a room temperature and couple the second shunt wafer to a hot side surface above 600° C. 21. A method for forming a plurality of unicouples for assembling a thermoelectric module, the method comprising: providing a plurality of blocks, each block having a generally rectangular shape having a width and a length, each block of the plurality including either an n-type thermoelectric functional material or a p-type thermoelectric functional semiconductor material;disposing the plurality of blocks on a conductive shunt wafer in a 2D array wherein each of the blocks including the n-type thermoelectric functional material is alternately disposed next to one of the blocks including the p-type thermoelectric functional material;performing a first cutting operation along the length of each block to reduce the width of each block and increase a gap spacing between two neighboring blocks substantially without removing any material of the conductive shunt wafer;performing a second cutting operation along the width of each block through the conductive shunt wafer below to divide each block along the length into a column of multiple units; andperforming a third cutting operation along a middle line of each column of multiple units through the conductive shunt wafer below to further cut each unit of each of the columns of multiple units into two thermoelectric functional legs respectively attached on two separate remaining pieces of the conductive shunt wafer, thereby forming a plurality of unicouples each comprising an n-type thermoelectric functional leg attached at one end of a same remaining piece of the conductive shunt wafer and a p-type thermoelectric functional leg attached at another end of the same remaining piece of the conductive shunt wafer. 22. A method for assembling a plurality of unicouples to form a thermoelectric module, the method comprising: providing a plurality of unicouples, each unicouple including an n-type thermoelectric functional leg and a p-type thermoelectric functional leg respectively attached to two ends of a stripe-shaped piece of a first shunt material;arranging the plurality of unicouples in one or more serial chains by bonding each piece of the first shunt material onto a first base plate, each serial chain comprising a same spatial orientation such that the n-type thermoelectric functional leg of a unicouple is spatially opposed to a p-type thermoelectric functional leg of a next unicouple with a predetermined spacing;bonding a wafer piece of a second shunt material from above to each of the plurality of unicouples in the one or more serial chains;performing a cutting operation to partially remove the second shunt material from regions beyond two longitudinal edges of each serial chain and regions between the n-type thermoelectric functional leg and the p-type thermoelectric functional leg of each unicouple substantially without removing any first shunt material and the first base plate; andattaching a second base plate from above to bond with each and every remaining piece of the second shunt material.
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