Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T08:05:18.775Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A new thermoelectric concept using large area PN junctions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2013

R. Chavez ,
A. Becker ,
V. Kessler ,
M. Engenhorst ,
N. Petermann ,
H. Wiggers ,
G. Schierning  and
R. Schmechel
R. Chavez
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
A. Becker
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
V. Kessler
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
M. Engenhorst
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
N. Petermann
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
H. Wiggers
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
G. Schierning
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
R. Schmechel
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Center for NanoIntegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
Get access

Abstract

A new thermoelectric concept using large area silicon PN junctions is experimentally demonstrated. In contrast to conventional thermoelectric generators where the n-type and p-type semiconductors are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel, we demonstrate a large area PN junction made from densified silicon nanoparticles that combines thermally induced charge generation and separation in a space charge region with the conventional Seebeck effect by applying a temperature gradient parallel to the PN junction. In the proposed concept, the electrical contacts are made at the cold side eliminating the need for contacts at the hot side allowing temperature gradients greater than 100K to be applied. The investigated PN junction devices are produced by stacking n-type and p-type nanopowder prior to a densification process. The nanoparticulate nature of the densified PN junction lowers thermal conductivity and increases the intraband traps density which we propose is beneficial for transport across the PN junction thus enhancing the thermoelectric properties. A fundamental working principle of the proposed concept is suggested, along with characterization of power output and output voltages per temperature difference that are close to those one would expect from a conventional thermoelectric generator.

Keywords

thermoelectricthermoelectricitynanostructure
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1543: Symposium H – Nanoscale Thermoelectric Materials, Thermal and Electrical Transport, and Applications to Solid-State Cooling and Power Generation , 2013 , pp. 3 - 8
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Shakouri, A., Annual Review of Materials Research 41, 399 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, G.L., 26 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, G.L. and Lombardo, J.J., 26 (2006).Google Scholar
Bux, S.K., Blair, R.G., Gogna, P.K., Lee, H., Chen, G., Dresselhaus, M.S., Kaner, R.B., and Fleurial, J.-P., Advanced Functional Materials 19, 2445 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pichanusakorn, P. and Bandaru, P., Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports 67, 19 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vineis, C.J., Shakouri, A., Majumdar, A., and Kanatzidis, M.G., Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 22, 3970 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Span, G., Wagner, M., Grasser, T., and Holmgren, L., Physica Status Solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters 1, 241 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Span, G., Wagner, M., Holzer, S., and Grasser, T., 2006 25th International Conference on Thermoelectrics 23 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, M., Span, G., Holzer, S., and Grasser, T., Semiconductor Science and Technology 22, S173 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, M., Span, G., Holzert, S., and Grassert, T., Simulation 397 (2006).Google Scholar
Yang, J.Y., Aizawa, T., Yamamoto, a., and Ohta, T., Materials Science and Engineering: B 85, 34 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagelstein, P.L. and Kucherov, Y., Applied Physics Letters 81, 559 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petermann, N., Stein, N., Schierning, G., Theissmann, R., Stoib, B., Brandt, M.S., Hecht, C., Schulz, C., and Wiggers, H., Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 44, 174034 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, A., Schierning, G., Theissmann, R., Meseth, M., and Benson, N., Journal of Applied Physics 111, 054320 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meseth, M., Ziolkowski, P., Schierning, G., Theissmann, R., Petermann, N., Wiggers, H., Benson, N., and Schmechel, R., Scripta Materialia 67, 265 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dongaonkar, S., Servaites, J.D., Ford, G.M., Loser, S., Moore, J., Gelfand, R.M., Mohseni, H., Hillhouse, H.W., Agrawal, R., Ratner, M. a., Marks, T.J., Lundstrom, M.S., and Alam, M. a., Journal of Applied Physics 108, 124509 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, V., Gautam, D., Hülser, T., Spree, M., Theissmann, R., Winterer, M., Wiggers, H., Schierning, G., and Schmechel, R., Advanced Engineering Materials n/a (2012).Google Scholar
Stein, N., Petermann, N., Theissmann, R., Schierning, G., Schmechel, R., and Wiggers, H., (2011).Google Scholar