Asymmetrical PN junction thermoelectric couple structure and its parameter determination method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11600758-B2
Application number	US-201916959035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2019
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

The present invention discloses an asymmetrical PN junction thermoelectric couple structure and its parameter determination method. By changing the structural parameters of p-type semiconductor or n-type semiconductor, the current generated by p-type semiconductor is equal to the current generated by the n-type semiconductor, so that the high-efficiency output of PN junction thermoelectric couple can be realized. Meanwhile, the present invention provides a method for determining the parameters of PN junction based on the numerical solution method. Finally, the optimal size parameters of PN junction are obtained.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining the parameters of an asymmetric PN junction thermoelectric couple structure, comprising the following steps:
calculating an integral mean value of electrical resistivity of a p-type semiconductor ρ p and an integral mean value of electrical resistivity of a n-type semiconductor ρ n ;
determining a length relationship between the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor;
establishing differential equations of PN junction thermoelectric couple structure;
setting boundary conditions to calculate the Peltier heat of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor;
setting current boundary conditions to connect load resistance with copper electrodes;
setting temperature boundary conditions to load the temperature, and
calculating an output voltage at both ends of the load resistance to get an output power of the PN junction thermoelectric couple.

2. The method for determining the parameters of the asymmetric PN junction thermoelectric couple structure according to claim 1 , further comprising the step:
if ρ p > ρ n , setting the length of the p-type semiconductor L p as L+i×Δl and setting the length of the n-type semiconductor L n as L−i×Δl;
if ρ p < ρ n , setting the length of the p-type semiconductor L p as L−i×Δl and setting the length of the n-type semiconductor L n as L+i×Δl; and
if ρ p = ρ n , setting the length of p-type semiconductor as being equal to the length of n-type semiconductor, i.e., L p =L p =L.

3. The method for determining the parameters of asymmetric PN junction thermoelectric couple structure according to claim 2 , wherein the method of determining the length of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor when ρ p > ρ n and ρ p < ρ n includes
selecting a value of Δl to meet the condition of Δl<L/10,
calculating the overall output powers of the PN junction thermoelectric couple P 0 and P 1 when i=0, 1;
determining whether P 0 <P 1 , and if so, i=i+1,
returning to recalculate the overall output power of PN junction thermoelectric couple P i , and determining whether P i <P i+1 again, ending the loop until P i ≥P i+1 .

4. The method for determining the parameters of the asymmetric PN junction thermoelectric couple structure according to claim 1 , wherein the boundary conditions for calculating Peltier heat are as follows:
wherein a bottom contact surface of the p-type semiconductor is in contact with a first bottom copper electrode, and a bottom contact surface of the n-type semiconductor is in contact with a second bottom copper electrode, the temperature of the first and second bottom copper electrodes equals the temperature of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor, that is T co | z=H 1 +H 2 =T P,N | z=H 1 +H 2 ;
the heat conduction of the first and second bottom copper electrodes equals the heat conduction of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor plus the Peltier heat of the p-type semiconductor and n-type semiconductor, that is,

-

λ
co

⁢

∂

τ
co

∂
Z

❘

z
=

H
1

+

H
2

=

-

λ

P
,
N

⁢

∂

τ

P
,
N

∂
Z

|

z
=

H
1

+

H
2

+

α

P
,
N

⁢
T
⁢

J
z

_

❘

z
=

H
1

+

H
2

,

where z=H 1 +H 2 represents the coordinate axis positions of the bottom contact surface of the p-type semiconductor and the bottom contact surface of the n-type semiconductor;
on a top contact surfaces of the p-type semiconductor and a top contact surface of the n-type semiconductor, both in contact with a top copper electrode, the temperature of the top copper electrode equals the temperature of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor, that is T co | z=H 1 +H 2 +H 3 =T P,N | z=H 1 +H 2 +H 3 ;
the heat conduction of the top copper electrode equals the heat conduction of the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor plus the Peltier heat of the p-type semiconductor and n-type semiconductor, that is,

-

λ

Assignees

• Univ Jiangsu

Inventors

• Wang Ruochen
• Luo Ding
• Yu Wei
• Zhou Weiqi
• Chen Long

Classifications

• G06Q10/04

  Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) · CPC title

• H10N10/17 Primary

  characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device · CPC title

• G01R31/2632 Primary

  for testing diodes · CPC title

• H10N10/82

  Interconnections · CPC title

• G06F2111/04

  Constraint-based CAD · CPC title