Compound semiconductors and their application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9490413-B2
Application number	US-201414437119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is a new compound semiconductor material which may be used for thermoelectric material or the like, and its applications. The compound semiconductor may be represented by Chemical Formula 1 below: Chemical Formula 1 <Chemical Formula 1> Bi 2 Te x Se a-x In y M z where, in Chemical Formula 1, M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Cu, Fe, Co, Ag and Ni, 2.5<x<3.0, 3.0≦a<3.5, 0<y and 0≦z.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A compound semiconductor, represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:
Bi2Te x Se a−x In y M z   <Chemical Formula 1>

wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Cu, Fe, Co, Ag, and Ni, and
wherein 2.5<x<3.0, 3.0≦a<3.5, 0<y, and 0<z.

2. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, y and z satisfy the conditions of 0<y<0.009 and 0<z<0.09.

3. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, y+z satisfies the condition of 0.002<y+z<0.09.

4. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, y is 0.0068.

5. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, z is 0.0369.

6. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, a satisfies the condition of a>3.0.

7. The compound semiconductor according to claim 1 , wherein the compound semiconductor is manufactured by a method including:
forming a mixture containing Bi, Te and Se;
thermally treating the mixture;
adding In and M to the thermally treated mixture; and
pressure-sintering the In and M-added mixture.

8. The compound semiconductor according to claim 7 ,
wherein the mixture is thermally treated by means of a solid-state reaction.

9. The compound semiconductor according to claim 7 ,
wherein the In and M-added mixture is pressure sintered by means of spark plasma sintering.

10. A preparation method of a compound semiconductor defined in the claim 1 , comprising:
forming a mixture containing Bi, Te, and Se;
thermally treating the mixture;
adding In and M to the thermally treated mixture; and
pressure-sintering the In and M-added mixture.

11. The preparation method of a compound semiconductor according to claim 10 ,
wherein adding the In and M includes adding 0.1 wt % of In based on the entire weight of the mixture.

12. The preparation method of a compound semiconductor according to claim 10 ,
wherein the thermal treatment step is performed by means of a solid-state reaction.

13. The preparation method of a compound semiconductor according to claim 10 ,
wherein the In and M-added mixture is pressure sintered by means of spark plasma sintering.

14. A thermoelectric conversion device, which includes the compound semiconductor defined in claim 1 .

15. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 14 , which includes the compound semiconductor defined in claim 1 as an N-type thermoelectric conversion material.

16. A solar cell, which includes the compound semiconductor defined in claim 1 .

17. A bulk-type thermoelectric material, which includes the compound semiconductor defined in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Hyun-Woo
• Lim Byung-Kyu
• Kim Tae-Hoon
• Park Cheol-Hee
• You Eun-Ah
• Kwon O-Jong

Classifications

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• C01B19/007

  Tellurides or selenides of metals (C01B19/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C01P2006/32

  Thermal properties · CPC title

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0272

  Electricity · mapped topic