Thermoelectric element and thermoelectric module provided with same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9917238-B2
Application number	US-201214371880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2012
Priority date	Jan 16, 2012
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A thermoelectric element includes a p-type/n-type semiconductor element having an upper end surface and a lower end surface, a lower electrode that is joined to the lower end surface of the p-type/n-type semiconductor element to connect the p-type/n-type semiconductor element and another n-type/p-type semiconductor element adjacently thereto and has an area less than that of the lower end surface in a joint region therebetween. A joint portion is made of a solder and has a surface joint part joining the lower end surface of the p-type/n-type semiconductor element and a surface of the lower electrode while the lower end surface of the p-type/n-type semiconductor element and the surface of the lower electrode are opposed to each other A fillet part is formed to fill a space produced between intersecting surfaces, i.e., the lower end surface and a lateral side of the lower electrode, and composes a step part formed by the lower end surface and the lower electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric element, comprising:
a first element portion and a second element portion, the first element portion being made of a first semiconductor material and the second element portion being made of a second semiconductor material different from the first semiconductor material, the first element portion and the second element portion being arranged adjacently to exhibit either the Peltier effect or the Seebeck effect, each of the first element portion and the second element portion having a first surface and a second surface disposed oppositely to the first surface;
a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being arranged to electrically connect the first surfaces of the first and second element portions together and the second electrode being electrically connected to the second surface of one of the first and second element portions, the first electrode having a pair of first electrode parts that are arranged overlapping the first surface of the first element portion and the first surface of the second electrode portion, respectively, the second electrode having a pair of second electrode parts, one of the second electrode parts being arranged overlapping the second surface of the one of the first element portion and the second element portion, each of the first electrode parts having an area that is smaller than an area of the first surface that the first electrode part overlaps, and each of the second electrode parts having an area that is smaller than an area of the second surface that the one of the second electrode parts overlaps; and
joint portions made of solder that join the first electrode to the first surfaces of the first and second element portions and loin the second electrode to the second surface of the one of the first and second element portions, each of the joint portions having a surface joint part and a fillet part, the surface joint part disposed between the first or second surface of the first or second element portion and a surface of one of the electrode parts of the first or second electrode, respectively, while the electrode part overlaps the first or second surface of the first or second element portion, the fillet part being configured and arranged to fill a step-like space produced between the first or second surface of the first or second element portion and a lateral side of the electrode part, the fillet part being disposed outside an overlapping area between the electrode part and the first or second surface, the fillet part not protruding beyond the first or second surface in a direction parallel to the first or second surface.

2. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second electrodes has a roughly 1-shape.

3. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 1 , wherein the lateral side of each of the electrode parts is processed with a surface finishing process for enhancing wettability of the solder.

4. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 3 , wherein the surface finishing process is a plating process containing any one selected from the group consisting of Au, Ag, Sn, Rh, Pd, Ni and a solder plating material.

5. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 1 , wherein the fillet part is formed to cover the lateral side of the electrode part.

6. A thermoelectric module, comprising:
the thermoelectric element recited in claim 1 ; and
a substrate on which a plurality of the thermoelectric elements are regularly aligned.

7. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of the thermoelectric elements are disposed at least on an outer side within the thermoelectric module.

8. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 6 , wherein the fillet part is formed to cover the lateral side of the electrode part.

9. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 8 , wherein the plurality of the thermoelectric elements are disposed at least on an outer side within the thermoelectric module.

10. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 2 , wherein the lateral side of each of the electrode parts is processed with a surface finishing process for enhancing wettability of the solder.

11. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 10 , wherein the surface finishing process is a plating process containing any one selected from the group consisting of Au, Ag, Sn, Rh, Pd, Ni and a solder plating material.

12. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 2 , wherein the fillet part is formed to cover the lateral side of the electrode part.

13. A thermoelectric module, comprising:
the thermoelectric element recited in claim 2 ; and
a substrate on which a plurality of the thermoelectric elements are regularly aligned.

14. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 13 , wherein the plurality of the thermoelectric elements are disposed at least on an outer side within the thermoelectric module.

15. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 13 , wherein the fillet part is formed to cover the lateral side of the electrode part.

16. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 15 , wherein the plurality of the thermoelectric elements are disposed at least on an outer side within thermoelectric the module.

17. The thermoelectric element recited in claim 1 , wherein
The first semiconductor material is an n-type semiconductor material, and the second semiconductor material is a p-type semiconductor material.

18. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 1 , wherein
the fillet part is formed to cover only a portion of the lateral side of the electrode part.

19. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 1 , wherein
the fillet part is formed to have a triangular shape in a cross sectional view.

20. The thermoelectric module recited in claim 1 , wherein
the fillet part is formed to have a rectangular shape in a cross sectional view.

Assignees

• Kelk Ltd

Inventors

• Konnai Mitsuoki
• Konishi Akio

Classifications

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/10 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/08

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/32

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/817 Primary

  the junction being non-separable, e.g. being cemented, sintered or soldered · CPC title