Thermoelectric device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947853-B2
Application number	US-201414496729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A thermoelectric device for transferring heat from a heat source to a heat sink includes at least one thermoelectric leg pair having a first leg including an n-type semiconductor material and a second leg including a p-type semiconductor material. The first leg and the second leg are electrically coupled in series. A resistive element electrically couples the first leg and the second leg between the heat source and the heat sink.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric module for transferring heat from a heat source to a heat sink, comprising:
a plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs, each thermoelectric leg pair of the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs having a first end and a second end, wherein a first leg of each thermoelectric leg pair comprises an n-type semiconductor material and a second leg of each thermoelectric leg pair comprises a p-type semiconductor material;
a plurality of metal elements; and
a plurality of first electrical contacts and a plurality of second electrical contacts;
wherein the first leg and the second leg of each thermoelectric leg pair are electrically coupled in series at the first end by a respective one of the plurality of metal elements;
wherein each first leg of the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is coupled at the second end to a respective one of the plurality of first electrical contacts, and each second leg of the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is coupled at the second end to a respective one of the plurality of second electrical contacts;
wherein each thermoelectric leg pair comprises a first resistive element to electrically couple the first leg and the second leg at a first junction between the first end and the second end, wherein
each first resistive element is spaced apart from the first end, the second end, the respective one metal element, the respective one first electrical contact and the respective one second electrical contact, and
each first junction is located at a first distance from the first end and is located at a second distance from the second end, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

2. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein the first leg and the second leg of each thermoelectric leg pair are thermally coupled in parallel between the heat source and the heat sink.

3. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair at least partially bypasses an electric current through the first junction between the first leg and the second leg.

4. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein the first resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair is arranged between the first leg and the second leg such that a Joule heating of the legs is concentrated towards a side of the heat sink.

5. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein a cross section of the first leg or the second leg of each thermoelectric leg pair varies along a direction from the heat source to the heat sink.

6. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein each thermoelectric leg pair further comprises a second resistive element adapted to electrically couple the first leg and the second leg at a second junction between the first end and the second end.

7. The thermoelectric module of claim 6 , wherein the first resistive element and the second resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair extend between the first leg and the second leg and wherein the first resistive element and the second resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair are spaced with respect to one another along a longitudinal extension of the first leg and the second leg with a predetermined distance.

8. The thermoelectric module of claim 6 , wherein the first resistive element and the second resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair extend between the first leg and the second leg, and wherein the first resistive element and the second resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair have different cross sections.

9. The thermoelectric module of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is arranged in parallel to each other.

10. The thermoelectric module of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is electrically coupled in series.

11. The thermoelectric module of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is arranged on a substrate.

12. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of thermoelectric leg pairs is bonded between the heat source and the heat sink.

13. The thermoelectric module of claim 12 , wherein the first resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair is arranged between the first leg and the second leg such that a Joule heating of the legs is concentrated towards a side of the heat sink.

14. The thermoelectric module of claim 12 , wherein a cross section of the first leg or the second leg of each thermoelectric leg pair varies along a direction from the heat source to the heat sink.

15. The thermoelectric module of claim 1 , wherein a bypass current flowing through the first resistive element of each thermoelectric leg pair is lower than an operational current flowing through a circuit formed by the first leg, the metal element, and the second leg.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Riel Heike E
• Schmidt Volker

Classifications

• H01L35/32 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/17 Primary

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

• H10N10/81

  Structural details of the junction · CPC title

• H10N10/10

  operating with only the Peltier or Seebeck effects · CPC title

• H10N10/80 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title