US6060331A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method for making heterostructure thermionic coolers
Assignee: University of California, San Diego
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Filing: 1999-03-29
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Granted: 2000-05-09
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Expires: 2019-03-29
Abstract
Abstract A heterostructure thermionic cooler and a method for making thermionic coolers, employing a barrier layer of varying conduction bandedge for n-type material, or varying valence bandedge for p-type material, that is placed between two layers of material. The barrier layer has a high enough barrier for the cold side to only allow "hot" electrons, or electrons of high enough energy, across the barrier. The barrier layer is constructed to have an internal electric field such that the electrons that make it over the initial barrier are assisted in travel to the anode. Once electrons drop to the energy level of the anode, they lose energy to the lattice, thus heating the lattice at the anode. The barrier height of the barrier layer is high enough to prevent the electrons from traveling in the reverse direction.
Inventors
- 👤 Ali Shakouri
- 👤 John E. Bowers
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:21
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D8/00; H10D62/00; H10D62/80; H10D62/82; H10D62/824
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for making a thermionic non-isothermal device, comprising the steps of: growing a semiconductor layer with a first bandedge; growing a first barrier layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein the first barrier layer has a higher bandedge than the bandedge of the semiconductor layer which selectively allows charge carriers to travel from the first semiconductor layer via thermionic emission to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer; and forming a heat sink, attached to the first barrier layer, wherein the charge carriers that travel from the first semiconductor layer to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer carry heat away from the first semiconductor layer to the heat sink.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for making a thermionic non-isothermal device, comprising the steps of: growing a semiconductor layer with a first bandedge; growing a first barrier layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein the first barrier layer has a higher bandedge than the bandedge of the semiconductor layer which selectively allows charge carriers to travel from the first semiconductor layer via thermionic emission to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer; and forming a heat sink, attached to the first barrier layer, wherein the charge carriers that travel from the first semiconductor layer to surmount the bandedge of the first barrier layer carry heat away from the first semiconductor layer to the heat sink.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of growing a second semiconductor layer on the first barrier layer; and attaching said second semiconductor layer to the heatsink.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises the steps of growing at least one additional barrier layer on the second semiconductor layer; and attaching said additional barrier layer to the heatsink.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises the steps of growing at least one additional semiconductor layer on the additional barrier layer; and attaching said additional semiconductor layer to the heatsink.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises the steps of growing at least one additional pair of alternating barrier layers and semiconductor layers on the second semiconductor layer; and attaching said additional pair of alternating barrier layers and semiconductor layers to the heatsink.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of growing at least one additional barrier layer on the first barrier layer; and attaching said second barrier layer to the heatsink.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the second semiconductor layer is between 0.01 and 1 micron.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
227 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer is selected from a group comprising gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, silicon, silicon germanium, lead telluride, indium gallium arsenide (In x Ga 1-x As), indium arsenide (InAs), indium antimonide (InSb), indium gallium arsenide antimonide (In x Ga 1-x As y Sb 1-y ), mercury cadmium telluride (Hg x Cd 1-x Te), mercury cadmium selenide (Hg x Cd 1-x Se), gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum gallium nitride (Al x Ga 1-x N), indium gallium nitride (In x Ga 1-x N) indium arsenide phosphide (InAs y P 1-y ), indium gallium arsenide phosphide (In x Ga 1-x As y P 1-y ), indium gallium aluminum arsenide (In x Ga y Al 1-x-y As), lead tin telluride (Pb x Sn 1-x Te), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), aluminum antimonide (AlSb), zinc selenide (ZnSe), zinc telluride (ZnTe), boron nitride (BN), germanium (Ge), gallium phosphide (GaP), gallium antimonide (GaSb), gallium aluminum arsenide (Ga x Al 1-x As), gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAs y P 1-y ), gallium indium phosphide (Ga x In 1-x P), and gallium indium antimonide (Ga x In 1-x Sb), bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ), and bismuth selenide (Bi 2 Se 3 ), where the subscripts x, y, 1-x, and 1-y denote the relative amounts of the atomic species in each ternary or quartenary materials and range from zero to one, inclusive.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the second semiconductor layer is selected from a group comprising aluminum gallium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide phosphide, silicon germanium, lead europium telluride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, vacuum, mercury cadmium telluride, mercury cadmium selenide, indium gallium arsenide antimonide, indium gallium aluminum nitride, bismuth telluride, bismuth selenide, boron nitride, zinc telluride, zinc selenide, lead tin telluride, aluminum antimonide, lead telluride, and air.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the third semiconductor layer is the same material as the first semiconductor layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the bandedge of the second semiconductor layer is piecewise linear.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the bandedge of the second semiconductor layer is monotonically increasing.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the bandedge of the second semiconductor is a step function.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises selectively removing a portion of the second semiconductor layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer is n-type, and the bandedge is a conduction bandedge.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer is p-type, and the bandedge is a valence bandedge.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the second layer is a strained layer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the second layer is selectively oxidized.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4353081A
Cited
US4694318A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-05-09 | 2003-11-08 | 2004-05-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-05-09 | 2007-11-08 | 2008-05-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-05-09 | 2011-11-08 | 2012-05-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |