Quantum well thermoelectric material on thin flexible substrate
US6096964A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10N10/857
Abstract
Thermoelectric elements for use in a thermoelectric device. The thermoelectric elements have a very large number of alternating layers of semiconductor material deposited on a very thin flexible substrate. The layers of semiconductor material alternate between barrier semiconductor material and conducting semiconductor material creating quantum wells within the thin layers of conducting semiconductor material. The conducting semiconductor material is doped to create conducting properties. The substrate preferably should be very thin, a very good thermal and electrical insulator with good thermal stability and strong and flexible. In a preferred embodiment, the thin organic substrate is a thin polyimide film (specifically Kapton.RTM.) coated with an even thinner film of crystalline silicon. The substrate is about 0.3 mills (127 microns) thick. The crystalline silicon layer is about 0.1 micron thick. This embodiment includes on each side of the thin Kapton.RTM. substrate about 3,000 alternating layers of silicon and silicon-germanium, each layer being about 100 .ANG. and the total thickness of the layers being about 30 microns. Preferably, the silicon layer is applied in an amorphous…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.