A Further Comparison of Solid-State Thermionic and Thermoelectric Refrigeration

Abstract

We show that the expressions for current and heat current calculated via (the non-linearized) ballistic and diffusive transport formalisms reduce to the same form for solid-state devices one electron mean free path in length. The materials parameters for thermionic and thermoelectric devices are also shown to be equal, rather than differing by a multiplicative constant. We derive a simple transport equation that includes both ballistic and diffusive contributions to the current, and, as an example, use this to calculate the maximum temperature difference obtainable for a piece of Bi2Te3 as a function of its length, from less than an electron mean-free path to much greater than a mean-free path. Finally we briefly discuss similarities and differences between thermionic and thermoelectric devices in the regime where device length is of the order of a mean-free path length.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA458438

Entities

People

  • A. Shakouri
  • M. F. O'dwyer
  • T. E. Humphrey

Organizations

  • University of New South Wales

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Band Gaps
  • Boltzmann Equation
  • Conduction Bands
  • Current Density
  • Dispersion Relations
  • Dispersions
  • Energy
  • Energy Bands
  • Energy Gaps
  • Equations
  • Fermi Levels
  • Heat Energy
  • Materials
  • Mean Free Path
  • Relaxation Time
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Thermionic Emission

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics