JPH04259265A - thermoelectric device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [0001] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable to air conditioners that perform cooling or heating using the Peltier effect, power generation devices that generate electricity using temperature differences due to the Seebeck effect, etc. Regarding the thermoelectric device used. [0002] Conventionally, this type of thermoelectric device has not yet been put into practical use, but one as shown in FIG. 3 has been proposed. As shown in the figure, N is applied to one side of the insulating film substrate 1.
A type semiconductor 2, a conductor 3, and a P-type semiconductor 4 are sequentially formed. The two corrugated fins 5 are located on both sides of the insulating film substrate 1, and are provided on one side so as to be in thermal contact with every other conductor 3, and the other side is bonded to the insulating film substrate 1. ing. and N-type semiconductor 2, conductor 3
, the P-type semiconductor 4 has a structure in which each end portion overlaps, so that the electrical resistance and thermal resistance of the contact portion do not increase. With the above configuration, the current flowing into the thermoelectric device generates or absorbs heat at the interface between the N-type semiconductor 2 or P-type semiconductor 4 and the conductor 3 due to the Peltier effect. At this time, since the N-type semiconductors 2 and the P-type semiconductors 4 are arranged alternately, the conductors 3 alternately act as heat generating parts or heat absorbing parts, and the corrugated fins 5 that are in contact with every other conductor 3 have one side One is a heat generating fin, and the other is a heat absorbing fin. therefore,
Heat is absorbed from the air above the insulating film substrate 1 (or heat is radiated to the air), and heat is radiated to the air below the insulating film substrate 1 (or heat is absorbed from the air). [0004]However, in the conventional configuration described above, when the characteristics of the N-type semiconductor 2 and the P-type semiconductor 4 are different, the characteristics deteriorate significantly.
Since two films of the type semiconductor 4 are required to be formed, the manufacturing cost is high. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a thermoelectric device that suppresses deterioration of characteristics due to heat flow, simplifies processes, and reduces manufacturing costs. Means for Solving the Problems [0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of insulating film substrates that are alternately provided on one surface of the insulating film substrate so that their ends are in electrical contact with each other. A semiconductor and an electric conductor, a first heat exchange means thermally bonded to the electric conductor, and a second heat exchange means thermally bonded to the other surface of the insulating film substrate. The conductor is formed by forming a thin film at the center, and the conductor is formed by forming a thin film at the center. 00
[07] With the above structure, the conductor has the function of ensuring a current to the semiconductor and transmitting the temperature difference occurring at the end of the semiconductor to the first heat exchange means. Since the ratio of the electrical conductivity of a commonly used semiconductor and a conductor is about 1/1000, the thickness of the conductor can be made thinner than that of the semiconductor, considering only the securing of current. However, considering heat transfer to the heat exchange means, the film thickness of the conductor cannot be made infinitely thin, and there is no need to consider heat transfer in the central part of the conductor located between the first heat exchange means. The inflow of heat can be minimized by reducing the film thickness or forming the film with a small area in the center. [Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, in the thermoelectric device, a semiconductor 12 and a conductor 13 are sequentially formed on one side of an insulating film substrate 11. A first heat exchange means 14 is disposed so as to be in thermal contact with the left end of the conductor 13, and a second heat exchange means 14 is disposed on the other surface of the insulating film substrate 11.
The heat exchange means 15 are arranged so as to be in thermal contact with each other. First heat exchange means 14 and second heat exchange means 15
uses corrugated fins made of aluminum plates. The semiconductor 12 and the conductor 13 have a structure in which their respective ends overlap, so that the electrical resistance and thermal resistance of the contact portions do not increase. and conductor 13
A thin film is formed only at the central portion 16 of the conductor 13, and the conductor 13 is made of copper, aluminum, or the like, which has low electrical resistance. With the above configuration, when used as a cooling device, the semiconductor 12 is placed parallel to the insulating film substrate 11.
And a current is passed through the conductor 13. As a result, the semiconductor 12
Heat generation or heat absorption occurs at the interface between the conductor 13 and the conductor 13 due to the Peltier effect. At this time, if the semiconductor 12 is a P-type semiconductor, the right interface of the semiconductor 12 absorbs heat, and the left interface emits heat. Since the conductor 13 is a good conductor for heat, the first heat exchange means 14 has a portion adjacent to the right interface of the semiconductor 12 as a heat absorbing portion, and a portion adjacent to the left interface of the semiconductor 12 as a heat generating portion. Become. Therefore, a heat pump is formed that radiates heat to the air above the insulating film substrate 11 and cools the air below. At this time, there is a temperature difference between both ends of the conductor 13, and heat flows from the heat generating part to the heat absorbing part via the central part 16 of the conductor 13.
Since the film thickness is small, the inflow of heat is minimized. In addition, when used as a power generation device without causing much decrease in cooling capacity, the first heat exchange means 1
By creating a temperature difference between the air in contact with 4 and the second heat exchange means 15, both ends of the semiconductor 12 become high and low temperature, and an electromotive force is generated due to the Seebeck effect. As described above, according to the present invention, the semiconductor is P
A thermoelectric circuit can be constructed using either type or N type semiconductor material. FIG. 2 shows another embodiment, and the difference from the above-mentioned embodiment is that instead of the conductor having a thinner film in the center, the conductor has a smaller area in the center. This is a small film formed. That is, since the unformed portion 18 is provided in the center of the conductor 17 in a direction perpendicular to the current, deterioration in performance due to heat flow can be minimized. In this embodiment, corrugated fins are used as the heat exchange means, but the shape of the heat exchange means may be other than corrugated fins, such as those with fin processing for promoting heat transfer, Similar effects can be obtained by freely selecting a liquid or other type of radiant heat as required. Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the thermoelectric device of the present invention comprises a plurality of thermoelectric devices arranged alternately on one surface of an insulating film substrate so that their ends are in electrical contact with each other. A semiconductor and an electric conductor, a first heat exchange means thermally bonded to the electric conductor, and a second heat exchange means thermally bonded to the other surface of the insulating film substrate. , the conductor is formed by forming a film with a thinner film thickness in the center, and by adopting this structure, a decrease in performance due to heat flow is suppressed,
Furthermore, the thermoelectric circuit can be constructed using either a P-type or an N-type semiconductor, and the cost can be reduced by simplifying manufacturing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[
FIG. 2: External perspective view of a thermoelectric device in another embodiment

[Figure 3]
External perspective view of a conventional thermoelectric device

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Insulating film substrate 12 Semiconductor 13 Conductor 14 First heat exchange means 15 Second heat exchange means 16 Central part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An insulating film substrate, a plurality of semiconductors and conductors alternately provided on one surface of the insulating film substrate so that their ends are in electrical contact, and a plurality of semiconductors and conductors provided alternately on one surface of the insulating film substrate; a first heat exchange means thermally bonded to the other surface of the insulating film substrate; and a second heat exchange means thermally bonded to the other surface of the insulating film substrate; A thermoelectric device made of a thin film. 2. The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein instead of the conductor having a thinner film thickness in the center, the conductor has a smaller area in the center.