Effect of Thermoelectric and Electrical Properties on the Cooling Performance of a Micro Thermoelectric Cooler

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials Vol. 39; no. 9; pp. 1566 - 1571
• Main Authors: Lee, Kong Hoon, Kim, Hyunse, Kim, Ook Joong
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2010; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cooling; Electric resistance; Electronics; Electronics and Microelectronics; Exact sciences and technology; Instrumentation; Materials Science; Microprocessors; Optical and Electronic Materials; Physical properties; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Solid State Physics; Thermal expansion; thermomechanical effects and density; Thermal properties of condensed matter; Thermal properties of crystalline solids; Thermoelectric, pyroelectric devices, etc; Seebeck coefficient; cooling rate; Micro thermoelectric cooler; electrical resistivity; coefficient of performance (COP); Electrical conductivity; Cooling; Electrical properties; Cooling rate; Digital simulation; Thermoelectric devices; Seebeck effect; Heat treatments; Thermoelectric properties; Thermoelectric effect; Thermal properties; Thermoelectric materials; Bismuth tellurides; Numerical analysis; Calcium nitride; Thermal resistance; Thermoelectric power; Electric resistivity; Thermophysical properties; Antimony tellurides
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-010-1285-2

Active cooling has been studied to prevent microprocessor temperature rise due to hot spots, and a micro thermoelectric cooler is a promising candidate for this spot cooling since it can be used to effectively cool the small area near the hot spot. Numerical analysis has been conducted to determine the effect of thermoelectric and electrical properties on the cooling performance of such a micro thermoelectric cooler. In the cooler considered herein, Bi 2 Te 3 and Sb 2 Te 3 were selected as the n - and p -type thermoelectric materials, respectively. The thermoelectric column considered was 20  μ m thick. The coefficient of performance (COP) and cooling rate were the primary factors used to evaluate the performance of the cooler. Although cooling performance varies with thermal conditions such as thermophysical properties and temperature difference, the present study only focuses on the effect of thermoelectric and electrical properties such as the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity.