US 11,333,413 B2Granted

Solid state cooler device

AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation

InventorsRobert Miles Young, Aaron Ashley Hathaway, John X. Przybysz, Gregory R. Boyd, Zachary A. Stegen, Edward R. Engbrecht, Aaron A. Pesetski, Marc Eisenzweig Sherwin

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Abstract

A solid state cooler device is provided that includes a substrate, a first and second conductive pad disposed on the substrate, a first and second superconductor pad each having a side with a plurality of conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of respective first and second conductive pads, and a first and second insulating layer disposed between respective first and second superconductor pads, and respective ends of a normal metal layer. A bias voltage is applied between one of a first conductive pad or first superconductor pad and one of the second conductive pad or the second superconductor pad to remove hot electrons from the normal metal layer, and the contact area of the plurality of first and second conductive pad contact interfaces inhibits the transfer of heat back to the first and second superconductor pads.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A solid state cooler device comprising:

a substrate;
a first conductive pad disposed on the substrate;
a second conductive pad disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from the first conductive pad by a gap;
a first superconductor pad having a first side, and a second side with a plurality of first conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of the first conductive pad;
a second superconductor pad having a first side, and a second side with a plurality of second conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of the second conductive pad;
a first insulating layer disposed between a surface of the first side of the first superconductor pad, and a first end of a normal metal layer;
a second insulating layer disposed between a surface of the first side of the second superconductor pad, and a second end of the normal metal layer;
and
wherein a bias voltage applied between one of the first conductive pad or the first superconductor pad and one of the second conductive pad or the second superconductor pad removes hot electrons from the normal metal layer, and the contact area of the plurality of first conductive pad contact interfaces and the plurality of second conductive pad contact interfaces inhibits the transfer of heat back to the first and second superconductor pads.

6 more elements

A refrigeration system comprising:

a refrigeration container;
a plurality of solid state cooler devices disposed about the refrigeration container wherein each of the solid state cooler devices comprises:
a substrate;
a first conductive pad disposed on the substrate;
a second conductive pad disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from the first conductive pad by a gap;
a first superconductor pad having a first side, and a second side with a plurality of first conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of the first conductive pad;
a second superconductor pad having a first side, and a second side with a plurality of second conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of the second conductive pad;
a first insulating layer disposed between a surface of the first side of the first superconductor pad, and a first end of a normal metal layer;
a second insulating layer disposed between a surface of the first side of the second superconductor pad, and a second end of the normal metal layer;
and
wherein a bias voltage applied between one of the first conductive pad or the first superconductor pad and one of the second conductive pad or the second superconductor pad removes hot electrons from the normal metal layer, and the contact area of the plurality of first conductive pad contact interfaces and the plurality of second conductive pad contact interfaces inhibits the transfer of heat back to the first and second superconductor pads.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.