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AssigneeConsorzio Delta Ti Research
InventorsDario Narducci, Gianfranco Cerofolini
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Significant phonon migration restraint is achieved within a relatively homogeneous polycrystalline doped semiconductor bulk by purposely creating in the crystal lattice of the semiconductor hydrocarbon bonds with the semiconductor, typically Si or Ge, constituting effective organic group substituents of semiconductor atoms in the crystalline domains. An important enhancement of the factor of merit Z of such a modified electrically conductive doped semiconductor is obtained without resorting to nanometric cross sectional dimensions in order to rely on surface scattering eventually enhanced by making the surface highly irregular and/or creating nanocavities within the bulk of the conductive material. A determinant scattering of phonons migrating under the influence and in the direction of a temperature gradient in the homogeneous semiconductor takes place at the organic groups substituents in the crystalline doped semiconductor bulk. Fabrication processes and Seebeck-Peltier energy conversion devices are exemplarily described.
A Seebeck-Peltier effect electrically conductive septum with opposite hot-side and cold-side metallizations for connection to an electrical circuit, comprising at least a homogeneous layer of doped polycrystalline semiconductor wherein the crystalline domains of the semiconductor contains Angstrom-sized organic groups as semiconductor atoms substituents within the crystal lattice.
A process for fabricating an electrically conductivehomogeneous body of a doped polycrystalline semiconductor adapted to form a Seebeck-Peltier effect septum, comprising the steps of
A Seebeck-Peltier effect conversion device comprising an electrically conductive septum with opposite hot-side and cold-side metallizations for connection to an electrical circuit, comprising at least a homogeneous layer of doped polycrystalline semiconductor wherein the crystalline domains of the semiconductor contain Angstrom-sized organic groups as semiconductor atoms substituents within the crystal lattice.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.