Cooling device featuring thermoelectric and diamond materials for temperature control of heat-dissipating devices

A cooling device for cooling a heat-dissipating device, comprising:

• a diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate in thermal contact with only a portion of a device to be cooled, and covering some amount less than an entire area of said device to be cooled, said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate having an area which is larger than an area of said portion of the device to be cooled, said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate including at least one portion which extends outside of a perimeter of said heat-dissipating device to spread the heat produced by said device to be cooled to an area larger than said portion and thereby spread some of the heat away from said portion;
• a thermoelectric material in thermal contact with said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate, said thermoelectric material including a material which pumps heat in response to an applied source of power to thereby cool said portion of said device to be cooled;
• and
• a stack structure disposed between said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate and said thermoelectric material, said stack structure including:
• a metallization layer attached to a surface of said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate;
• an outer diffusion barrier layer attached to said metallization layer;
• an electrically conducting layer attached to said diffusion barrier layer;
• an inner diffusion barrier layer attached to said electrically conducting layer;
• and,
• a contact layer attached to said inner diffusion barrier layer.

A method of cooling a device to be cooled with a cooling device, comprising:

• establishing a thermal connection between the device to be cooled and a diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate having an area which is larger than an area of said portion of the device to be cooled, said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate including at least one portion which extends outside of a perimeter of said device to be cooled, said thermal connection including a stack structure comprising:
• a metallization layer attached to a surface of said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate;
• an outer diffusion barrier layer attached to said metallization layer;
• an electrically conducting layer attached to said diffusion barrier layer;
• an inner diffusion barrier layer attached to said electrically conducting layer, and
• a contact layer attached to said inner diffusion barrier layer;
• using the diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate to spread the heat produced by said device to be cooled to an area larger than said portion and such that it spreads some of the heat away from said portion;
• providing a thermoelectric cooling material in thermal contact with said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate;
• and
• applying power to said thermoelectric cooling material in away such that heat from said device to be cooled is pumped from said diamond or high thermal conductivity substrate and through a portion of said thermoelectric cooling material.