Thermoelectric materials and devices
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorsYeonjoon Park, Sang H. Choi, Glen C. King, James R. Elliott, Noel A. Talcott
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Abstract
New thermoelectric materials comprise highly [111]-oriented twinned group IV alloys on the basal plane of trigonal substrates, which exhibit a high thermoelectric figure of merit and good material performance, and devices made with these materials.
Claims24
A thermoelectric cubic crystalline material comprising an alloy of two or more of silicon, germanium, carbon and tin, said cubic crystalline material having been fabricated on the basal plane of a trigonal or hexagonal crystalline substrate, said cubic crystalline material having been fabricated on said substrate such that the cubic crystals thereof (a) were highly oriented in the [111] direction relative to said basal plane of said substrate, and (b) contains greater than about 40% twin crystals.
A thermoelectric device made with a cubic crystalline material comprising an alloy of two or more of silicon, germanium, carbon and tin, said cubic crystalline material having been fabricated on the basal plane of a trigonal or hexagonal crystalline substrate, said cubic crystalline material having been fabricated on said substrate such that the cubic crystals thereof (a) were highly oriented in the [111] direction relative to said basal plane of said substrate, and (b) contains greater than about 40% twin crystals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.