JP4276047B2 - Thermoelectric element - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermoelectric element used for temperature difference power generation and cooling, and particularly to an element structure that provides a small and high-performance element.

  A thermocouple has the property that two types of thermoelectric semiconductors having different polarities are connected, a temperature difference is given between both ends, a voltage is generated between the electrodes, and conversely a temperature difference is generated when a current is passed from the electrodes. A thermoelectric element uses a plurality of these thermocouples in series to amplify and utilize the thermal / electric conversion characteristics.

  For example, a thermoelectric element is applied to a power generation element utilizing a feature that can convert heat into electric energy, or a cooling element that cools an object utilizing a feature that causes a temperature difference with electric energy.

  By the way, since the thermoelectric element is simple in structure and operation, it is advantageous for downsizing compared to other thermal / electrical conversion systems. Therefore, the power generation element is a power generation element inside a portable electronic device such as a wristwatch or a cooling element. Has expanded its application to local cooling of semiconductor elements and sensor elements.

  The most common semiconductor material used for power generation or cooling as a thermoelectric element is a so-called BiTe alloy mainly composed of bismuth (Bi) and tellurium (Te). Since this material has the best performance at around room temperature, it is widely used in various places. Some BiTe alloys have P-type and N-type polarities, as with other thermoelectric semiconductor materials, depending on the additive, and those obtained by electrically connecting the two are called thermocouples. The thermoelectric element is formed by processing thermoelectric semiconductors of different polarities into a columnar shape to form a thermocouple and further connecting a plurality of them.

  In a conventional thermoelectric element structure and manufacturing method, for example, first, metal film electrodes are formed in a predetermined pattern on two flat ceramic substrates. A plurality of P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are processed into a columnar shape, placed on the upper and lower sides thereof, and bonded to the metal film electrodes on the upper and lower two substrates via the solder layers. The metal film electrode has a configuration in which adjacent P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are connected to form a thermocouple, and a plurality of thermocouples are connected in series. P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductors have different polarities in both the vertical and horizontal directions, that is, are arranged in a staggered manner in a complicated arrangement. However, because of the staggered arrangement, all thermoelectric semiconductors can be wired without waste.

  However, this is because the conventional thermoelectric element is relatively large of about 1 cm square or more, and there is a margin in the environment in which it is used. However, when a local area of about several millimeters is cooled or used in a complicated electronic device, a smaller thermoelectric element is required, and the conventional structure is not necessarily considered suitable for downsizing.

  In addition, this method requires that one column be arranged for each element. Since BiTe alloy is a very brittle material, columns with very large aspect ratios are arranged, and the yield decreases as the number increases, so this method can also be used for mass production. It is not necessarily considered suitable.

Therefore, in order to simplify the manufacture of the thermoelectric element as much as possible, a different arrangement method of thermoelectric semiconductors is conceivable (for example, see Patent Document 1). The structure is shown in FIG. Here, pillars of the same polarity made of only P-type thermoelectric semiconductors or only N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are arranged in a line, and the lines are alternately arranged. If this is the case, the arrangement of thermoelectric semiconductors is greatly simplified, and a new manufacturing method can be used.

In the technique of the above document, a P-type thermoelectric semiconductor material and an N-type thermoelectric semiconductor material processed into a thin plate shape are alternately stacked while sandwiching a heat insulating material, and grooves are formed at regular intervals in a direction perpendicular to the stacked surface. A P-type thermoelectric semiconductor and a columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor are formed. Further, the columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor and the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor are connected in series by wiring electrodes at both end faces. The wiring electrode is formed by forming a metal film using a vacuum technique such as vapor deposition and patterning the metal film using a photolithography technique.
JP 63-20880 A (FIG. 1)

  By laminating plate-like materials via a heat insulating material as described in the above publication, a small thermoelectric element structure can be realized even if a brittle thermoelectric semiconductor is used. However, in a simple structure in which an N-type thermoelectric semiconductor and a P-type thermoelectric semiconductor are each arranged in a row, the wiring electrodes connected to the outermost row corresponding to the folded portion of the wiring are not vertically adjacent columns but diagonally. Connect the pillars located.

  As apparent from FIG. 12, in the conventional wiring configuration, only every other column in the outermost row can be used. The remaining pillars that are not involved in the wiring simply release heat in the vertical direction of the thermoelectric element, and do not participate in the basic performance such as forming a temperature difference or generating power, and the performance of the entire element is reduced. End up.

  In addition, since the wiring electrodes themselves connected to the outermost rows are also formed in the diagonal direction, the wiring width is reduced to avoid electrical shorts, the wiring resistance is increased, and the performance is deteriorated. Further, in this element structure, even if it is intended to increase the density by narrowing the interval between the columns, this wiring method form is immediately limited.

  Therefore, what can be considered is the method shown in FIG. The element shown in FIG. 13 also has a configuration in which rows of P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and rows of N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately arranged, but the wiring electrode in contact with the outermost row of thermoelectric semiconductors has an L-type structure. The L-shaped wiring electrode connects two thermoelectric semiconductors in the outermost row and one thermoelectric semiconductor in the inner row.

  In this way, if the wiring configuration of FIG. 13 is used, there is no waste of pillars at the folded portion of the wiring, and the electrode itself does not need to be reduced in width, so there is no problem of increasing the electrical resistance. However, since the L-type electrode uses two thermoelectric semiconductors in the outermost row in parallel, the resistance of this part is halved compared to the thermocouple that uses only one other. .

  For example, when a current is passed through a thermoelectric element and used as a cooling element, there is an optimum current density corresponding to the thermoelectric semiconductor in order to obtain a predetermined temperature difference or endothermic amount. However, in the configuration of FIG. 13, the resistance value is different between the case where only one is used and the case where two are used in parallel, resulting in a temperature difference and an endothermic distribution, resulting in a thermoelectric The device as a whole is inferior in performance.

  In order to achieve the above object, the following means are employed in the structure and manufacturing method of the thermoelectric element of the present invention.

That is, in the thermoelectric element of the present invention, a plurality of P-type semiconductor rows made of a plurality of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a plurality of N-type semiconductor rows made of a plurality of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately arranged, and adjacent thermoelectric semiconductors having different polarities. Thermoelectric element having a wiring electrode for electrically connecting the column end faces of each of which the at least part of the thermoelectric semiconductor included in the N-type semiconductor column or P-type semiconductor column which is the outermost column is located in the inner column It is characterized by having a cross-sectional area of about 1/2.

  Furthermore, the wiring electrode connects the I-type wiring electrode that connects one adjacent thermoelectric semiconductors with different polarities, the two outermost thermoelectric semiconductors, and one thermoelectric semiconductor with different polarities in the inner row. It is preferable to have an L-shaped wiring electrode.

  Alternatively, a plurality of P-type semiconductor rows made of a plurality of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and two N-type semiconductor rows made of a plurality of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately arranged, and the innermost row is adjacent to the outermost row. The thermoelectric semiconductor has one column of N-type semiconductor columns or one column of P-type semiconductor columns having different polarities, and includes two adjacent P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors. Inside of the I-type wiring electrode electrically connected at the column end face, the two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors (P-type thermoelectric semiconductors) included in the outermost row, and the N-type semiconductor row (P-type semiconductor row) in the outermost row It has an L-type wiring electrode that electrically connects two P-type thermoelectric semiconductors (N-type thermoelectric semiconductors) included in two rows at their end faces.

  Since the thermoelectric element of the present invention uses a simple arrangement structure in which a plurality of columns of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and columns of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately arranged, a simple manufacturing method can be used and a small-sized thermoelectric element Suitable for manufacturing. Further, the outermost N-type semiconductor row or P-type semiconductor row is formed to have a cross-sectional area of about ½, and the wiring electrode at the folded portion is L-shaped, and the two outermost row thermoelectric semiconductors and the thermoelectrics in the inner row. The following effects can be obtained by connecting one semiconductor.

  First, all the columns of the thermoelectric semiconductor can be used, and no unnecessary columns are generated. Further, since there are no diagonal wiring electrodes, there is no increase in resistance due to a reduction in electrode width, and there is no danger of short-circuiting, so it is possible to cope with higher density. Furthermore, by using two columns with half the cross-sectional area in parallel, the resistance value becomes the same as that of each thermocouple in the inner row, and there is no difference in resistance value. No distribution occurs. For these reasons, the present invention can provide a small thermoelectric element that is superior in performance as compared with the prior art.

  Further, two columns each of a columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor column and a columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor column are alternately arranged, and the outermost column has one N-type semiconductor column or P-type semiconductor column, Since the L-shaped wiring electrode is introduced to connect the two thermoelectric semiconductors in the row and the two thermoelectric semiconductors in the inner row, all the pillars can be used here. Furthermore, there is no increase in wiring resistance and it can cope with higher density. In addition, there is no temperature distribution or endothermic distribution, and a small element with excellent performance can be realized.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, the optimal embodiment of the thermoelectric element of this invention is described using drawing. FIG. 1 is a plan view seen from the wiring electrode portion of the thermoelectric element of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view seen from the lateral direction of the column. 3 to 6 show the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the thermoelectric element of the present invention, first, a plurality of N-type semiconductor rows 15 in which N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 are arranged in a row and P-type semiconductor rows 25 in which P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are arranged in a row are alternately arranged. They are arranged side by side. Here, a BiSeTe alloy is used for the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10, and a BiSbTe alloy is used for the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20. As can be seen from FIG. 2, each thermoelectric semiconductor has a shape extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, that is, a columnar shape.

However, in the thermoelectric element of the present invention, the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 or the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 included in the outermost row of the plurality of N-type semiconductor rows 15 and P-type semiconductor rows 25 is included in the inner row. It is characteristic that it is processed to be thinner than a thermoelectric semiconductor and its area is about ½.

  In order to electrically insulate and fix the side surfaces of the pillars of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20, a heat insulating material 40 made of an epoxy adhesive is provided in the gap between the elements. .

  Further, wiring electrodes 30 made of a metal film are provided on both end faces of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20. Here, a multilayer film of nickel / copper / nickel is used as the material of the wiring electrode 30. The wiring electrode 30 is basically composed of an I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) for connecting each of the adjacent N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 at the end face of the column. What contacts the semiconductor is an L-shaped wiring electrode 30 (b). The L-shaped wiring electrode 30 (b) simultaneously connects a total of three thermoelectric semiconductors in the outermost row and one thermoelectric semiconductor in the inner row and having a different polarity.

  As is apparent from FIG. 2, the I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) has an arrangement in which the columns of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 that are connected above and below the columns are shifted one by one. . Further, since the L-type wiring electrode 30 (b) has a structure that is folded at the outermost row portion, in the thermoelectric element of the present invention, a large number of N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 and P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are alternately arranged by the wiring electrodes 30. It is structured to be serialized.

  Although not shown, the L-type wiring electrode 30 (b) connects two outermost N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 or P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 on the upper and lower wiring surfaces of the column. That is, the two outermost N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 or P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are arranged in parallel by the upper and lower L-type wiring electrodes 30 (b). In other words, the outermost thermoelectric semiconductors have a cross-sectional area that is ½ that of the other thermoelectric semiconductors included in the inner row, so that two thermoelectric semiconductors in parallel are the same as many thermoelectric semiconductors included in the inner row. It becomes resistance value.

  Then, the manufacturing method of the thermoelectric element of this invention is demonstrated. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical grooves 1 are formed in the N-type semiconductor block and the P-type semiconductor block, and the N-type comb-tooth element 3 and the P-type comb-tooth element 4 are manufactured leaving the vertical partition wall 2. At this time, the pitch of the vertical grooves 1 is the same in the N-type comb-tooth element 3 and the P-type comb-tooth element 4, and the vertical groove 1 width of one block is larger than the vertical partition wall 2 width of the other block. Like that. Here, a sintered body of BiSeTe alloy was used as the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor, and a sintered body of BiSbTe alloy was used as the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor. Processing is performed using a dicing saw or a wire saw.

  Subsequently, the N-type comb-teeth element 3 and the P-type comb-teeth element 4 are combined with each other by inserting the opposite vertical partition wall 2 into the longitudinal groove 1 and combining them. A combination of the two is shown in FIG. The combined two comb-tooth elements are formed as an integrated comb-tooth element 5 by fixing the fitting portion with a heat insulating material 40. If the comb-tooth element combined in a highly fluid insulating adhesive is partially immersed and the adhesive is filled in the gap between the longitudinal groove 1 and the longitudinal partition wall 2 by capillary action, the insulation 40 can be maintained while maintaining insulation. Can be fixed. Here, as the adhesive used for the heat insulating material 40, a low-viscosity epoxy adhesive is used.

  The combined comb element 5 thus combined is processed again so as to form the lateral grooves 6 and the lateral partition walls 7 as shown in FIG. The lateral grooves 6 are formed in order to process comb teeth into a columnar shape, and are not combined as described above. Therefore, it is desirable that the lateral grooves 6 be as thin as possible. Then, as in the case of the first combination, the transverse groove 6 is filled and fixed with an epoxy adhesive, and the heat insulating material 40 is formed again.

  The lateral groove 6 may be formed from the surface of the N-type comb-tooth element 3 or, conversely, from the surface on the P-type comb-tooth element 4 side. At this time, it is preferable to perform the groove processing after removing the base portion where the groove of the N-type comb element 3 or P-type comb element 4 on the side to be cut is not formed. The reason why the base portion is removed is that the vertical grooves 1 that have been processed first can be observed, so that the orthogonality with the horizontal grooves 6 can be easily obtained. Moreover, since the processing depth is smaller when the base portion is not provided, there is an effect that column bending in the depth direction can be reduced.

The integrated comb element 5 having the heat insulating material 40 is flattened by removing the upper and lower surfaces thereof by grinding. In addition, the base part on the opposite side to that previously removed is removed prior to this grinding or removed by this grinding. Then, the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are alternately arranged. Further, the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type semiconductor 20 in the outermost row of the whole row are processed into a half cross-sectional area by processing with a dicing saw or the like and finished finely.

  Thereafter, when particularly high reliability is required, an etching solution such as nitric acid or hydrochloric acid is used to remove the work-affected layer on the ground surface, and the processed surface is etched by several microns. Subsequently, wiring between the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 is performed. First, an opening having the shape of a desired wiring pattern is provided on a metal plate made of nickel, and alignment is performed so that the end faces of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 adjacent to each other can be seen from the opening. Fix it. Installed in a vacuum evaporation system and deposits nickel or palladium to 100 nm. This method is generally called a mask vapor deposition method. Here, the vapor deposition layer does not need to cover all two adjacent end faces of the thermoelectric semiconductor elements, and may be slightly smaller as long as the two can be electrically connected.

The metal mask used in the vapor deposition step is removed and subsequently immersed in an electroless nickel plating solution to form a nickel film. Since the nickel film grows by using nickel or palladium formed by vapor deposition as reaction nuclei, it is first formed on the vapor deposition layer. A nickel film is also formed on the exposed end surfaces of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 that are in contact with the deposited metal. When a sufficient plating thickness cannot be ensured only by electroless plating, electrolytic nickel plating is further performed. The total thickness of nickel plating is several μm.

  The nickel film is applied to adhere to the thermoelectric semiconductor and to prevent the diffusion of impurities. However, since the specific resistance is somewhat large only by nickel plating, copper plating is performed following the nickel plating to further reduce the wiring resistance. Copper plating uses electrolytic plating. The copper plating is formed with a thickness of several μm to several tens of μm as required.

  Further, after copper plating, nickel plating is performed again, and gold plating is performed as necessary. These nickel and gold platings protect copper from corrosion and are easy to use when connecting lead wires during mounting. The wiring electrode 30 shown in FIG. 1 is formed from the above steps, and the thermoelectric element of the present invention is completed. In FIG. 1, the wiring electrode 30 is drawn in the form of a vapor deposition film for the sake of convenience, but as described in the process, the actual plating film is also formed on the exposed end face of the thermoelectric semiconductor.

In the description of the process described here, one thermoelectric element is produced, but a thermoelectric semiconductor element whose starting material is a thermoelectric semiconductor several times the size of the thermoelectric element, and the formation of comb-teeth elements is included in the thermoelectric element. By processing several times more than that, many pieces can be simultaneously produced .

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 shows the structure of the thermoelectric element in the second embodiment. It is basically composed of an N-type semiconductor array 15 formed of the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10, a P-type semiconductor array 25 formed of the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20, a heat insulating material 40, and a wiring electrode 30. This is the same as the embodiment.

  Here, in the second embodiment, except for the outermost column, two N-type semiconductor columns 15 are arranged adjacent to each other, and two P-type semiconductor columns 25 are arranged adjacent to each other. Two different types of semiconductor columns are alternately arranged. In the outermost row, only one N-type semiconductor row 15 or P-type semiconductor row 25 is arranged.

  Then, two types of wiring electrodes 30, an I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) and an L-type wiring electrode 30 (b) are arranged on the end face of the thermoelectric semiconductor as in the first embodiment. Although the longitudinal direction of the I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) is positioned so as to be orthogonal to the semiconductor row, a total of four thermoelectric semiconductors, that is, two adjacent N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 and P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20. It is in contact with the end face. Of course, there is a similar wiring electrode 30 on the opposite end face, but here it has a configuration shifted every two lines. In other words, two thermoelectric semiconductors of the same type are arranged in parallel, and the other different types of thermoelectric semiconductors are electrically connected. Will come into contact.

  The L-type wiring electrode 30 (b) includes two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 or P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 in the outermost row and two different types of thermoelectric semiconductors included in the two inner rows. Connects the end faces of the four thermoelectric semiconductors. Thermoelectric semiconductors included in the thermoelectric element are serialized by the two types of wiring electrodes 30. In this example, two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 and two P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are paralleled to form a thermocouple for both the I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) and the L-type wiring electrode 30 (b). As a result, the electrical performance of the thermocouple remains the same everywhere.

  Furthermore, a manufacturing method will be described for the second embodiment. First, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the vertical grooves 1 are formed in the N-type semiconductor block and the P-type semiconductor block to leave the vertical barrier ribs 2. A separation groove 8 is formed in the center. Thereby, the vertical partition 2 in this Embodiment consists of two plates. The separation groove 8 may be formed in advance at a desired position before the vertical groove 1 is formed. By this process, the N-type comb element 3 and the P-type comb element 4 are produced.

  At this time, in the N-type comb-teeth element 3 and the P-type comb-teeth element 4, the pitch of the longitudinal grooves 1 is the same, and the longitudinal groove 1 width of one block is composed of two plates of the other block. Make it larger than the width. Again, a BiSeTe alloy sintered body was used as the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor, and a BiSbTe alloy sintered body was used as the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor. Processing is performed using a dicing saw or a wire saw.

  Subsequently, the N-type comb-teeth element 3 and the P-type comb-teeth element 4 are combined with each other by inserting the opposite vertical partition wall 2 into the longitudinal groove 1 and combining them. FIG. 9 shows a combination of both. The two comb-tooth elements combined are provided with the heat insulating material 40 in the fitting portion and the separation groove 8 to be fixed to form the integrated comb-tooth element 5. If the comb-tooth element combined in a highly fluid insulating adhesive is partially immersed and the adhesive is filled in the gap between the longitudinal groove 1 and the longitudinal partition wall 2 by capillary action, the insulation 40 can be maintained while maintaining insulation. Can be fixed. Here, as the adhesive used for the heat insulating material 40, a low-viscosity epoxy adhesive is used.

  The combined comb element 5 thus combined is processed again so as to form the lateral grooves 6 and the lateral partition walls 7 as shown in FIG. The lateral grooves 6 are formed in order to process comb teeth into a columnar shape, and are not combined as described above. Therefore, it is desirable that the lateral grooves 6 be as thin as possible. Then, as in the case of the first combination, the transverse groove 6 is filled and fixed with an epoxy adhesive, and the heat insulating material 40 is formed again.

The lateral groove 6 may be formed from the surface of the N-type comb-tooth element 3 or, conversely, from the surface on the P-type comb-tooth element 4 side. At this time, it is preferable to perform the groove processing after removing the base portion where the groove of the N-type comb element 3 or the P-type comb element 4 on the side to be cut is not formed. The reason why the base portion is removed is that the vertical grooves 1 that have been processed first can be observed, so that the orthogonality with the horizontal grooves 6 can be easily obtained. Moreover, since the processing depth is smaller when the base portion is not provided, there is an effect that column bending in the depth direction can be reduced.

  The integrated comb element 5 having the heat insulating material 40 is flattened by removing the upper and lower surfaces thereof by grinding. Then, two columns of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 10 and two columns of P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 20 are alternately arranged. Further, the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 10 and the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 20 in the outermost row of the entire row are removed by processing with a dicing saw or the like. In this way, the thermoelectric element before wiring is completed as shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the I-type wiring electrode 30 (a) and the L-type wiring electrode 30 (b) are formed. Here, processing is performed so as to be in contact with four thermoelectric semiconductors, but the forming method is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Also in this second embodiment, the thermoelectric elements can be manufactured one by one, but it is also possible to start processing from several thermoelectric semiconductors and to process a large number simultaneously.

  Since the thermoelectric element manufactured in this way does not have a step of partially processing the pillars when forming the outermost N-type semiconductor row 15 and P-type semiconductor row 25, the entire outer peripheral portion is insulated. It is possible to leave the material 40. Thereby, the part which a thermoelectric semiconductor exposes is lost, and reliability, such as moisture resistance, can be improved.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing method of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing method of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing method of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing process of the thermoelectric element in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the conventional thermoelectric element. It is a top view which shows the structure of the conventional thermoelectric element.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vertical groove 2 Vertical partition 3 N-type comb-tooth element 4 P-type comb-tooth element 5 Integrated comb-tooth element 6 Horizontal groove 7 Horizontal partition 8 Separation groove 10 N-type thermoelectric semiconductor 15 N-type semiconductor array 20 P-type thermoelectric semiconductor 25 P-type Semiconductor row 30 Wiring electrode 30 (a) I-type wiring electrode 30 (b) L-type wiring electrode 40

Claims (4)

A plurality of P-type semiconductor columns made of a plurality of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a plurality of N-type semiconductor rows made of a plurality of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately arranged, and upper and lower end faces of adjacent columns of thermoelectric semiconductors having different polarities are arranged. each I Oh thermoelectric device having a wiring electrode for electrically connecting,
At least a portion of thermoelectric semiconductor included in the N-type semiconductor column or P-type semiconductor string to be the outermost row, Yes in the cross-sectional area of 1/2 of the thermoelectric semiconductors positioned on the inner column,
And wiring electrodes that connect the thermoelectric semiconductor of one by one with different polarity ditto area wiring electrode is adjacent the upper and lower end faces,
Two thermoelectric semiconductor 1/2 the cross-sectional area of the outermost row by connecting the polarity one thermoelectric semiconductors different in thermoelectric semiconductors 2 and its immediate inner side of the half cross-sectional area of the outermost row thermoelectric elements further comprising a wiring electrode connected in parallel by. The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein
Wherein at the wiring electrodes of the upper and lower end surfaces, wiring electrodes for connecting the thermoelectric semiconductor of one by one with different polarity ditto area adjacent is type I wiring electrode,
Two thermoelectric semiconductor 1/2 the cross-sectional area of the outermost row by connecting the polarity one thermoelectric semiconductors different in thermoelectric semiconductors 2 and its immediate inner side of the half cross-sectional area of the outermost row thermoelectric elements connected in parallel to the wiring electrodes you wherein L-type wire electrodes der Rukoto by. A plurality of P-type semiconductor columns made of a plurality of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and N-type semiconductor columns made of a plurality of columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductors , all having the same cross-sectional area, are alternately arranged in two columns, Further, the outermost row has one N-type semiconductor row having the same cross-sectional area and different polarity as the adjacent inner-row thermoelectric semiconductor , or one P-type semiconductor row,
The neighboring was two by P-type thermoelectric semiconductor and the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor of two by two, their parallel end faces of the upper and lower these pillars by electrically connecting the same thermoelectric semiconductor polarity by two A wiring electrode to be connected ;
The two N-type thermoelectric semiconductor (P-type thermoelectric semiconductor) and two P-type thermoelectric semiconductor that contained just inside two columns (N-type thermoelectric semiconductor) contained in the outermost row, their end faces of these upper and lower in by electrically connecting the thermoelectric device characterized by having the wiring electrodes connected in parallel two by two a thermoelectric semiconductor of the thermoelectric semiconductor and immediately inside the two rows of the outermost row. The thermoelectric device according to claim 3, wherein
By connecting two adjacent P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors at the upper and lower end faces of the pillars, two thermoelectric semiconductors having the same polarity are connected in parallel. The wiring electrode is an I-type wiring electrode,
Two N-type thermoelectric semiconductors (P-type thermoelectric semiconductors) included in the outermost row and two P-type thermoelectric semiconductors (N-type thermoelectric semiconductors) included in the immediately inner two rows are electrically connected at their upper and lower end faces. The wiring electrode for connecting two outermost thermoelectric semiconductors in parallel and the two innermost thermoelectric semiconductors in parallel is an L-shaped wiring electrode.

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