JPH1168174A - Thermoelectric semiconductor chip and manufacturing thermoelectric module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture a thermoelectric module at a low cost. SOLUTION: The method comprises step P2 of separately housing many rod-like p- and n-type thermoelectric semiconductors in a case, P3 of injecting a securing material in the case, P4 of cutting the thermoelectric semiconductors into the blocks of specified length together with the case after hardening of the securing material, P5 of removing the securing material from the many columnar thermoelectric semiconductor chips, separately arranging specified nos. of the columnar p- and n-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips with specified spacings, disposing the arranged semiconductor chips so that the p- and n-type chips are alternately adjacent one by one, and bonding electrodes to the end faces of each disposed semiconductor chip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip and a thermoelectric module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermoelectric module using a thermoelectric semiconductor element made of a compound of bismuth / tellurium system, iron / silicide system, cobalt / antimony system or the like is known. Thermoelectric modules are a type of heat pump, and are widely used for cooling various semiconductor devices and stabilizing temperatures.

FIG. 17 shows an example of such a thermoelectric module. In this thermoelectric module, two types of thermoelectric semiconductor chips of P-type and N-type are joined with metal electrodes to form a π-type series circuit, and these thermoelectric semiconductor chips and metal electrodes are sandwiched between ceramic substrates. is there. When a power supply is connected to this metal electrode and a current flows in the direction from N-type to P-type, heat is absorbed at the upper part of the π-type and heat is released at the lower part by the Peltier effect, and heat is pumped from the upper part to the lower part.

Conventionally, when manufacturing such a thermoelectric module, a P-shape processed into a cubic shape through three cutting steps is used.
The thermoelectric module has been assembled by arranging small pieces of a thermoelectric semiconductor chip and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips one by one on a ceramic substrate.

[0005]

In the conventional method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module, small pieces of thermoelectric semiconductor elements processed into a cubic shape by three cutting steps are arranged one by one. However, there was a problem that it became high.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and has as its object to provide means for mass-producing thermoelectric modules at low cost.

[0007]

A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to the present invention includes a first step of separately accommodating a large number of rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a large number of rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors in a storage case. A second step of injecting the fixing material into the storage case, a third step of cutting the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor together with the storage case into blocks of a predetermined length after the fixing material is solidified, and And a fourth step of removing the material.

In the present invention, before the first step, a step of applying a resin coating having heat resistance, electrical insulation, and poor thermal conductivity to improve the strength of the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor may be provided. desirable. It is preferable to store the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor in the storage case in a multilayered and almost close-packed state.

The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to the present invention includes a fifth step of separately arranging a predetermined number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a predetermined number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips at predetermined intervals. A sixth step in which P-type and N-type chips of the cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip and the cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip aligned at predetermined intervals in the five steps are alternately arranged one by one; A seventh step of joining electrodes to both end faces of the thermoelectric semiconductor chips arranged in the sixth step.

The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to the present invention comprises a first step of separately storing a large number of round bar-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a large number of round bar-shaped thermoelectric semiconductors in a storage case; A second step of injecting the fixing material into the inside, a third step of cutting the rod-like thermoelectric semiconductor together with the storage case into blocks of a predetermined length after the fixing material is solidified, and removing the fixing material from the cut block A fourth step of obtaining a large number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a large number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips, and a large number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a large number of cylindrical N-type semiconductor chips obtained in the fourth step A fifth step of using a thermoelectric semiconductor chip to separately align a predetermined number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a predetermined number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips at predetermined intervals, and the cylinders aligned at the predetermined intervals. P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip and the cylindrical N
A sixth step in which P-type and N-type chips of the type thermoelectric semiconductor chips are alternately arranged one by one, and a seventh step in which electrodes are joined to both end faces of the thermoelectric semiconductor chips arranged in the sixth step
And a step.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[1] Manufacturing Process of Thermoelectric Semiconductor Chip FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to the present invention.

First, a large number of rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 1 and rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 2 as shown in FIG. 2 are prepared, and the surfaces thereof are heat-resistant, electrically insulating and thermally defective. (Step P)
1). That is, a resin such as a polyimide resin is coated in order to prevent cracking or chipping due to cleaning or the like in step P5 described later and vibration in step P6. A method for manufacturing such a rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-228027.

Next, a large number of rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors 1 and rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors 2 each having a surface coated with resin.
Are stored in a storage case 3 having a predetermined size as shown in FIG. 3 in a multilayered and close-packed state (step P).
2).

Next, a fixing resin having a sufficiently low viscosity is injected into the storage case 3 (step P3). As shown in FIG. 4A, for example, the fixing resin is injected from above the storage case 3 while the storage case 3 is placed on a table and the table 3 is vibrated in the horizontal direction. Or, FIG.
As shown in (b) and (c), the storage case 3 is configured so as to have a net having eyes sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor or a lid with a hole on the bottom surface thereof. Attach the suction container to the bottom. Further, the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor is set up in a state close to close packing as shown in FIG. 4B, or laid down in a state close to close packing as shown in FIG. Then, the fixing resin is injected from above the storage case 3 and the air is sucked by the suction container. By performing these operations, the fixing resin can be spread to every corner between the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductors in the storage case 3. The fixing resin is formed in a process P4 described later.
Use a material which is insoluble in cutting oil at the time of cutting and can be easily dissolved by heat, water, or a solvent.

When the fixing resin is solidified, the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor covered with the fixing resin is cut into L to a predetermined length together with the storage case 3 as shown in FIG. 5 (Step P4). This cutting may be performed by a multi-wire saw or a multi-blade saw, but is preferably performed by, for example, a large number of hack saws 5 arranged at a predetermined interval L.

One hacksaw is provided with a blade over a length A, as shown in FIG. And FIG.
As shown in (b), the symmetrical blade structure has edges before and after the blade formed at the pitch B. Also, as shown in FIG. 6D, a set is provided.

Since the symmetrical blade structure enables reciprocal cutting, high-speed cutting can be performed. In addition, the chips can be efficiently discharged by the clams. further,
Conventional multi-wire saws or blade saws are not suitable for slicing plastic or the like, but according to the hack saw of the present embodiment, the storage case 3 is not limited to metal, and plastic can be used. Can be manufactured at low cost by molding. In addition, a multi-wire saw or a blade saw requires abrasive grains and cutting oil, but the symmetrical blade hack saw of the present embodiment does not require abrasive grains, and requires only water or cutting oil. It is a target. Since abrasive grains are unnecessary, the life of the hacksaw is extended by eliminating wear of the hacksaw by the abrasive grains. In addition, the size of the storage case is limited because the size of the blade is limited in the conventional diamond cutter, but in the case of this hack saw, if the length is increased, the storage case of a large size can be cut. it can. Also,
By lengthening the hacksaw, it is possible to slice a large number of storage cases in a short time.

By the process P4, a large number of columnar chip assemblies 11 as shown in FIG. 7 are obtained. One columnar chip assembly 11 has a thickness of L, and is provided with a large number of columnar thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12 covered with a fixing resin 13 having a portion other than the cut surface solidified. Here, it is preferable that washing is performed after the slicing in the process P4, and that the slice surface of the thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12 of the columnar chip assembly is nickel-plated. This nickel plating is effective in improving solderability and preventing diffusion from the electrodes to the thermoelectric semiconductor chip.

In the next step P5, the fixing resin 13 is removed and washed to obtain a large number of P-type cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P and N-type cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N as shown in FIG. it can.

As described above, in the present embodiment, only one cutting step is required to manufacture a columnar thermoelectric semiconductor chip. Although a large number of cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips are manufactured using a round rod-shaped (circular in cross section) thermoelectric semiconductor, the present invention can be applied to a rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor other than a round rod.

[2] Manufacturing Process of Thermoelectric Module FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the thermoelectric module according to the present invention.

First, a predetermined number of columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip are separately aligned at predetermined intervals (step P6). These cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips are manufactured by the process shown in FIG.

In step P6, in order to align the cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P at a predetermined interval 2D1, for example, a vibration type alignment device 21 (commercialized as a parts feeder) as shown in FIG. 10 is used. A large number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P are mounted. A large number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 1 mounted on a vibrating alignment device 21
Some 2Ps are standing and some are falling down. In this figure, standing chips are indicated by circles, and falling chips are indicated by rectangles. The vibrating alignment device 21 sends out a large number of the mounted cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P one by one to the transfer path 22 in a state of standing.

The cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P sent to the transport path 22 are sent to four alignment guides 23 arranged at a predetermined interval 2D1 from each other.
By this operation, four cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P can be aligned with a distance of 2D1 from each other.

By performing the same operation on the cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N, four cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N can be aligned at a distance of 2D1 from each other.

Next, using the cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12P and the cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12N aligned at a predetermined interval, the cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 1 is used.
The 2P and the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N are alternately arranged one by one at an interval of half of the predetermined interval (step P7).

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the four columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P aligned with the P-type alignment guide 23 shown in FIG. 4 aligned with N-type alignment guides (not shown) at a distance of 2D1 from each other by operation
The individual cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N are arranged on a predetermined positioning jig 33 (details will be described later). This operation can be realized by sucking and lifting a set of four chips aligned on the alignment guide 23 with an assembling robot, and separating the chips on the positioning jig 33. In FIG. 11, eight sets, that is, 32 P-type and N-type chips are arranged, but this number can be changed according to the size of the thermoelectric module.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. The positioning jig 33 has a cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12P.
In addition, recesses for accommodating the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N are formed at intervals D1. Here, for the sake of simplicity, a large gap is shown between the chips 12P and 12N and the depression. The same applies to FIGS. 13 and 14 hereinafter.

Next, electrodes are bonded to both end surfaces of the chips arranged on the positioning jig 33 (step P8). Thus, the thermoelectric module is completed.

Hereinafter, three examples of the configuration of the positioning jig and the jig for joining the electrodes will be described.

FIG. 13 shows a case where electrodes are joined to a thermoelectric module with a substrate.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 13A, a metal electrode 14 is previously placed on a substrate 15 such as ceramics or aluminum.
Are formed in a predetermined pattern, and solder is printed on the surface of the metal electrode 14.

Then, the electrodes 14 are placed on the columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P and the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12N arranged on the positioning jig 33, pressurized and heated in a reflow furnace. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, the electrode 14 is bonded to the upper end of the chip.

Next, the chip having an electrode bonded to one end is turned upside down and placed on a positioning jig 36, and the substrate 1
8 and the electrode 17 is joined to the upper end of the chip. As a result, a thermoelectric module with a substrate having electrodes connected to both upper and lower ends as shown in FIG. 13C is completed.

FIG. 14 shows a skeleton type thermoelectric module.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 14A, a cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12P and a cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12N are mounted on a positioning jig 39 with a built-in heater for preheating.
Are arranged. Then, the heater 39A for preheating is turned on to bring the chip to a predetermined temperature. This preheater 39A
, An optimum solder temperature profile can be formed.

On the other hand, the electrode 14 is housed in the electrode chip housing portion 40B provided at the lower end of the soldering jig 40, and is sucked and fixed. Then, paste solder is printed on the lower end of the electrode 14. The paste solder may be printed on the upper ends of the P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P and 12N.

Next, the soldering jig 40 is positioned with respect to the preheating heater built-in positioning jig 39 so that the electrode 14 faces the P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P and 12N, and a predetermined pressure is applied. At the same time, the temperature of the soldering heater 40A is controlled to an optimum temperature profile, and the solder paste is melted to complete the soldering in a short time.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the soldered electrode 14 is placed on a positioning jig 41 with a built-in heater for preheating, and the electrode 14 is soldered in the same manner. In FIG. 14B, the illustration of the soldering jig is omitted.

Through the above operation, a skeleton type thermoelectric module as shown in FIG. 15A is completed.

FIG. 16 shows a case in which the upper and lower electrodes are joined by one operation to produce a skeleton type thermoelectric module.

First, the electrode 17 is housed in the electrode chip housing portion 42B provided at the lower end of the upper soldering jig 42, and is sucked and fixed. At the same time, the electrode 14 is housed in the electrode chip housing 43B provided at the upper end of the lower soldering jig 43, and is sucked and fixed.

Next, a solder paste is printed on the lower end of the electrode 17 and the upper end of the electrode 14.

Next, the alignment guide 23 of the vibration type alignment device 21
From the cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chip 12
P and 12N are mounted row by row. At this time, the thermoelectric semiconductor chips 12P and 12N are temporarily fixed due to the adhesiveness of the solder paste.

Next, the heater 42A for soldering in the upper soldering jig 42 and the heater 43A for soldering in the lower soldering jig 43 are turned on to perform preheating.
The upper soldering jig 42 is lowered to be combined with the soldering jig 43. At this time, a positioning member 42B (for example, a bar-shaped projection) provided near the four corners at the lower end of the upper soldering jig 42 is provided with a positioning member 43B (for example, a through hole) provided near the four upper corners of the lower soldering jig 42. ).

Next, the electrodes 17 and 14 are soldered by controlling the temperature of the soldering heater 42A and the soldering heater 43A to an optimum temperature profile.

By automating the processes P6 to P8 described above, a large number of thermoelectric modules can be manufactured in a short time and at low cost from cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips. By combining this step with the above-described steps P1 to P5, a large number of thermoelectric modules can be manufactured from the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor in a short time and at low cost.

The soldering of the metal electrodes in the thermoelectric module with a substrate described with reference to FIG. 13 may be performed using a jig as shown in FIG. 14 or a jig as shown in FIG. In addition, a heat sink for heat radiation or heat absorption having a shape corresponding to various uses can be integrally formed with the substrate. Further, the metal electrodes in the skeleton type thermoelectric module described with reference to FIG. 14 may be soldered by a solder reflow furnace. Further, the shape of the skeleton type electrode is not limited to a flat shape, and the cross section as shown in FIGS. 15B to 15D can be U-shaped, L-shaped, T-shaped or the like. Further, a one-sided skeleton type thermoelectric module including one of the substrates as shown in FIG. 15E is also possible.

[0050]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a columnar thermoelectric semiconductor chip can be mass-produced. Then, it can be used to manufacture a large number of thermoelectric modules by automation at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a thermoelectric semiconductor used in the manufacturing process of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a storage case used in the manufacturing process of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a means for injecting a fixing resin in the manufacturing process of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a cutting means in the manufacturing process of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing details of a hacksaw in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a columnar chip assembly obtained in a step P4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chip obtained in a step P5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the thermoelectric module according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an alignment means used in a process P6 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a step P7 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of a jig for joining electrodes.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of a jig for joining electrodes.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a thermoelectric module completed by the process of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of a jig for joining electrodes.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional thermoelectric module.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductor, 2 ... Rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductor, 3
... storage case, 4 ... fixing resin, 5 ... hacksaw, 11
... columnar chip assembly, 12P ... columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip, 12N ... columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip, 14,
17: Electrode, 15, 18: Substrate, 21: Vibrating alignment device, 23: Alignment guide, 33, 36, 41: Positioning jig, 39: Positioning jig with built-in heater for preheating, 39A,
41A: heater for preheating, 40, 42, 43: soldering jig.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A first step of separately storing a large number of rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a large number of rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors in a storage case, and a second step of injecting a fixing material into the storage case. A third step of cutting the rod-like thermoelectric semiconductor into blocks of a predetermined length together with the storage case after the fixing material is solidified;
A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip, comprising: a step; and a fourth step of removing a fixing material from the cut block. 2. The method of manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to claim 1, further comprising a step of applying a coating for improving heat resistance and strength of the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor before the first step. 3. The method of manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein the first step is performed to store the thermoelectric semiconductor chips in a state of almost close packing. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second step comprises injecting a fixing resin from above the storage case while the storage case is vibrating in the horizontal direction. The manufacturing method of the thermoelectric semiconductor chip of the description. 5. The second step uses a storage case configured so as to have a net or a lid with holes on its bottom surface that is sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor, and for fixing from above the storage case. A resin is injected, and the fixing resin is sucked from the bottom surface side.
4. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to any one of items 3 to 3. 6. The cutting in the third step is performed by a hacksaw having a plurality of symmetric blade structures arranged at predetermined intervals.
6. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to any one of items 5 to 5. 7. The method of manufacturing a thermoelectric semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductor and the rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductor are round rod-shaped. 8. A fifth step of separately arranging a predetermined number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a predetermined number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips at a predetermined interval, and a columnar shape aligned at the predetermined interval. A sixth step in which P-type and N-type chips of the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip and the cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip are alternately arranged one by one, and both ends of the thermoelectric semiconductor chips arranged in the sixth step 7. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module, comprising: a seventh step of bonding an electrode to a surface. 9. In the fifth step, a plurality of cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips are sent out one by one by a vibrating alignment device, and the sent out cylindrical thermoelectric semiconductor chips are aligned with alignment guides arranged at predetermined intervals. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to claim 8, wherein the operation is performed. 10. In the sixth step, the columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips aligned at a predetermined interval in the fifth step are reduced to 1/1 / the predetermined interval.
The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to claim 9, wherein the thermoelectric module is mounted on a positioning jig having a positioning member at two intervals. 11. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to claim 10, wherein said positioning jig has a built-in heater for preheating. 12. In the sixth step, the columnar P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and the columnar N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips aligned at predetermined intervals in the fifth step are positioned and placed on a soldering jig. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to claim 9, wherein the thermoelectric module is mounted on the solder paste on the formed electrodes. 13. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric module according to claim 8, wherein the seventh step is to join the electrodes at both ends by one operation. 14. A first step of separately storing a plurality of round bar-shaped P-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a plurality of round bar-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors in a storage case, and a second step of injecting a fixing material into the storage case. And a third step of cutting the rod-shaped thermoelectric semiconductor together with the storage case into blocks of a predetermined length after the solidification of the fixing material.
A fourth step of removing a fixing material from the cut block to obtain a large number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a large number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips; and a large number of cylindrical shapes obtained in the fourth step. Fifth, in which a predetermined number of cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and a predetermined number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips are separately arranged at predetermined intervals using a P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chip and a number of cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips.
And a sixth step in which the P-type and N-type chips of the cylindrical P-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips and the cylindrical N-type thermoelectric semiconductor chips aligned at the predetermined intervals are alternately arranged one by one. And a seventh step of joining electrodes to both end faces of the thermoelectric semiconductor chips arranged in the sixth step.