A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, including the steps of: making P / N type particles, hanging solder on the surfaces of a cold-end electrode heat exchanger and a hot-end electrode heat exchanger, limiting the cold-end electrode heat exchanger and the hot-end electrode heat exchanger and welding them with the P / N type particles, potting between the P / N type particles, making a cold plate, potting the cold plate and the thermoelectric refrigerator in an integrated manner, vacuuming the cavity, and filling with hot fluid. The invention has simple steps, and the prepared semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator adopts an integrated structure of cold and hot end electrodes and a heat exchanger and a cold end steam cavity heat exchange technology, which overcomes the problem of large heat transfer resistance between the cold and hot end electrodes and an insulating substrate of a traditional semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, resulting in performance attenuation and reduced reliability, and has the characteristics of high efficiency, fast cooling response speed, high reliability, and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor thermoelectric refrigeration technology, and in particular to a method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, which can especially meet the requirements of cooling electronic devices with compact space and high power density and small refrigeration applications. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor thermoelectric cooling is a cooling method that utilizes the Peltier effect of thermoelectric materials. Due to its technical advantages such as no moving parts, no noise and high reliability, it is increasingly widely used in the cooling of electronic devices and other high-precision temperature control fields. Semiconductor thermoelectric coolers usually include relatively arranged cold-end and hot-end substrates, with P-type semiconductor thermoelectric particles and N-type semiconductor thermoelectric particles sequentially connected in series between the two substrates. When the semiconductor particles are energized, cooling or heating can be performed.

[0003] The cooling performance of semiconductor thermoelectric coolers is not only related to the material thermoelectric properties of the P-type and N-type thermoelectric particles, but also limited by their packaging structure and process, especially the thermal resistance and electrical resistance of the cold and hot end electrodes and the substrate. Under certain conditions of thermoelectric material performance and the cold and hot end working environment, the thermal resistance of the cold and hot end electrodes and the substrate of the thermoelectric cooler will increase the working temperature difference between the cold and hot ends of the thermoelectric cooler, resulting in the attenuation of the cooling performance of the thermoelectric cooler, reduced reliability, and even affecting its service life.

[0004] In engineering design, the substrate material of high-performance thermoelectric coolers is usually insulating aluminum nitride ceramics. However, the manufacturing process of aluminum nitride ceramics is complicated, and heat is transferred between them and the semiconductor particle electrodes by thermal conduction, resulting in a large heat transfer temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of the semiconductor and the heat exchange medium on its secondary side, affecting the performance of the semiconductor thermoelectric cooler. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator to address the problem that the performance of a semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator is affected by a large heat transfer temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of a semiconductor and the heat exchange medium on its secondary side. The semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator prepared by the invention solves the influence of the heat transfer resistance of the cold end electrode and the substrate of the semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator on the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator by strengthening the heat exchange of the cold end electrode and reducing the heat transfer thermal resistance of the cold end, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the operating temperature difference of the semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator and improving the refrigeration performance of the thermoelectric refrigerator, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler comprises the following steps:

[0008] Step S1: pre-treating a P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod to obtain a P / N type particle having a surface metallization layer;

[0009] Step S2: arranging and fixing the P / N type particles to the cold end electrode heat exchanger, and making the cold end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles contact the cold end electrode heat exchanger;

[0010] Step S3: Filling and curing the gaps between the P / N type particles with epoxy resin;

[0011] Step S4: The hot-end electrode heat exchanger is fixedly connected to the solidified P / N type particles, and the hot-end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles is in contact with the hot-end electrode heat exchanger to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler;

[0012] Step S5: sealingly connecting the prototype of the thermoelectric cooler to the cold plate, and making the cold end electrode heat exchanger face the cold plate, so that the gap between the cold end electrode heat exchanger and the cold plate forms a cavity;

[0013] Step S6: using epoxy resin to integrally pot the thermoelectric cooler prototype and the cold plate so that they are solidified into one;

[0014] Step S7: The cavity is placed in a vacuum state, and hot fluid is injected into the cavity to complete the preparation of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

[0015] Furthermore, the preprocessing in step S1 includes:

[0016] The P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod is sliced ​​according to the designed thickness, a metal nickel layer is evenly plated on the surface of the slice to metallize the surface, and the slice after the surface metallization treatment is cut into P / N type particles according to the designed electric arm surface length ratio.

[0017] Furthermore, the step S2 comprises:

[0018] Solder is hung on the smooth side surface of the cold end electrode heat exchanger to form a solder layer;

[0019] The cold end electrode positioning grid and the particle mold are sequentially stacked on the smooth side of the cold end electrode heat exchanger with solder hanging thereon;

[0020] Put the P / N type particles into the holes of the particle mold, make the cold end surface metallization layer on the P / N type particles contact with the welding layer on the cold end electrode heat exchanger and perform heat welding, and take out the particle mold after welding is completed.

[0021] Furthermore, in step S3, potting and curing includes:

[0022] The process is then cured after encapsulation to the height of the metallization layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particles.

[0023] Furthermore, the detailed steps of step S4 are:

[0024] Step S41: after curing is completed, the metallized layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particles is polished, and a hot end electrode positioning grid is placed on the polished surface;

[0025] Step S42: Solder is hung on the bottom surface of the hot-end electrode heat exchanger to make the hot-end electrode positioning grid contact with the metallization layer on the hot-end electrode surface of the P / N type particles and perform heat welding to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler.

[0026] Furthermore, the cold plate is provided with a boss for assembling the cold end of the thermoelectric cooler prototype;

[0027] The cold plate is provided with a potting cavity for integrated potting.

[0028] Furthermore, the step S5 of sealingly connecting the thermoelectric cooler prototype to the cold plate includes:

[0029] The prototype cold end of the thermoelectric cooler is placed on the boss of the cold plate, assembled with the boss through the cold end electrode positioning grid, and the gaps around the assembly are sealed with heat-resistant glue.

[0030] Furthermore, the step S6 comprises:

[0031] The potting cavity of the cold plate is integrally potted with the thermoelectric cooler prototype using epoxy resin;

[0032] The potting is performed to a height equal to or slightly lower than the base of the hot end electrode heat exchanger and then solidified into one piece.

[0033] Furthermore, the cold plate is provided with process holes for vacuuming and filling hot fluid.

[0034] Furthermore, the step S7 comprises:

[0035] The cavity is evacuated through the process holes on the cold plate and filled with hot fluid. After the filling is completed, the process holes are closed to complete the preparation of the high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] 1. A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler, comprising: step S1: pre-treating a P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod to obtain a P / N type particle having a surface metallization layer; step S2: arranging and fixing the P / N type particles to a cold end electrode heat exchanger, and making the cold end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles contact the cold end electrode heat exchanger; step S3: encapsulating and curing the gaps between the P / N type particles with epoxy resin; step S4: fixing and connecting the hot end electrode heat exchanger to the cured P / N type particles, and making the hot end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles contact the hot end electrode heat exchanger, so as to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler; Step S5: sealingly connecting the prototype of the thermoelectric refrigerator to the cold plate, and making the cold-end electrode heat exchanger face the cold plate, so that the gap between the cold-end electrode heat exchanger and the cold plate constitutes a cavity; Step S6: using epoxy resin to integrally potting the prototype of the thermoelectric refrigerator and the cold plate to solidify them into one; Step S7: making the cavity in a vacuum state, and injecting hot fluid into the cavity to complete the preparation of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator; the prepared semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator has a low-rib heat exchanger structure for the cold-end electrode, which expands the heat transfer area of ​​the cold-end electrode and directly contacts the injected hot fluid for heat exchange, significantly reducing the heat transfer thermal resistance between the cold end of the thermoelectric particles and the insulating substrate.

[0038] 2. A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator. The semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator prepared by the method has an integrated structure of the hot-end heat sink and the hot-end electrode. The hot-end metal heat sink with fins is welded to the hot end of the semiconductor thermoelectric particles. Compared with the traditional air-cooled cooling structure, the heat transfer resistance of the hot end of the semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator is significantly reduced, which can effectively reduce the operating temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of the semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator and improve the performance and reliability of the thermoelectric refrigerator.

[0039] 3. A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, which prepares a semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator. A steam chamber heat exchange technology filled with phase-change heat fluid is used between the cold-end electrode heat exchanger and the cold plate, which effectively improves the heat transfer path between the cold plate surface and the cold-end electrode, improves the temperature uniformity of the cold plate surface, and has significant advantages in applications with high temperature control accuracy and high cooling power density. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor thermoelectric cooler prepared by a method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0042] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cold-end electrode heat exchanger of the semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0043] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hot end electrode heat exchanger of the semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the particle mold structure of a semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0045] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the cold plate structure of a semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0046] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the grid structure for positioning the cold-end electrode of a semiconductor thermoelectric cooler;

[0047] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the grid structure for positioning the hot-end electrode of a semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

[0048] Figure numerals: 1-P / N type particle, 2-cold end electrode heat exchanger, 3-cold plate, 31-cold plate heat exchange rib, 32-connecting hole, 33-boss, 34-potting cavity, 35-process hole, 4-hot end electrode heat exchanger, 41-heat dissipation fin, 42-electrical insulation coating, 5-hot end electrode positioning grid, 6-cold end electrode positioning grid, 7-epoxy resin filling layer, 8-cavity, 9-particle mold. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] It should be noted that relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0050] The features and performance of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0051] Embodiment 1

[0052] A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator generally comprises the following steps: making P / N type particles 1, hanging solder on the surfaces of a cold-end electrode heat exchanger 2 and a hot-end electrode heat exchanger 4, limiting the cold-end electrode heat exchanger 2 and the hot-end electrode heat exchanger 4 and welding them to the P / N type particles 1, potting between the P / N type particles 1, making a cold plate 3, potting the cold plate 3 and the thermoelectric refrigerator in an integrated manner, evacuating a cavity 8 and filling it with a hot fluid. The method is simple, and the prepared semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator adopts an integrated structure of cold and hot end electrodes and a heat exchanger and a cold end steam cavity heat exchange technology, which overcomes the problem of large heat transfer resistance between the cold and hot end electrodes and an insulating substrate of a traditional semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator, resulting in performance attenuation and reduced reliability, and has the characteristics of high efficiency, fast cooling response speed, high reliability, etc.

[0053] See also Figure 1 , a method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler, specifically comprising the following steps:

[0054] Step S1: pre-treating a P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod to obtain a P / N type particle 1 having a surface metallization layer; preferably, the pre-treating in step S1 includes:

[0055] The P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod is sliced ​​according to the designed thickness, a metal nickel layer is evenly plated on the surface of the slice to metallize the surface, and the slice after the surface metallization treatment is cut into P / N type particles 1 according to the designed electric arm surface length ratio.

[0056] Step S2: Arrange and fix the P / N type particles 1 to the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2, and make the cold end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles 1 contact with the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2; preferably, step S2 includes:

[0057] Solder is hung on the smooth side surface of the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 to form a solder layer;

[0058] The cold end electrode positioning grid 6 and the particle mold 9 are sequentially stacked on the smooth side of the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 on which the solder is hung;

[0059] Put the P / N type particle 1 into the hole of the particle mold 9, make the cold end surface metallization layer on the P / N type particle 1 contact with the welding layer on the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 and perform heat welding, and take out the particle mold 9 after welding.

[0060] Step S3: potting and curing the gaps between the P / N type particles 1 with epoxy resin; the epoxy resin is a high-strength and low-thermal-conductivity epoxy resin. Preferably, in step S3, potting and curing includes:

[0061] The process is then cured after encapsulation to the height of the metallization layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particle 1 .

[0062] Step S4: The hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 is fixedly connected to the solidified P / N type particle 1, and the hot end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particle 1 is in contact with the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler; preferably, the detailed steps of step S4 are:

[0063] Step S41: after curing is completed, the metallized layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particle 1 is polished, and a hot end electrode positioning grid 5 is placed on the polished surface;

[0064] Step S42: Solder is hung on the bottom surface of the hot-end electrode heat exchanger 4, so that the hot-end electrode positioning grid 5 contacts the metallization layer on the hot-end electrode surface of the P / N type particle 1 and performs heat welding to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler.

[0065] Step S5: sealingly connecting the thermoelectric cooler prototype to the cold plate 3, and making the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 face the cold plate 3, and the gap between the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 and the cold plate 3 forms a cavity 8; preferably, as Figure 5 As shown, the cold plate 3 is provided with a boss 33 for assembling the cold end of the thermoelectric cooler prototype; the step S5 of sealingly connecting the thermoelectric cooler prototype to the cold plate 3 includes:

[0066] The cold end of the thermoelectric cooler prototype is placed on the boss 33 of the cold plate 3, and assembled with the boss 33 through the cold end electrode positioning grid 6, and the gaps around the assembly are sealed with temperature-resistant glue.

[0067] Step S6: Use epoxy resin to encapsulate the thermoelectric cooler prototype and the cold plate 3 so that they are solidified into one. Preferably, Figure 5 As shown, the cold plate 3 is provided with a potting cavity 34 for integrated potting; the step S6 comprises:

[0068] The encapsulation cavity 34 of the cold plate 3 is encapsulated with the thermoelectric cooler prototype by using epoxy resin;

[0069] The potting is performed to a height equal to or slightly lower than the base height of the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 and then solidified into one piece.

[0070] Step S7: putting the cavity 8 in a vacuum state and injecting hot fluid into the cavity 8 to complete the preparation of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler; preferably, the cold plate 3 is provided with a process hole 35 for vacuuming and injecting hot fluid; the step S7 includes:

[0071] The cavity 8 is evacuated through the process hole 35 on the cold plate 3, and hot fluid is added. After the filling is completed, the process hole 35 is closed to complete the preparation of the high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

[0072] See also Figure 2-8The structure of the semiconductor thermoelectric cooler prepared by the preparation method of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler described in this embodiment is described in detail below.

[0073] A semiconductor thermoelectric cooler, comprising:

[0074] Hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 as hot end cooling;

[0075] A cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 as a cold end heat absorber;

[0076] P / N type particles 1 located between the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 and the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2;

[0077] Cold plate 3 as a low temperature cold end heat exchange;

[0078] As a thermal fluid for heat exchange at the low temperature cold end;

[0079] A cold end electrode positioning grid 6 for welding and positioning the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2;

[0080] A hot end electrode positioning grid 5 used for welding and positioning the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4;

[0081] Epoxy resin filling layer 7 for overall potting.

[0082] In this embodiment, specifically, the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 is a metal electrode with a smooth surface on one side and fins or ribs on the other side to enhance heat exchange, and the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 is welded to the cold end of the P / N type particle 1.

[0083] In this embodiment, specifically, the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 is welded to the hot end of the P / N type particle 1, and heat dissipation fins 41 are used on its surface to expand and enhance heat dissipation; the outer surface of the hot end electrode heat exchanger 4 is sprayed with an electrical insulating coating 42 with good thermal conductivity.

[0084] In this embodiment, specifically, the cold plate 3 is made of metal material with good thermal conductivity, including copper, aluminum, etc., and the inner surface of the bottom plate of the cold plate 3 is provided with heat exchange ribs of the cold plate 3 for enhancing heat exchange;

[0085] The cold plate 3 is located at the lower side of the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2, and a gap (i.e., a cavity 8) is left between the top of the heat exchange ribs of the cold plate 3 and the end of the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2; a connecting hole 32 is provided at the lower part of the heat exchange ribs of the cold plate 3; the connecting hole 32 makes the heat exchange fluid evenly distributed;

[0086] The cold plate 3 is integrally potted with the thermoelectric cooler through a filling layer;

[0087] The cavity 8 between the cold plate 3 and the cold end electrode heat exchanger 2 is filled with hot fluid; the hot fluid can be a phase change fluid that is electrically insulating and non-corrosive to metal materials, such as fluorinated liquid.

[0088] The above-mentioned embodiments only express the specific implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the technical solution concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler, characterized in that: include: Step S1: pre-treating a P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod to obtain a P / N type particle having a surface metallization layer; Step S2: arranging and fixing the P / N type particles to the cold end electrode heat exchanger, and making the cold end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles contact the cold end electrode heat exchanger; Step S3: Filling and curing the gaps between the P / N type particles with epoxy resin; Step S4: The hot-end electrode heat exchanger is fixedly connected to the solidified P / N type particles, and the hot-end surface metallization layer of the P / N type particles is in contact with the hot-end electrode heat exchanger to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler; Step S5: sealingly connecting the prototype of the thermoelectric cooler to the cold plate, and making the cold end electrode heat exchanger face the cold plate, so that the gap between the cold end electrode heat exchanger and the cold plate forms a cavity; Step S6: using epoxy resin to integrally pot the thermoelectric cooler prototype and the cold plate so that they are solidified into one; Step S7: The cavity is placed in a vacuum state, and hot fluid is injected into the cavity to complete the preparation of a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

2. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preprocessing in step S1 includes: The P / N type thermoelectric crystal rod is sliced ​​according to the designed thickness, a metal nickel layer is evenly plated on the surface of the slice to metallize the surface, and the slice after the surface metallization treatment is cut into P / N type particles according to the designed electric arm surface length ratio.

3. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step S2 comprises: Solder is hung on the smooth side surface of the cold end electrode heat exchanger to form a solder layer; The cold end electrode positioning grid and the particle mold are sequentially stacked on the smooth side of the cold end electrode heat exchanger with solder hanging thereon; Put the P / N type particles into the holes of the particle mold, make the cold end surface metallization layer on the P / N type particles contact with the welding layer on the cold end electrode heat exchanger and perform heat welding, and take out the particle mold after welding is completed.

4. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step S3, potting and curing includes: The process is then cured after encapsulation to the height of the metallization layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particles.

5. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detailed steps of step S4 are: Step S41: after curing is completed, the metallized layer on the hot end surface of the P / N type particles is polished, and a hot end electrode positioning grid is placed on the polished surface; Step S42: Solder is hung on the bottom surface of the hot-end electrode heat exchanger to make the hot-end electrode positioning grid contact with the metallization layer on the hot-end electrode surface of the P / N type particles and perform heat welding to form a prototype of a thermoelectric cooler.

6. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cold plate is provided with a boss for assembling the cold end of the thermoelectric cooler prototype; The cold plate is provided with a potting cavity for integrated potting.

7. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step S5 of sealingly connecting the thermoelectric cooler prototype to the cold plate comprises: The prototype cold end of the thermoelectric cooler is placed on the boss of the cold plate, assembled with the boss through the cold end electrode positioning grid, and the gaps around the assembly are sealed with heat-resistant glue.

8. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step S6 comprises: The potting cavity of the cold plate is integrally potted with the thermoelectric cooler prototype using epoxy resin; The potting is performed to a height equal to or slightly lower than the base of the hot end electrode heat exchanger and then solidified into one piece.

9. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cold plate is provided with process holes for vacuuming and filling hot fluid.

10. The method for preparing a high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step S7 comprises: The cavity is evacuated through the process holes on the cold plate and filled with hot fluid. After the filling is completed, the process holes are closed to complete the preparation of the high-efficiency semiconductor thermoelectric cooler.

Images