Peltier cooler with integrated electronic device(s)

• US 20060237730A1
• Filed: 01/29/2004
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Light Engines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Light Engines Corporation
• Inventors: Abramov, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US10/545,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20060237730A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/81
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/38 Cooling arrangements using the Peltier effect
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/15 including semiconductor components having potential barriers, specially adapted for light emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/645 the elements being electrically controlled, e.g. Peltier elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/17 characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device

Abstract

A Peltier effect cooling device is formed in combination with an electronic device to form a unique thermal and electrical relationship. An electronic device to be cooled is placed in a serial electrical relationship between at least two thermoelectric couples while simultaneously being in thermal contact with a cold side of the cooler arrangement. The same current which produces the thermoelectric effect in the Peltier thermocouples also drives the electronic device. A balanced effect results as a higher driving current through the electronic device to causes greater heating, it is offset by the added cooling due to a greater current in the thermocouples. In addition, a unique spatial arrangement provides improved heat distribution and transfer to a heat sink. Due to the unique shapes of Peltier elements, heat is pulled radially from a heat generating source and distributed at a peripheral region. Shaped Peltier elements are tapered from a small cold area to a large hot area to further magnify the transfer of heat.

Claims

1. ) Electronic apparatus comprising a cooling member thermally coupled to a cooled member, said cooling member comprising a plurality of semiconductor elements configured to yield a Peltier effect when current is passed therethrough, the semiconductor elements having a non-rectilinear shape.

2. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 1, each of said semiconductor elements comprising two ends, a first end disposed centrally, and a second end disposed peripherally with respect to the entire arrangement of elements.

3. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 1, said first end being smaller in size than said second end.

4. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 3, said semiconductor elements being arranged to extend radially from a central region to a peripheral region.

5. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 4, said first ends of the semiconductor elements being arranged to cause a Peltier cooling function, said second ends of the semiconductor elements arranged to cause a Peltier heating function.

6. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 5, whereby said cooling occurs at said central region, said heating occurs at said peripheral region.

7. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 6, said central region is thermally coupled to at least one electronic device.

8. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 7, said at least one electronic device is a diode.

9. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 8, said at least one electronic device is a light emitting diode.

10. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 7, said at least one electronic device is an array of light emitting diodes.

11. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 4, said peripheral region is further coupled to a heat sink.

12. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 1, said semiconductor elements further having an asymmetry in a third spatial dimension to form a shaped fanout element.

13. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 12, said shaped fanout element has a cooled region and a heated region associated therewith, the cooled region is in a substantially different plane that the heated region.

14. ) Electronic apparatus comprising a cooling member thermally coupled to a cooled member, said cooling member comprising a plurality of semiconductor elements configured to yield a Peltier effect when current is passed therethrough, said cooled member is arranged to form a serial electronic circuit with said cooling member semiconductor elements.

15. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 14, said plurality of semiconductor elements include ‘

P’

-type doped semiconductor material and ‘

N’

-type doped semiconductor material disposed alternately, one adjacent to the other.

16. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 15, a least two of the semiconductor elements are electrically connected to said cooled member forming a series electronic circuit.

17. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 16, said semiconductor elements lie on either side of said cooled member with respect to the serial electronic circuit formed by the combination.

18. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 17, said semiconductor elements have a ‘

hot side’ and

a ‘

cold side’

in accordance with the Peltier effect.

19. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 18, said ‘

cold side’

being coupled to said cooled member.

20. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 19, said cooled member is an electronic device in a forward biased electrical arrangement.

21. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 19, said cooled member is an electronic device in a reversed biased electrical arrangement.

22. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 20, said cooled member is at least one diode device.

23. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 22, said cooled member is at least one light emitting diode.

24. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 23, said cooled member is an array of light emitting diodes.

25. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 15, semiconductor elements are non-rectangular.

26. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 25, semiconductor elements form a radial fanout.

27. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 26, semiconductor elements have connectors therebetween semiconductor pairs to form thermoelectric couples in accordance with the Peltier effect.

28. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 27, said connectors are characterized as annular sections of metallic material affixed to one ‘

P’

type Peltier element and one ‘

N’

type element.

29. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 28, said at least one light emitting diode includes one light emitting diode per thermoelectric couple.

30. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 29, said first ends comprise a plurality of spatially distributed bond pads operable for receiving thereon and forming a bond therewith a ‘

flip chip’

electronic device.

31. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 25, semiconductor elements are non-cylindrical to form a non-symmetric structure in three spatial dimensions.

32. ) Electronic apparatus comprising a cooling member thermally coupled to cooled member, said cooling member comprising a plurality of semiconductor elements configured to yield a Peltier effect when current is passed therethrough, the semiconductor elements having a non-rectangular shape, said cooled member being an electronic device arranged and electrically coupled to form a series electronic circuit with the semiconductor elements of the cooling member.

33. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 32, said semiconductor elements are formed whereby Peltier cooling occurs in a central region and Peltier heating occurs at a peripheral region with the semiconductor elements extending radially therebetween those two regions.

34. ) Electronic apparatus of claim 33, the semiconductor elements are characterized as being substantially wedge shaped, a pointed or narrow end supporting Peltier cooling, a broad opposite end supporting Peltier heating.