Thermoelectric cooling module and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,724,818 A
• Filed: 07/25/1996
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwata, Yuji, Sasa, Noriyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): DOERRLER, WILLIAM CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/686,490
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 62/3.2, 62/3.1, 62/3.7, 62/3.3, 62/259.2
• US Class Current: 62/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/38 Cooling arrangements using the Peltier effect
• 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: H10N 10/13 characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction

Abstract

A thermoelectric cooling module, in which an electronic device is cooled due to the Peltier effect of P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements, comprising a heat radiating section which comprises a heat radiating electrode having a fin-shaped portion for heat radiation integrally formed, a heat absorbing section comprising heat absorbing electrode contacted with the electronic device, and a thermoelectric conversion section comprising the P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements interposed between the heat radiating electrode and the heat absorbing electrode.

Claims

1. A thermoelectric cooling module, in which a solid electronic device required to have temperature stability is cooled due to the Peltier effect of P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements, comprising:

a heat radiating section comprising a heat radiating electrode having a fin-shaped portion for heat radiation integrally formed;

a heat absorbing section comprising a heat absorbing electrode having a contacting surface contacted directly with said electric device; and

a thermoelectric conversion section comprising said P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements interposed between and electrically connected by said heat radiating section and said heat absorbing section.

2. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 1, wherein

said heat absorbing electrode has an electrode portion integrally formed.

3. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 2, wherein

said heat radiating section further comprises a radiation-side insulating substrate having a plurality of through holes in which plurality of electrode portions of said heat radiating electrode are interposed.

4. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 3, wherein

said heat absorbing section further comprises an absorption side insulating substrate having a plurality of through holes in which said plurality of electrode portions of said heat absorbing electrodes are respectively interposed.

5. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 4, wherein

said heat absorbing electrode, P-type thermoelectric semiconductor element, heat radiating electrode and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor element are connected in series.

6. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 5, wherein

plurality of groups of said electrode portion of said heat absorbing electrode, P-type thermoelectric semiconductor element, said electrode portion of said heat radiating electrode and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor element are connected respectively in series.

7. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 6, wherein

said radiation-side insulating substrate and said absorption-side insulating substrate have plurality of rectangular through holes like a grid.

8. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 7, wherein

said electrode portions of said heat radiating electrode and said heat absorbing electrode are rectangular projections.

9. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 8, wherein

said fin-shaped portion comprises a rectangular base and four square column integrally formed at four corner portions of said rectangular base.

10. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 9, wherein

said heat absorbing electrode has plurality of rectangular contacted portions for contacting with said electronic device integrally formed with said electrode portions, said contacted portion having larger rectangular plate portion than that of said electrode portion.

13. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 1, wherein:

an area of said contacting surface on said heat absorbing electrode is smaller than that of an outer wall on said fin-shaped portion.

14. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 1, wherein:

said heat absorbing electrode comprises a plate member, in order to reduce a distance between said thermoelectric semiconductor elements and said solid electric device.

15. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 1, wherein:

said fin-shaped portion of said heat radiating electrode has a plurality of projections respectively provided in parallel.

16. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 1, wherein:

said heat absorbing electrodes are arranged on a whole area of said solid electronic device.

11. A thermoelectric cooling module in which

a serial connection in which a heat absorbing electrode;

a P-type thermoelectric semiconductor element, a heat radiating electrode, and an N-type thermoelectric semiconductor element are electrically connected in this order is repeated a plurality of times, and when a current is supplied, said heat absorbing electrode absorbs heat while said heat radiating electrode radiates the absorbed heat due to the Peltier effect, thereby cooling a solid electrode device required to have temperature stability, said thermoelectric cooling device comprising;

a heat radiating section comprising a heat radiating electrode having a fin-shaped portion for heat radiation integrally formed;

a heat absorbing section having an absorption-side insulating substrate, and said heat absorbing electrodes which are respectively inserted into and fixed to a plurality of through holes formed in said absorption-side insulating substrate and one of whose end surfaces is in direct contact with said electronic device; and

a thermoelectric conversion section comprising said P-type and N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements interposed between said heat radiating section and said heat absorbing section.

12. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 11, wherein said electronic device is an electronic device which is required to have temperature stability.

17. A thermoelectric cooling module according to claim 12, wherein said electronic device is one selected from the group consisting of a CPU, MPU, transistor, IC, semiconductor laser, light emitting diode, CCD, or oscillating circuit.

18. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric cooling module in which a heat absorbing electrode, a P-type thermoelectric semiconductor element, a heat radiating electrode, and an N-type thermoelectric semiconductor element are electrically connected in this order is repeated a plurality of times, and when a current is supplied, said heat absorbing electrode absorbs heat while said heat radiating electrode radiates the absorbed heat due to the Peltier effect, thereby cooling a solid electronic device required to have temperature stability, said thermoelectric cooling device comprising:

a heat radiating section manufacturing step of inserting a heat radiating electrode having a fin-shaped portion into each of a plurality of through holes formed in a radiation-side insulating substrate and fixing said heat radiating electrode to said radiation-side insulating substrate, thereby manufacturing a heat radiation section;

a heat absorbing section manufacturing step of inserting a heat absorbing electrode into each of a plurality of through holes formed in an absorption-side insulating substrate and fixing said heat absorbing electrode to said absorption-side insulating substrate, thereby manufacturing a heat absorbing section; and

a joining step of joining one end surface of each P-type semiconductor and one end surface of each N-type semiconductor to said heat radiating section, while joining the other end surface of said P-type semiconductor and the other end surface of said N-type semiconductor to said heat absorbing section.