Temperature control device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 6,347,521 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Akiba, Hironori, Kadotani, Kanichi, Tsubota, Makio, Hanamoto, Tadayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DOERRLER, WILLIAM CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/685,805
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 62/32, 62/33, 62/37, 136/203, 136/204, 136/225
• US Class Current: 62/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/01 Geometry problems, e.g. for reducing size
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• 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 10/17 characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device

Abstract

The invention provides a temperature control device with excellent temperature uniformity and thermal response, which can be manufactured easily, and a manufacturing method for the same. A thermoelectric device 21 is arranged between a substrate mounting plate 1 and a cooling plate 3. Copper foil electrodes 5, 5, . . . on the upper side of the thermoelectric device 21 are adhered to a lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 with an adhesive sheet 17 covering substantially the entire lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1, and copper foil electrodes 7, 7, . . . on the lower side of the thermoelectric device 21 are adhered to an upper surface of the cooling plate 3 with an adhesive sheet 19 covering substantially the entire upper surface of the substrate mounting plate 1. The total thickness of the adhesive sheet 17 and the copper foil electrodes 5 adhering to it, and the total thickness of the adhesive sheet 19 and the copper foil electrodes 7 adhering to it, is each set approximately 25 to 1000 μm thin, so as to make the thermal resistance sufficiently low. Thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are distributed across a large area covering at least the entire area corresponding to the substrate 2.

Claims

1. A temperature control device comprising:

a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides thereof;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate,

wherein the electrical connections among said multitude of thermoelectric elements in said substantially entire temperature control region are solely made by said multitude of electrodes which constitute the heat exchange surfaces.

2. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein all of the thermoelectric conversion elements included in the heat exchange device are connected electrically in series.

3. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein the electrodes are made of metal foil.

4. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein said electrodes constituting the heat exchange surfaces on at least one side of the heat exchange device are fixed to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate with an adhesive.

5. The temperature control device of claim 4, wherein the adhesive is electrically insulating, and wherein said electrodes constituting the heat exchange surfaces on at least one side of the heat exchange device are directly adhered to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate with the adhesive.

6. The temperature control device of claim 4 or 5, wherein the total thickness of the adhesive and the electrodes on the side that is fixed with the adhesive is approximately 25 to 1000 μ

m.

11. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the heat exchange devices are stacked one upon the other with the heat exchange surfaces arranged in series.

12. The temperature control device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of the heat exchange devices are adhered to one another with an electrically insulating adhesive.

13. The temperature control device of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement material provided between the mounting plate and the heat exchange plate, said reinforcement material being configured to separate neighboring thermoelectric conversion elements from each other.

14. The temperature control device of claim 1, further comprising a duct for cooling water inside the heat exchange plate.

15. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate is a heat plate provided with one or more heat pipes.

7. A temperature control device comprising:

a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides thereof;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate, and

wherein the surface of the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate is coated with an insulating material, and the heat exchange surfaces on at least one side of the heat exchange device are adhered to the coated surface.

8. A temperature control device comprising:

a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides thereof;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate, and

wherein the heat exchange surfaces on one side of the heat exchange device are attached in a slidable manner to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate, and the heat exchange surfaces on the other side of the heat exchange device are fixed to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate.

9. The temperature control device of claim 8, wherein the heat exchange surfaces on the other side are directly adhered to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate with an adhesive that is electrically insulating.

10. A temperature control device comprising:

a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides thereof;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate, and

wherein the mounting plate is a flexible sheet.

16. A method for manufacturing a temperature control device comprising a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides thereof;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate;

the method comprising;

a first step of preparing an adhesive sheet, on whose surface a metal foil has been adhered;

a second step following the first step, in which a pattern is etched into the metal foil on the surface of the adhesive sheet, so as to form electrodes having a predetermined wiring pattern;

a third step following the second step, in which the adhesive sheet is adhered to one surface of the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate; and

a fourth step following the second step, in which the thermoelectric conversion elements are joined to predetermined positions on the metal foil electrodes.

17. A method for manufacturing a temperature control device comprising a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled;

a heat exchange plate for the exchange of heat;

a heat exchange device having a multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements that are sandwiched between said two plates and arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement, and a multitude of electrodes that are electrically connected to the thermoelectric conversion elements and that constitute heat exchange surfaces on both sides;

wherein said multitude of thermoelectric conversion elements is distributed across substantially an entire temperature control region that covers the region corresponding to the object to be temperature-controlled that is mounted on the mounting plate;

the method comprising;

a first step of preparing an adhesive sheet, on whose surface a metal foil has been adhered;

a second step of adhering the adhesive sheet to one surface of the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate;

a third step following the first step and the second step, in which a pattern is etched into the metal foil on the adhesive sheet, so as to form electrodes having a predetermined pattern on the adhesive sheet; and

a fourth step following the third step, in which the thermoelectric conversion elements are connected to predetermined positions on the metal foil electrodes.