Apparatus for manufacturing thermoelectric conversion element

• US 9,087,963 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2012
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Higashida, Takaaki, Kubo, Takashi, Toyoda, Kaori, Maeshima, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, John J
• Application Number:
  US13/444,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20120263207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 373/1, 373/79, 373/85, 373/86, 373/111, 373/116, 373/142, 373/146, 373/166, 136/201, 136/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 3/14 Charging or discharging liquid or molten material
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/01 Manufacture or treatment

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element. The present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element that can easily realize a high-density array of thermoelectric conversion elements and secure connection reliability. This is an apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element that sucks a p-type or n-type thermoelectric conversion material into heat-resisting insulating tube 102 and includes preheating apparatus 205 that can heat tube 102 to a predetermined temperature before sucking the melted thermoelectric conversion element. Tube 102 whose temperature condition is adjusted by being heated by preheating apparatus 205 is inserted into crucible 204 and the molten thermoelectric conversion material is sucked into tube 102 by decompression apparatus 201.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element, comprising:

a crucible configured to store a molten thermoelectric conversion material;

a heating apparatus arranged on an outer perimeter of the crucible, the heating apparatus being configured to heat the thermoelectric conversion material in the crucible to a temperature equal to or higher than a melting temperature of the thermoelectric conversion material;

a preheating apparatus arranged above the crucible;

a passage as part of the preheating apparatus, the passage configured to communicate between inside part of the crucible and an upper side of the heating apparatus;

a tube made out of heat-resistant insulating material and configured to be heated by the preheating apparatus to a temperature lower than the melting temperature, a first end of the tube inserted into the crucible via the passage; and

a decompression apparatus connected to the second end of the tube.

2. The apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer chamber connected to the decompression apparatus and the one end of the tube, the buffer chamber is configured to freely open/close independently of the decompression apparatus and the tube.

3. The apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 1, further comprising an inner cover accommodated in the crucible, wherein the inner cover comprises a through-hole through which the tube is passed.

4. The apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 1, wherein the heating apparatus is an induction heating apparatus that performs induction heating and the heating source of the preheating apparatus is a heating apparatus that performs heating other than induction heating.

5. The apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 1, further comprising a chamber that accommodates the crucible.

6. The apparatus for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 2, further comprising an inner cover accommodated in the crucible, wherein the inner cover comprises a through-hole through which the tube is passed.