New physical interpretation of thermoelectric cooling in semiconductor structures

• Main Author: Logvinov,G. N.
• Publication Date: 2006
• Other Authors: Gurevich,Yu. G., Valdés,José del Rio
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Brazilian Journal of Physics
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-97332006000600041
• topic: Thermoelectricity; Thermoelectric cooling

Nontraditional approach to explain the thermoelectric cooling is suggested . It is based on the Le Chatelier-Braun thermodynamic principle. New effect of cooling and heating of junction of two materials (barrierless thermoelectric cooling) is theoretically predicted, and this effect is different from the Peltier effect (barrier thermoelectric cooling). The suggested thermoelectric effect must be displayed always at the finite values of the junction surface heat conductivity eta. Barrierless thermoelectric effect occurs even in the case when the conducting materials are identical with the same Peltier coefficients. It is shown that both barrier and barrierless thermoelectric cooling effects always exist simultaneously in the general case. The reasons proving reversibility of the thermoelectric cooling process are resulted.