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Thermionic Refrigeration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

G. D. Mahan
G. D. Mahan*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, and Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, gmahan@utk.edu
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Abstract

The principles of thermionic refrigeration are explained. The simplest device is composed of two metal plates separated by a vacuum gap. This device is efficient at room temperature only for plates with small work functions (eø <0.3 eV). Small barriers are available in semiconductor-semiconductor interfaces (band off-sets) and in metal-semiconductor interfaces(Schottky barriers). An efficient refrigerator is modeled for these systems. Possible realizations are discussed.

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