Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Kenji Shimogishi

Yoshihiko Matsuo

Yoichi Tsuda

An electronic heat pump device has an emitter and a collector, stems supporting these components, a spacing retention member for keeping a spacing between the stems constant, and a sealing member for maintaining a vacuum between the stems. The emitter has a first semiconductor substrate and an emitter electrode, while the collector has a second semiconductor substrate and a collector electrode. The emitter electrode and the collector electrode are disposed so as to be opposed to each other with a space interposed therebetween. At least one of the first and second semiconductor substrates is integrally formed with electrically and thermally insulative spacers that keep the space between the emitter electrode and the collector electrode constant.

Vacuum diode-type electronic heat pump device and electronic equipment having the same

There is provided a small-size electronic heat pump device which is low in power consumption and which secures a vacuum gap without use of an additional circuit. The electronic heat pump device includes an emitterand a collector. An electrically and thermally insulative spacer sectionfor keeping a space, i.e. vacuum gap G between an emitter electrodeand a collector electrodeconstant is integrally formed in a semiconductor substrateof the collector, which makes it possible to maintain the vacuum gap to be a specified space while a back flow of heat is prevented in a simple structure with a reduced number of component parts.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Kenji Shimogishi