Toyota School Foundation

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Tsunehiro Takeuchi

Masahiro Adachi

Yoshiyuki Yamamoto

Kotaro Hirose

Makoto Kiyama

Takashi Matsuura

Toshiaki Fujita

Koya Arai

Takuya Matsunaga

Do-Gyun Byeon

Shunsuke Nishino

A thermoelectric conversion element includes a first electrode, a thermoelectric conversion material portion configured to convert heat into electricity, an intermediate layer arranged on the thermoelectric conversion material portion, a conductive bonding material arranged in between the intermediate layer and the first electrode to bond the first electrode to the intermediate layer, and a second electrode connected to the thermoelectric conversion material portion. The intermediate layer includes a first layer arranged on the thermoelectric conversion material portion and containing a dopant, and a second layer arranged on the first layer and configured to suppress diffusion of elements. The intermediate layer has an interface resistivity of not less than 0.0001 mΩcmand not more than 0.5 mΩcm.

Thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, and method of producing thermoelectric conversion element

A heat flow switching element includes a substrate of which at least an upper surface is formed of an insulating material, an N-type semiconductor layer, a P-type semiconductor layer, and an insulator layer, in which one semiconductor layer of the N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer is formed on the substrate, the insulator layer is formed on the one semiconductor layer, and the other semiconductor layer of the N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer is formed on the insulator layer. In this way, electric charges induced by an external voltage are generated both at and near an interface between the N-type semiconductor layer and the insulator layer and at and near an interface between the P-type semiconductor layer and the insulator layer.

Heat flow switching element

A thermoelectric conversion material is represented by a composition formula AgSSe, where x has a value of greater than 0.01 and smaller than 0.6.

Thermoelectric conversion material, thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, and optical sensor

A thermoelectric conversion material is represented by a composition formula AgαS, where α is one selected from among Ni, V, and Ti. The value of x is greater than 0 and smaller than 0.6.

A thermoelectric conversion material includes a base material that is a semiconductor having Si and Ge as constituent elements, a first additive element that is different from the constituent elements, has a vacant orbital in a d or f orbital located inside an outermost shell thereof, and forms a first additional level in a forbidden band of the base material, and oxygen. The oxygen content ratio is 6 at % or less.

Thermoelectric conversion material, thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, and light sensor

A thermoelectric conversion material is represented by a composition formula AgSSe. The value of x is not smaller than 0.2 and not greater than 0.95.

A thermoelectric conversion material is constituted of a semiconductor that contains a constituent element and an additive element having a difference of 1 in the number of electrons in an outermost shell from the constituent element, the additive element having a concentration of not less than 0.01 at % and not more than 30 at %. The semiconductor has a microstructure including an amorphous phase and a granular crystal phase dispersed in the amorphous phase. The amorphous phase includes a first region in which the concentration of the additive element is a first concentration, and a second region in which the concentration of the additive element is a second concentration lower than the first concentration. The first concentration and the second concentration have a difference of not less than 15 at % and not more than 25 at % therebetween.

A thermoelectric conversion material is composed of a compound semiconductor including a plurality of base material elements, and includes: an amorphous phase; and crystal phases having an average grain size of more than or equal to 5 nm, each of the crystal phases being in a form of a grain. The plurality of base material elements include a specific base material element that causes an increase of a band gap by increasing a concentration of the specific base material element. An atomic concentration of the specific base material element included in the crystal phases with respect to a whole of the plurality of base material elements included in the crystal phases is higher than an atomic concentration of the specific base material element included in the compound semiconductor with respect to a whole of the plurality of base material elements included in the compound semiconductor.

Thermoelectric conversion material, thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, optical sensor, and method for manufacturing thermoelectric conversion material

A thermoelectric conversion material includes: a base material that is a semiconductor composed of a base material element; a first additional element that is an element different from the base material element, has a vacant orbital in a d orbital or f orbital located internal to an outermost shell of the first additional element and forms a first additional level in a forbidden band of the base material; and a second additional element that is an element different from both of the base material element and the first additional element and forms a second additional level in the forbidden band of the base material. A difference is 1 between the number of electrons in an outermost shell of the second additional element and the number of electrons in at least one outermost shell of the base material element.

A thermoelectric conversion element includes: a thermoelectric conversion material portion composed of a material having a band gap; a first electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion; a second electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion and disposed to be separated from the first electrode; and a sealing portion that seals the thermoelectric conversion material portion. A partial pressure of oxygen in a region surrounding the thermoelectric conversion material portion is maintained by the sealing portion so as to be lower than a partial pressure of oxygen in an external air.

Thermoelectric conversion element, thermoelectric conversion module, optical sensor, method of producing thermoelectric conversion material, and method of producing thermoelectric conversion element

A thermoelectric conversion element includes a thermoelectric conversion material portion having a compound semiconductor composed of first base material element A and second base material element B and represented by ABwith value of x being smaller by c with respect to a compound ABaccording to a stoichiometric ratio, a first electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion, and a second electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric conversion material portion and apart from the first electrode. An A-B phase diagram includes a first region corresponding to low temperature phase, second region corresponding to high temperature phase, and third region corresponding to coexisting phase, sandwiched between the low temperature phase and the high temperature phase, in which the low and high temperature phases coexist. A temperature at a boundary between the first region and the third region changes monotonically with a change in c.

Thermoelectric conversion element

A thermoelectric material element includes: a thermoelectric material portion composed of a thermoelectric material that includes a first crystal phase and a second crystal phase during an operation, the second crystal phase being different from the first crystal phase; a first electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric material portion; and a second electrode disposed in contact with the thermoelectric material portion and disposed to be separated from the first electrode. During the operation, the thermoelectric material portion includes a first temperature region having a first temperature, and a second temperature region having a second temperature lower than the first temperature of the first temperature region. A ratio of the first crystal phase to the second crystal phase in the first temperature region is larger than a ratio of the first crystal phase to the second crystal phase in the second temperature region.

Thermoelectric material element, power generation device, optical sensor, and method for manufacturing thermoelectric material

A thermoelectric conversion material includes: a base material that is a semiconductor; and an additive element that differs from an element constituting the base material. An additional band formed of the additive element is present within a forbidden band of the base material. A density of states of the additional band has a ratio of greater than or equal to 0.1 relative to a maximum value of a density of states of a valence band adjacent to the forbidden band of the base material.

Thermoelectric conversion material, thermoelectric conversion element and thermoelectric conversion module

Provided is a heat flow switching element which has a larger change in a thermal conductivity and has excellent thermal responsiveness. The heat flow switching element includes an N-type semiconductor layer, an insulator layer laminated on the N-type semiconductor layer, a P-type semiconductor layer laminated on the insulator layer, an N-side electrode connected to the N-type semiconductor layer, and a P-side electrode connected to the P-type semiconductor layer. In particular, the insulator layer is formed of a dielectric. Also, a plurality of N-type semiconductor layers and P-type semiconductor layers are laminated alternately with the insulator layer interposed therebetween.

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Nagoya, Japan

Tsunehiro Takeuchi