Performance Estimation of Silicon-Based Self-Cooling Device

Since self-cooling devices were first proposed, several materials have been tested for their suitability to be used in them. A self-cooling device requires a high Seebeck coefficient, a low electrical resistivity, and a high thermal conductivity. Here, we report experimental results for single-crystal silicon doped with boron. Samples were fabricated with carrier densities in the range of 2.0 +/- 10(15) to 1.6 +/- 10(19) cm(-3), and their Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity were measured. Silicon with a carrier density of 1.6 +/- 10(19) cm(-3) has a power factor of 4.8 +/- 10(-3) W/(K-2.m) at room temperature. The cooling capability of a self-cooling device was estimated using a one-dimensional model. The results suggest that a self-cooling device based on silicon with a high carrier density can have a higher heat removal performance than a conventional silicon power device of the same size. (C) 2013 The Japan Society of Applied Physics