{
  "id": "0908.0992",
  "version": "v6",
  "published": "2009-08-07T08:17:35.000Z",
  "updated": "2010-10-18T13:03:48.000Z",
  "title": "Effect of Thermoelectric Cooling in Nanoscale Junctions",
  "authors": [
    "Yu-Shen Liu",
    "Bailey C. Hsu",
    "Yu-Chang Chen"
  ],
  "comment": "8 figures",
  "journal": "J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 6111 (2011)",
  "doi": "10.1021/jp110920q",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.mes-hall"
  ],
  "abstract": "We propose a thermoelectric cooling device based on an atomic-sized junction. Using first-principles approaches, we investigate the working conditions and the coefficient of performance (COP) of an atomic-scale electronic refrigerator where the effects of phonon's thermal current and local heating are included. It is observed that the functioning of the thermoelectric nano-refrigerator is restricted to a narrow range of driving voltages. Compared with the bulk thermoelectric system with the overwhelmingly irreversible Joule heating, the 4-Al atomic refrigerator has a higher efficiency than a bulk thermoelectric refrigerator with the same $ZT$ due to suppressed local heating via the quasi-ballistic electron transport and small driving voltages. Quantum nature due to the size minimization offered by atomic-level control of properties facilitates electron cooling beyond the expectation of the conventional thermoelectric device theory.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v6",
      "updated": "2010-10-18T13:03:48.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "nanoscale junctions",
      "conventional thermoelectric device theory",
      "bulk thermoelectric refrigerator",
      "atomic-scale electronic refrigerator",
      "phonons thermal current"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 0,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "adsabs": "2009arXiv0908.0992L"
    }
  }
}