Thermoelectric compositions and devices utilising them

摘要

980,289. Thermocouples. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA. June 1, 1962 [June 9, 1961], No. 21299/62. Drawings to Specification. Heading H1K. A thermocouple has two elements of thermoelectrically complementary materials at least one of which consists, at least partially of an alloy consisting of essentially silicon and germanium, the atomic percentage of silicon being from 50 to 70 and having an impurity atom concentration, due to donor or acceptor impurities, of from 4 x 1019 to 6 x 1019. With an N-type element of the above form the other element may be of lead telluride, or silver antimony telluride, or may alternatively be an alloy of the above form containing acceptor impurities, e.g. boron, aluminium, gallium or indium, to make the element P-type. The elements may be formed by melting at about 1400‹ C. a mixture of powdered or granular semi-conductor materials in a quartz tube or ampoule, the resulting ingot being zone levelled by passing a molten zone through the ingot or the alloy may be pulled from a melt by the Czochralski technique. At least one of the elements may be of two materials that nearest the hot junction being of the alloy specified above.