arXiv · cond-mat/9903087
Possible cooling by resonant Fowler-Nordheim emission
Abstract
A new method of electronic refrigeration based on resonant Fowler-Nordheim emission is proposed and analyzed. In this method, a bulk emitter is covered with a-few-nm-thick film of a widegap semiconductor, creating an intermediate step between electron energies in the emitter and in vacuum. An external electric field tilts this potential profile, forming a quantum well, and hence 2D electron subbands at the semiconductor-vacuum boundary. Alignment of the lowest subband with the energy levels of the hottest electrons of the emitter (a few $k_{B}T$ above its Fermi level) leads to a resonant, selective emission of these electrons, providing emitter cooling. Calculations show that cooling power as high as 10^{4} W/cm^{2} (at 300 K), and temperatures down to 10 K may be achieved using this effect.
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Alexander N. Korotkov, Konstantin K. Likharev. 1999-03-05. Possible cooling by resonant Fowler-Nordheim emission. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.125058
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