Heterostructure integrated thermionic coolers

Thermionic emission in heterostructures is proposed for integrated cooling of high power electronic and optoelectronic devices, This evaporative cooling is achieved by selective emission of hot electrons over a barrier layer from the cathode to the anode. It is shown chat with available high electron mobility and low thermal conductivity materials, and with optimized conduction band offsets in heterostructures, single-stage room temperature cooling of up to 20 degrees-40 degrees over thicknesses of the order of microns is possible. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.