Method and apparatus for thermal-to-electrical energy conversion

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus for thermal-to-electric conversion involving relatively hot and cold juxtaposed surfaces separated by a small vacuum gap wherein the cold surface provides an array of single charge carrier converter elements along the surface and the hot surface transfers excitation energy to the opposing cold surface across the gap through Coulomb electrostatic coupling interaction.

1 - 57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A thermal-to-electric conversion apparatus comprising:
 a hot side element juxtaposed to a cold side element separated by a small gas-filled or vacuum gap,
 wherein the hot side element comprises hot side dipoles transferring excitation energy across the gap to promote cold side carriers, and 
 wherein the cold side element comprises an array of one or more cold side converter elements, each cold side converter element comprising one or more a cold side carriers supplied from one or more first cold side reservoirs to one or more first cold side quantum wells being promoted from a lower energy level to a higher energy level by the transferred excitation energy. 
   
     
     
         59 . The Apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the hot side element comprises a simple surface. 
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the simple surface is selected from the group consisting of metal, semi-metal, semiconductor, and insulator. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the hot side element comprises one or more hot side quantum wells with one or more excited energy levels supplied with one or more excited carriers by one or more hot side reservoirs. 
     
     
         62 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the one or more cold side carriers is selected from the group consisting of electrons and holes. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein only one cold side carrier is promoted at a time. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the one or more promoted cold side carriers that tunnel through one or more cold side potential barriers are received by one or more second cold side reservoirs at elevated voltage. 
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the one or more promoted cold side carriers tunnel through one or more cold side potential barriers to one or more second cold side quantum wells connected to the one or more second cold side reservoirs at elevated voltage. 
     
     
         66 . The apparatus of  claim 64 , wherein the one or more second cold side reservoirs are connected to the one or more first cold side reservoirs through one or more electrical loads. 
     
     
         67 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the one or more first and/or second cold side quantum wells is selected from the group consisting of dots, cylinders, wires, quantum well sheets, molecules, rectangular boxes and bar elements. 
     
     
         68 . The apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the one or more cold side converter elements are connected by a chip-integrated network of conductors. 
     
     
         69 . The apparatus of  claim 68 , wherein the conductors at the inputs of the one or more first cold side reservoirs are commonly connected to first sides of the one or more electrical loads and the outputs of the one or more second cold side reservoirs are commonly connected to second sides of the one or more electrical loads. 
     
     
         70 . A method for thermal-to-electric conversion comprising the steps of:
 juxtaposing a hot side element to a cold side element separated by a small gas-filled or vacuum gap;   providing the hot side element comprising hot side dipoles transferring excitation energy across the gap to promote cold side carriers;   providing the cold side element comprising an array of one or more cold side converter elements; and   supplying one or more cold side carriers from one or more first cold side reservoirs to one or more first cold side quantum wells within each of the one or more cold side converter elements, the one or more cold side carriers being promoted from a lower energy level to a higher energy level by the transferred excitation energy.   
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 70 , wherein the hot side element comprises a simple surface. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the simple surface is selected from the group consisting of metal, semi-metal, semiconductor, and insulator. 
     
     
         73 . The method of any one of  claim 70 , wherein the hot side element comprises one or more hot side quantum wells with one or more excited energy levels supplied with one ore more excited carriers by one or more hot side reservoirs. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 70 , wherein only one cold side carrier is promoted at a time. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 70 , wherein the one or more promoted cold side carriers tunnel through one or more cold side potential barriers to one or more second cold side quantum wells connected to one or more second cold side reservoirs at elevated voltage. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75 , wherein the one or more second cold side reservoirs are connected to the one or more first cold side reservoirs through one or more electrical loads. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 70 , wherein the one or more cold side converter elements are connected by a chip-integrated network of conductors.