Thermal rectification and thermal logic gates in graded alloy semiconductors

Classical thermal rectification arises from the contact between two dissimilar bulk materials, each with a thermal conductivity (k) with a different temperature dependence. Here, we study thermal rectification in a SiGe alloy with a spatial dependence on the atomic composition. Rectification factors...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ng, Ryan C.|||0000-0002-0527-9130, Castro-Alvarez, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8360-8027, Sotomayor Torres, Clivia M.|||0000-0001-9986-2716, Chávez Ángel, Emigdio|||0000-0002-9783-0806
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:266332
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/266332
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/en15134685
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Thermal rectifier
Alloy
Rectification
Logic gate
Descripción
Sumario:Classical thermal rectification arises from the contact between two dissimilar bulk materials, each with a thermal conductivity (k) with a different temperature dependence. Here, we study thermal rectification in a SiGe alloy with a spatial dependence on the atomic composition. Rectification factors (R = k/k) of up to 3.41 were found. We also demonstrate the suitability of such an alloy for logic gates using a thermal AND gate as an example by controlling the thermal conductivity profile via the alloy composition. This system is readily extendable to other alloys, since it only depends on the effective thermal conductivity. These thermal devices are inherently advantageous alternatives to their electric counterparts, as they may be able to take advantage of otherwise undesired waste heat in the surroundings. Furthermore, the demonstration of logic operations is a step towards thermal computation.