August 31, 2007 — Micropelt GmbH, manufacturer of thin film thermoelectric devices, has announced a significant technology advancement in its ultra-small, microchip thermoelectric coolers (TECs). The new MPC-D303 Series, one of Micropelt’s smallest TECs with a cold side area of only 0.98 square millimeters (mm2), supports a maximum temperature difference (delta T) of more than 60 Kelvin (K). This increased delta T (from 40K) opens possibilities for laser and photonic sensor manufacturers whose applications require a large bandwidth of thermal control.
The Micropelt MPC-Dx series has cooling power up to 100watts/cm2 and can realize temperature changes faster than 180K/second. It is perfect for highly dynamic thermal control with 10K ramps in just a few milliseconds. Its high cooling power density optimally supports small devices’ high cooling requirements. Based on Micropelt’s exclusive thin film thermoelectric technology, the cooler’s core is sputtered material that can be structured to exactly match the thermal and electrical requirements of many applications. This match can reduce overall energy consumption and improve thermal management.
The MPC-D303 is fabricated on silicon wafer using standard semiconductor processes. The device soldering temperature is 300 degrees Celsius and uses lead-free solder. It has a maximum operating temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. This chip-sized thermoelectric cooler offers superior performance for chip scale thermal management and fast, precise temperature control. Perfectly adapted designs, from less than 1mm2 to 25mm2, each with customizable thermal and electrical properties including sensor integration, open new dimensions of thermal management.
Applications include laser and sensor temperature management, micro-scale thermal cycling, lab-on-a-chip, single well to large array PCR cycling, technical device characterization, and printed circuit board embedded device cooling.
“Ever increasing integration and packaging densities are driving photonics development to smaller, faster, better performing products,” said Dr. Joachim Nurnus, CTO of Micropelt. “Our advanced thin film thermoelectric platform technology holds exciting potential for further cooler miniaturization in the photonics, microelectronics, and life science worlds.”
Volume prices for Micropelt MPC-D303 thermoelectric coolers will be below $10.