Semiconductor refrigeration is essential for thermal management
According to MarketsandMarkets data, the global semiconductor thermoelectric device market is expected to grow from $593 million in 2021 to $872 million in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.0%. With the continuous upgrading of consumer demand and the vigorous development of fields such as 5G and electric vehicles, there is significant growth potential in the market demand for thermoelectric devices, thermoelectric systems, and thermoelectric complete machines.
Semiconductor thermoelectric technology mainly includes two application directions: semiconductor thermoelectric refrigeration technology and thermoelectric power generation technology. It utilizes the Peltier effect and Seebeck effect of semiconductor materials respectively to achieve the mutual conversion between electrical energy and thermal energy. It is an environmentally friendly refrigeration technology and green energy technology.
A semiconductor refrigeration chip is a device without moving parts, which is a circuit composed of PN type thermoelectric materials (usually a series circuit). However, due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the materials used, the device will generate internal stress when the temperature changes; Especially when the temperature change rate is high (such as when cold and hot cycling is required), the internal stress generated will be significant, and high reliability devices need to be selected. The development of semiconductor thermoelectric technology solutions and application products relies on the comprehensive application and breakthrough of three underlying technologies: material preparation, device preparation, and system integration, and is applied through a reasonable thermal management plan.
Semiconductor refrigeration technology focuses on precise cooling in small spaces, with characteristics such as small volume, light weight, fast cooling, precise temperature control, silence, and portability. With irreplaceable advantages such as flexibility, diversity, and reliability, it has been widely used in many fields such as consumer electronics, optical communication, medical equipment, household appliances, automobiles, aerospace, lasers, infrared thermal imagers, etc.
Semiconductor refrigeration has high barriers to entry, with overseas applications mainly focused on communication, medical, automotive, and industrial fields, while domestic applications are mainly focused on consumer electronics. According to different application fields, the semiconductor thermoelectric device and thermoelectric system market presents different competitive patterns. Currently, the high-performance semiconductor thermoelectric device and thermoelectric system market applied in communication, automotive, aerospace and other fields is mainly controlled by foreign-funded enterprises such as Japan, the United States and Russia or their subsidiaries established in China.
