Charles M. Brown wrote:
The diode array is progressing. A backer is willing to invest in nanoprototyping. There is some difficulty in that electron beam lithography is slow at ~ 1 / 3 second per 50 nm spot so the prototype will be microscopic with ~ 10,000 diodes. In the future, a stamp pad of millions of electron emitters will make many diode spots quickly. I found conference calls to be a powerful way to persuade people that we mean serious business. InSb can be electroplated as either small crystals or a organized deposition of alternate In and Sb layers. Fabricators can now make 4" InSb wafers but they are unnecessarily thick at ~900 um. However, they are expensive at hundreds of times the cost of Si. I think that diode arrays will produce cheap electricity while absorbing ambient heat. Elctricity tends to return as heat when used so an industrialized cave using diode arrays would not heat up or cool down. An estimated power density of 100 watts / cm2 @ 300K seems attainable.
And I bet such a board could be made ultra flat and stackable. Eventually this technology will prove to provide more current than any material is capable of handling. In which case the goal will become to design a unit capable of handling more current while flowing appreciable amount of liquid or gas over the unit. Although remember, such a unit wants to remove energy from the material (ambient -> electricity). So there will be small hot areas and cold areas. Eventual goal will be two keep both cold & hot areas as near room temperature as possible.
Regards, Paul Lowrance
