Title :
Effect of three-dimensional cylindrical hole array on energy conversion efficiency of radioisotope battery
Author :
Zhao, Zhiwen ; Cheng, Zaijun ; Yao, Shulin ; Deng, Zhiqiang ; Li, Yanfei ; San, Haisheng
Author_Institution :
Peng-Tung Sah Micro-Nano Technol. Res. Center, Xiamen Univ., Xiamen, China
Abstract :
This paper presents the energy conversion theory of radioisotope battery and analyzes the effects of a three-dimensional (3-D) silicon p-n diode with cylindrical hole array on the electrical-output parameters. An equivalent circuit model for direct radioisotope-energy conversion battery has been established. We derive the mathematical equations of short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage and maximum output power of silicon radioisotope battery in the case that a plane solid radioactive source is put on the surface of 3-D silicon p-n diode with cylindrical hole array structure. The simulated results show that for a 3-D silicon p-n diode with cylindrical hole array, the short-circuit current rise but open-circuit voltage decrease with the hole radius increasing. Therefore, the maximum output power is not significantly improved in comparison with the 2-D plane p-n diode without cylindrical hole array.
Keywords :
direct energy conversion; p-n junctions; radioactive sources; radioisotopes; secondary cells; semiconductor diodes; short-circuit currents; direct radioisotope-energy conversion battery; electrical output parameter; energy conversion theory; equivalent circuit model; mathematical equation; open-circuit voltage; plane solid radioactive source; short-circuit current; silicon radioisotope battery; three-dimensional cylindrical hole array; three-dimensional silicon p-n diode; Arrays; Batteries; Mathematical model; Power generation; Radioactive materials; Semiconductor diodes; Silicon; Energy-conversion; battery; hole array; radioisotope;
Conference_Titel :
Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems (NEMS), 2011 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Kaohsiung
Print_ISBN :
978-1-61284-775-7
DOI :
10.1109/NEMS.2011.6017522