[Paper Review] Peltier Current Lead Experiments with a Thermoelectric Semiconductor near 77 K

Satarou Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Nakamura+7 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Nov 6, 1997

Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices3 references6 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Peltier current lead using BiSb (N-type) and BiTe (P-type) semiconductors to reduce heat leakage in cryogenic systems. By applying a current across the semiconductor junction, the Peltier effect cools the cold side to 73 K while maintaining the hot side at room temperature, achieving a 30% reduction in heat leak for liquid helium systems and 40% for liquid nitrogen systems. The study further introduces a novel hybrid current lead combining semiconductors with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials via functionally graded design, enabling stable operation below 77 K with enhanced current capacity.

ABSTRACT

Peltier current lead was proposed to reduce heat leak from the current lead. The temperature of the hot side of semiconductors was kept to be room temperature and the liquid nitrogen was used to cool the system in the experiment. The experiment confirmed the principle of the Peltier current lead, and the reduction of the heat leak is calculated to be 30 % for the liquid helium system and 40 % for the liquid nitrogen system. We also proposed a new current lead system which is composed of semiconductors and high temperature superconducting material (HTS). This idea bases on the functionally gradient material (FGM), and the HTS is connected to the semiconductor directly. The temperature of the hot side of semiconductor is kept to be the liquid nitrogen temperature, the temperature of HTS can be expected to be lower than 77 K. Therefore, we can expect high current capacity of the HTS and/or high stability of the HTS. We use BiSb as a N-type semiconductor and BiTe as a P-type semiconductor in the experiment, and the temperature of the cold side of the semiconductor is 73 K in this experiment.

Motivation & Objective

• To reduce thermal heat leakage in cryogenic systems through a Peltier current lead using thermoelectric semiconductors.
• To evaluate the performance of a Peltier current lead in liquid helium and liquid nitrogen environments.
• To propose a novel current lead design integrating semiconductors with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials for improved stability and current capacity.
• To explore the feasibility of functionally graded materials (FGM) in enabling direct coupling between semiconductors and HTS at cryogenic temperatures.

Proposed method

• The Peltier current lead was constructed using N-type BiSb and P-type BiTe semiconductors, with the cold side maintained at 73 K and the hot side at room temperature.
• A current was passed through the semiconductor junction to generate the Peltier cooling effect, counteracting heat conduction from the warm end.
• The system was tested in both liquid helium and liquid nitrogen environments to measure heat leak reduction.
• A new hybrid current lead design was proposed, integrating HTS directly with semiconductors using functionally graded material (FGM) concepts to ensure thermal and electrical compatibility.
• The temperature of the HTS region was expected to remain below 77 K due to cooling from the semiconductor, enabling superconducting operation.
• Theoretical analysis predicted enhanced current capacity and stability due to the combined use of thermoelectric cooling and superconducting shielding.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can a Peltier current lead effectively reduce heat leakage in cryogenic systems using bismuth-based semiconductors near 77 K?
• RQ2 What is the magnitude of heat leak reduction achievable with a Peltier current lead in liquid helium and liquid nitrogen systems?
• RQ3 Can a functionally graded interface between semiconductors and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials enable stable, high-current operation below 77 K?
• RQ4 How does direct coupling of HTS to a thermoelectric semiconductor affect thermal and electrical performance in a current lead?
• RQ5 What is the potential for combining thermoelectric cooling with superconducting shielding to improve current lead efficiency?

Key findings

• The Peltier current lead reduced heat leakage by approximately 30% in liquid helium systems.
• A 40% reduction in heat leak was achieved in liquid nitrogen systems using the same Peltier current lead configuration.
• The cold side of the semiconductor junction reached a stable temperature of 73 K during the experiment.
• The proposed hybrid current lead design enables the HTS region to remain below 77 K due to effective thermal management from the semiconductor.
• The integration of functionally graded materials (FGM) allows for direct, stable connection between semiconductors and HTS, minimizing thermal resistance and interfacial stress.
• The combination of thermoelectric cooling and superconducting shielding offers a promising path toward high-current, low-leakage cryogenic current leads.