Electricity from thermal sources It is desirable to harvest as much energy as possible from processes that produce useful amounts of heat and convert it from waste into electrical power. Thermoelectrics and thermophotovoltaics can harness and convert heat waste but tend to operate at high temperatures. Davids et al. designed and fabricated a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor infrared photonic device that can harvest and recover energy from low-temperature thermal sources (see the Perspective by Raman). Using a new conversion mechanism, they experimentally demonstrate large thermal-to-electrical power generation in a bipolar grating-coupled tunneling device, rivaling the best thermoelectric devices. The device design could be used for energy harvesting of waste heat and the development of compact thermal batteries. Science, this issue p. 1341; see also p. 1301 An infrared photonic device that can harvest and recover energy from low-temperature thermal sources has been realized. Moderate-temperature thermal sources (100° to 400°C) that radiate waste heat are often the by-product of mechanical work, chemical or nuclear reactions, or information processing. We demonstrate conversion of thermal radiation into electrical power using a bipolar grating-coupled complementary metal-oxide-silicon (CMOS) tunnel diode. A two-step photon-assisted tunneling charge pumping mechanism results in separation of charge carriers in pn-junction wells leading to a large open-circuit voltage developed across a load. Electrical power generation from a broadband blackbody thermal source has been experimentally demonstrated with converted power densities of 27 to 61 microwatts per square centimeter for thermal sources between 250° and 400°C. Scalable, efficient conversion of radiated waste heat into electrical power can be used to reduce energy consumption or to power electronics and sensors.

中文翻译：

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中温辐射热源发电

来自热源的电力 希望从产生有用热量并将其从废物转化为电能的过程中收集尽可能多的能量。热电和热光伏可以利用和转换热废物，但往往在高温下运行。大卫斯等人。设计并制造了一种互补金属氧化物半导体红外光子器件，该器件可以从低温热源中收集和回收能量（参见 Raman 的观点）。使用新的转换机制，他们通过实验证明了双极光栅耦合隧道器件中的大量热发电，可与最好的热电器件相媲美。该设备设计可用于废热的能量收集和紧凑型热电池的开发。科学，这个问题 p。第1341章 另见第 1301 实现了一种可以从低温热源中收集和回收能量的红外光子器件。辐射废热的中温热源（100°C 至 400°C）通常是机械工作、化学或核反应或信息处理的副产品。我们展示了使用双极光栅耦合互补金属氧化物硅 (CMOS) 隧道二极管将热辐射转换为电能。两步光子辅助隧道电荷泵机制导致 pn 结阱中的电荷载流子分离，从而导致负载上产生大的开路电压。宽带黑体热源发电已经通过实验证明，对于 250°C 和 400°C 之间的热源，转换功率密度为每平方厘米 27 到 61 微瓦。将辐射废热可扩展、高效地转换为电能可用于降低能耗或为电子设备和传感器供电。