Showing papers on "Lead telluride published in 1979"
TL;DR: In this article, a solar thermoelectric generator (STG) was developed as a replacement power source for the conventional silicon solar cell array technology because of expected temperatures which range from - 90°C to + 285°C in about 50 min for 16 sun eclipses per day.
Abstract: Mercury orbiter mission study results have shown that conventional silicon solar cell array technology is not adequate to produce power because of expected temperatures which range from - 90°C to + 285°C in about 50 min for 16 sun eclipses per day. The solar thermoelectric generator (STG), which requires relatively high temperatures, is being developed as a replacement power source. Several thermoelectric technologies (i.e., lead telluride alloys, bismuth telluride, copper and gadolynium selenide, and silicon-germanium alloys) have been examined for their suitability. Solar concentrator configurations (i.e., flat plate, Fresnel lens, compound parabolic, and Cassegrain types) were also studied as candidates for increasing incident radiation during Mercury orbital operations. Detailed results are presented, and show that an STG design based on the use of silicon-germanium alloy thermoelectric material and using high-voltage thermopiles with individual minicompound parabolic concentrators presents the optimum combination of technology and configuration for minimizing power source mass.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article, lead telluride monocrystals doped with varying quantities of silver have been grown by the Bridgman method and Hall effect and electrical conductivity measurements have been carried out on these monocrystal.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the thermal conductivity of single crystals of PbTe-SnTe has been measured, from liquidhelium temperature upwards, in a transverse magnetic field, and a null method has been used to overcome problems associated with the field dependence of the seebeck coefficient of gold-iron thermocouple wire.
Abstract: The thermal conductivity of single crystals of PbTe-SnTe has been measured, from liquid-helium temperature upwards, in a transverse magnetic field. A novel null method has been used to overcome problems associated with the field dependence of the seebeck coefficient of gold-iron thermocouple wire. For samples with a relatively high carrier concentration the observed changes are consistent with the removal of the electronic thermal conductivity by the magnetic field. However, at low temperatures much larger changes are observed for samples of low carrier concentration (<1023 electrons m-3). It is suggested that these results indicate a large phonon-drag contribution to the magnetothermal resistance effect. Effects which were oscillatory with the magnetic field were observed at the lowest temperatures.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a Pb-PbTe Schottky-barrier microstrip with a slowing factor as large as 450 for propagating electromagnetic waves is presented, along with the theory of device operation at cryogenic temperatures.
Abstract: Observations of some interesting properties of the II-VI semiconductor PbTe result in the realization of a Pb-PbTe Schottky-barrier microstrip having a slowing factor as large as 450 for propagating electromagnetic waves. The properties of PbTe are briefly described, and the key features that produce a large slowing factor are explained. The theory of device operation at cryogenic temperatures is presented, along with details of device fabrication and actual device performance.
1 citations
01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: In this article, a solar thermoelectric generator (STG), which requires relatively high temperatures, is developed as a replacement power source for the conventional silicon solar cell array technology because of expected temperatures which range from -90 C to +285 C in about 50 minutes for 16 sun eclipses/day.
Abstract: Mercury orbiter mission study results have shown that conventional silicon solar cell array technology is not adequate to produce power because of expected temperatures which range from -90 C to +285 C in about 50 minutes for 16 sun eclipses/day. The solar thermoelectric generator (STG), which requires relatively high temperatures, is being developed as a replacement power source. Several thermoelectric technologies (i.e., lead telluride alloys, bismuth telluride, selenide, and silicon-germanium alloys have been examined for their suitability. Solar concentrator configurations (i.e., flat plate, Fresnel lens, mini-cone, and Cassegrain types) were also studied as candidates for increasing incident radiation during Mercury orbital operations. Detailed results are presented, and show that an STG design based on the use of silicon-germanium alloy thermoelectric material and using high-voltage thermopiles with individual miniconical concentrators presents the optimum combination of technology and configuration for minimizing power source mass.