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Thermoelectric
Coolers
About Laird Thermal Systems
Laird Thermal Systems develops thermal management solutions
for demanding applications across global medical, industrial,
transportation and telecommunications markets. We manufacture
one of the most diverse product portfolios in the industry
ranging from active thermoelectric coolers and assemblies
to temperature controllers and liquid cooling systems. Our
engineers use advanced thermal modeling and management
techniques to solve complex heat and temperature control
problems. By offering a broad range of design, prototyping
and in-house testing capabilities, we partner closely with our
customers across the entire product development lifecycle to
reduce risk and accelerate their time-to-market. Our global
manufacturing and support resources help customers maximize
productivity, uptime, performance and product quality. Laird
Thermal Systems is the optimum choice for standard or custom
thermal solutions.
Laird Thermal Systems partners with its customers to design
custom thermal solutions for applications in many industries
including:
• Medical Diagnostics
• Medical Imaging
• Battery Cooling
• Industrial Laser Systems
• Optoelectronics
Introduction to Thermoelectrics
Solid state heat pumps have been in existence since the
discovery of the Peltier effect in 1834. The devices became
commercially available several decades ago with the
development of advanced semiconductor thermocouple
materials in combination with ceramics substrates.
Thermoelectric coolers are solid-state heat pumps that require
a heat exchanger to dissipate heat utilizing the Peltier Effect.
During operation, DC current flows through the thermoelectric
cooler to create heat transfer and a temperature differential
across the ceramic substrates, causing one side of the
thermoelectric cooler to be cold, while the other side is hot.
A standard single-stage thermoelectric cooler can achieve
temperature differentials of up to 70°C.
A typical thermoelectric cooler’s geometric footprint can
vary from 2 x 2 mm’s to 62 x 62 mm’s and are light in weight.
This makes thermoelectrics ideal for applications with tight
geometric space constraints and low weight requirements
when compared too much larger cooling technologies, such as
conventional compressor-based systems. Thermoelectric coolers
can also be used as a power generator to convert waste heat
into usable output DC power.
Thermoelectrics are ideal for applications that require
active cooling to below ambient and have cooling capacity
requirements < 600 Watts. A design engineer should consider
thermoelectric coolers when the system design criteria includes
such factors as precise temperature control, high reliability,
compact geometry constraints, low weight and environmental
friendly requirements.
Benefits of Using Thermoelectrics
Thermoelectric coolers have several advantages over alternate
cooling technologies:
• They have no moving parts, so the solid state construction
results in high reliability and units can be mounted in any
orientation.
• Thermoelectric coolers can cool devices down to well below
ambient. Colder temperatures can be achieved, down to
minus 100°C, by using a multistage thermoelectric cooler in a
vacuum environment.
• Thermoelectrics are able to heat and cool by simply reversing
the polarity, which changes the direction of heat transfer. This
allows temperature control to be very precise, where up to
±0.01°C can be maintained under steady-state conditions.
• In heating mode, thermoelectric coolers are much more
efcient than conventional resistant heaters because they
generate heat from input power supplied plus additional heat
generated by the heat pumping action.
• Devices are environmentally friendly because they use no
CFC’s and electrical noise is minimal.
• Thermoelectric coolers can be used as energy harvesters,
turning waste heat into usable output DC power.
• Analytical Instrumentation
• Semiconductor Fabrication
• Aerospace Defense
• Food & Beverage
• Automotive
Product Portfolio
Laird Thermal Systems designs and manufactures thermoelectric
coolers which adhere to strict process control standards and
pass/fail criteria, assuring our customers receive the best
possible modules. Our extensive standard product portfolio
covers a wide range of cooling capacities, temperature
differentials, input power requirements and geometric footprints.
Standard finishing options are available to accommodate
alternate lead lengths, lapping thickness tolerances, and
moisture protective sealants. Standard pre-tinning and solder
constructions are available to accommodate solder-able
mounting of the thermoelectric cooler to the heat exchanger,
or processing of thermoelectric cooler through a reflow oven to
solder onto an optoelectronic package.
Laird Thermal Systems offers several thermoelectric cooler
product families that can be classified by cooling capacity,
temperature differential, form factor or thermal cycling
capability. Reference perceptual map below as a general guide
as to where each product family fits with regards to these
attributes.
Rapid Prototyping Center
Since there are so many unique attributes that need to
be ascertained for each application, often a customized
thermoelectric cooler will yield a more optimal thermal solution.
Laird Thermal Systems offers strong engineering services with
a global presence that supports onsite concept generation,
thermal modeling, thermal design and rapid prototyping. We
also offer validation test services to meet unique compliance
standards for each industry, such as Telcordia, MIL-STDs or
standards specific to unique application. Minimum order quantity
(MOQ) applies for all custom thermoelectric cooler designs and
validation testing.
Custom Thermoelectric Coolers
• Patterning and Plating
on Subtrates
• Test Validation
• TE semiconductor
Processing
• Lapping, Wiring
and Sealing
• Tooling Fabrication
• Thermoelectric Cooler
Assembly
Thermoelectric Applications
Thermoelectric cooler assemblies are used in a wide range of
applications to stabilize the temperature of sensitive electronic
components or to cool devices and compartments below ambient.
Analytical
Temperature control is vital in analytical instrumentation
equipment to enhance reliability and improve test results.
• Sample Storage Compartments
• Liquid Chromatography
Medical
Temperature stabilization is required to obtain a high image
resolution. Cooling reagent chambers below ambient is critical to
extend life of reagents and keep replacement costs down. Rapid
thermal cycling is crucial to speed up DNA amplification.
• Medical Diagnostics
• Medical Lasers
Industrial
Temperature stabilization is critical to maintain industrial lasers
at peak performance and allows high end printing systems to
produce high quality prints at high run rates.
• High Powered Projectors
• Kiosks
• Metrology Instrumentation
Telecom
Cooling below ambient is necessary to extend life of batteries in
wireless base stations. Temperature stabilization is required
to maintain peak performance of laser diodes.
• Telecom Enclosures
• Battery Backup Systems
Transportation
Advancements in transportation technology such as smart
headlights, and infotainment systems require thermal
management solutions to protect the sensitive electronics and
ensure long-life performance.
• Smart Lightning
• Heads-Up Displays
• Digital Color Printing Systems
• Industrial Laser Systems
Temperature Dierential (ΔT) at Th=27
°C
0
68-74°C
81-129°C
322Cooling Capacity (W)
< 80°C
< 120°C
CP Series
1.8 - 118 Watts
PolarTEC™ PT Series
18 - 71 Watts
Multistage MS Series
0.3 - 38 Watts
Annular Series
3.5 - 70 Watts
HiTemp ETX Series
7.7 - 322 Watts
Operating
Temperature (°C)
< 150°C
OptoTEC™ HTX Series
1.6 - 9.7 Watts
OptoTEC™ OTX Series
0.4 - 9.5 Watts
UltraTEC™ UTX Series
69 - 299 Watts
PowerCycling PCX Series
14 - 215 Watts
• Incubators
• Molecular Diagnostics (PCR)
• Centrifuges
• Optical Transceivers
• Imaging Sensors