Thin-film thermoelectrics cool optoelectronics

摘要

Optoelectronic components have long had to deal with thermal management issues in order to ensure proper device performance. These range from temperature stabilization for transmission sources to low temperature cooling for detectors. To deal with these issues, the telecom industry has employed active thermal management solutions based on thermoelectric devices, commonly called TECs (thermoelectric coolers). In the optoelectronic industry, as with most other industries, the push is for constantly smaller form factors, and in the case of TECs, faster response times.