RTI International - News Release - 4.13.2004
RTI to Further Develop Thermoelectric Technology Under Department of Defense Program
Research Triangle Park, NC -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded RTI International an 18-month contract to develop advanced power-conversion devices based on thermoelectric technology.
Superlattice thermoelectric devices are solid state and can be used for power conversion, heating, cooling, and precise temperature control. The devices currently being developed by RTI can range in size from 1/40th of a U.S. penny to 3 inches on a side.
With experimental lab-scale devices having already exceeded state-of-the-art bulk devices in power-conversion efficiency, power-conversion applications have become a priority. These superlattice devices are also catching up in cooling applications in terms of efficiency at the device level; the devices have already demonstrated advantages such as smaller footprint, larger cooling-power density compared to commercial devices for electronics cooling.
"The core technology that will be developed in this DARPA program can enable a wide range of applications for the military in space, air, water, and land. It will also build capability for many commercial applications," said Rama Venkatasubramanian, director of RTI's thermoelectrics research center.
Subcontractors on this DARPA program include Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Scientific, United Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and BSST, an R&D subsidiary of Amerigon, Inc. The contract was awarded in the amount of $4 million and has a potential total value of $10 million.
DARPA and the Office of Naval Research have provided funding for RTI's development of thermoelectric materials and device technology since 1993. RTI's breakthrough thermoelectric technology won an R&D 100 Award in 2002. For the last two years, RTI has been focusing on further development of the technology and has made significant progress in improving device performance.