Thermionic enhanced heat transfer in electronic devices based on 3D Dirac materials

Abstract

We calculate the heat transfer from electronic devices based on three-dimensional Dirac materials without and with thermionic cooling. Without thermionic cooling, the internal temperature of the devices is at best equal to and usually higher than the temperature of the surrounding environment. However, when thermionic cooling is employed to transport heat, the internal temperature can be considerably lower than the environmental temperature. In the proposed thermionic cooling process, the energy efficiency can be as high as 75% of the Carnot efficiency.