Optimizing the performance of thermionic devices using energy filtering

TL;DR

This paper identifies the optimal electron energy spectrum for thermionic devices to maximize power output and proposes using energy filters like quantum dot resonances to significantly enhance their performance.

Contribution

It derives the ideal energy spectrum for thermionic devices and suggests implementing energy filters to improve power efficiency by an order of magnitude.

Findings

Optimal energy spectrum differs from conventional designs.

Energy filters can significantly boost thermionic device power.

Potential for an order of magnitude performance improvement.

Abstract

Conventional thermionic power generators and refrigerators utilize a barrier in the direction of transport to selectively transmit high-energy electrons. Here we show that the energy spectrum of electrons transmitted in this way is not optimal, and we derive the ideal energy spectrum for operation in the maximum power regime. By using suitable energy filters, such as resonances in quantum dots, the power of thermionic devices can, in principle, be improved by an order of magnitude.