Cooling of Semiconductor Devices via Quantum Tunneling

Classical transport of electrons and holes in nanoscale devices leads to heating that severely limits performance, reliability, and efficiency. In contrast, recent theory suggests that interband quantum tunneling and subsequent thermalization of carriers with the lattice results in local cooling of devices. However, internal cooling in nanoscale devices is largely unexplored. Here, using a novel scanning thermal microscopy technique with millikelvin temperature resolution and nanometer spatial resolution, we directly record the cross-sectional temperature in functional InGaAs tunnel diodes. Our measurements reveal large, localized cooling of 2-3 W/cm^{2} at the tunnel junction, which is in quantitative agreement with the bipolar Peltier process associated with interband tunneling. These advances hold significant potential for integration into electronic and energy conversion devices and improving their performance.