This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Materials Processing and Crystal Growth for Thermoelectrics" that was published in Crystals

This volume contains recent developments in the field of thermoelectric with a focus on materials research, including inorganic, polymer and composite materials as well as different approaches to materials processing. These studies are representative of some of the continuing technological development in the field of thermoelectrics.

In this book top experts treat general thermodynamic aspects of crystal fabrication; numerical simulation of industrial growth processes; commercial production of bulk silicon, compound semiconductors, scintillation and oxide crystals; X-ray characterization; and crystal machining. Also, the role of crystal technology for renewable energy and for saving energy is discussed. It will be useful for scientists and engineers involved in crystal and epilayer fabrication as well as for teachers and graduate students in material science, chemical and metallurgical engineering, and micro- and optoelectronics, including nanotechnology.

Concurrent to providing material to the research and device groups of the Solid State organization during the past two years, a facility was developed which has the ability to produce, process, and evaluate compound semiconductor materials with a minimum expenditure of effort. The maximum value of this facility will probably be realized by intensified application to material problems, which require evaluation of large numbers of materials of diversified and unknown behavior. Future work in the crystal laboratory is to be directed to the preparation and study of semiconductors of the multielement compound and solid solution type, particularly for the purpose of locating more efficient thermoelectric materials. Specifically, the intentions are to extend the hand flame and associated techniques and the special thermal analysis method to establish the stoichiometry and behavior of the ternary compounds. (Author).

Thermoelectrics is the science and technology associated with thermoelectric converters, that is, the generation of electrical power by the Seebeck effect and refrigeration by the Peltier effect. Thermoelectric generators are being used in increasing numbers to provide electrical power in medical, military, and deep space applications where combinations of their desirable properties outweigh their relatively high cost and low generating efficiency. In recent years there also has been an increase in the requirement for thermoelectric coolers (Peltier devices) for use in infrared detectors and in optical communications. Information on thermoelectrics is not readily available as it is widely scattered throughout the literature. The Handbook centralizes this information in a convenient format under a single cover. Sixty of the world's foremost authorities on thermoelectrics have contributed to this Handbook. It is comprised of fifty-five chapters, a number of which contain previously unpublished material. The contents are arranged in eight sections: general principles and theoretical considerations, material preparation, measurement of thermoelectric properties, thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric generation, generator applications, thermoelectric refrigeration, and applications of thermoelectric cooling. The CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics has a broad-based scope. It will interest researchers, technologists, and manufacturers, as well as students and the well-informed, non-specialist reader.