[Depth] The thermoelectric refrigeration module (TEM) has a wide range of application scenarios. Local enterprises need to accelerate the process of new material research and development

The thermoelectric refrigeration module can achieve the effect of heat absorption/heat release and precise temperature control without transmission components and refrigerant. It has the characteristics of high temperature regulation accuracy, fast response time, green environmental protection, light weight, low noise, small size, etc
Thermoelectric refrigeration module, referred to as TEM, also known as thermoelectric refrigeration device, refers to a semiconductor device that uses thermoelectric refrigeration as the technical carrier and consists of multiple small or micro heat pumps. Thermoelectric refrigeration technology refers to the process of controlling the direction and size of the heat flux density by controlling the direction and size of the direct current based on the technical principle that the current will generate heat transfer when passing through different conductors.
Compared with traditional mechanical refrigeration, thermoelectric refrigeration module can achieve heat absorption/heat release and precise temperature control without transmission components and refrigerant. It has the characteristics of high temperature regulation accuracy, fast response time, green environmental protection, light weight, low noise, small size, etc. Therefore, thermoelectric refrigeration module is more suitable for small cooling capacity scenarios with high requirements for size, silence and convenience, including vehicle-mounted refrigerator, vehicle-mounted laser radar, vehicle thermostatic seat, vehicle power battery, thermostatic mattress, communication light module, industrial CCD image sensor, electronic refrigerator, medical cold compress equipment, medical PCR tester, aviation detector, etc.
At present, thermoelectric refrigeration module has been widely used in many scenarios in the fields of semiconductor, automobile, industry, aviation, medical treatment, communication and so on. With the rapid development of the downstream application market, its demand is increasing and its scale is increasing year by year. According to the “2023-2027 Global Thermoelectric Refrigeration Module (TEM) Industry Deep Market Research and Key Regional Research Report” released by the New Scientology Industry Research Center, the domestic thermoelectric refrigeration module market scale has reached 1.8 billion yuan in 2021, an increase of 13.1% year on year.
The performance of thermoelectric refrigeration module products is greatly affected by the performance of thermoelectric materials. At present, the thermoelectric materials with high commercialization of thermoelectric refrigeration module in China are mainly Bi2Te3 (bismuth telluride), which is widely used in cold chain, medical treatment, optical communication temperature control and other fields. But at the same time, Bi2Te3 also has the defects of high cost and poor mechanical performance, and its promotion in the field of more high-end and demanding thermoelectric refrigeration modules is limited. Therefore, the development of new high-performance thermoelectric materials is one of the urgent needs for the development of domestic thermoelectric refrigeration module industry.
At present, MgAgSb alloy, Cu_2Se, Mg2 (Si, Sn) alloy, N-type Mg3 (Bi, Sb) 2 alloy and other new high-performance thermoelectric materials with advantages of low cost, good mechanical properties and strong environmental protection have become research and development hotspots. In the future, the thermoelectric refrigeration module industry is expected to usher in a golden period of rapid development in the context of the accelerating development of thermoelectric materials in China.
According to industry analysts from New ThinkWorld, at present, the foreign-funded enterprises with thermoelectric refrigeration modules in China mainly include Ferrotec, Erlumaro, KELK Ltd., RMT Ltd., Laird Thermal Company, etc; Local enterprises mainly include Fuxin Technology, Nanogram Thermoelectricity, Guanjing Semiconductor, Aoling Refrigeration, thermoelectric new energy, Aoliang Electronics, etc.
At present, foreign enterprises occupy the leading position in the high-end market of thermoelectric refrigeration module in China. Compared with foreign enterprises, local enterprises still have a certain gap in technology, scale and other aspects. Therefore, in the future, local enterprises need to accelerate the development and application process of new thermoelectric materials, accelerate the improvement of enterprise strength and product advantages, and promote the domestic substitution process of thermoelectric refrigeration modules in the high-end market.