ABSTRACT
Solid-state optical refrigeration, which is featured by carrying the internal thermal energy away through light emission, has progressed rapidly after the first demonstration of photoluminescent (PL) refrigeration in 1995. Semiconductor luminescent refrigeration using electrical pumping scheme, on the other hand, receives growing attention because of its looser requirement on the external efficiency compared to semiconductor PL refrigeration. Despite several works on the feasibility of electroluminescent (EL) refrigeration, the experimental verification of EL cooling has been reported. In EL refrigeration, electrons and holes are mediated as refrigerants and are intended to be injected into the active region for radiative recombination, which generates photons with thermal energy carried away. This chapter provides a comprehensive view on how various structural and optical components affect the performance of an EL cooler without losing accuracy. Light extraction efficiency influences significantly the performance of an EL refrigerator in the absence of photon recycling.
