Heterostructure:
A heterojunction is the interface that occurs between two layers or regions of dissimilar crystalline semiconductors. These semiconducting materials have unequal band gaps as opposed to a homojunction. It is often advantageous to engineer the electronic energy bands in many solid-state device applications, including semiconductor lasers, solar cells and transistors (“heterotransistors“) to name a few. The combination of multiple heterojunctions together in a device is called a heterostructure, although the two terms are commonly used interchangeably. [Wikipedia]
Encountered in”Dawn of the 3Suns: Green technology firm takes over former Deer Lake Elementary building,” Joe Bowen, The Bemidji Pioneer:
One project, Bahr said, would use a “quantum dot Peltier Effect semiconductor heterostructure” to passively convert heat energy that might otherwise be wasted into electric energy.
“Suppose you had a bathtub that was coated with a Peltier Effect quantum dot thin film. While you’re sitting in there, you’ve filled up that bathtub with 40,000 BTUs of heat that came from your water heater,” Bahr said. “You’re just going to let it go down the drain and warm up the sewer, right? Maybe not.”
