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The figure of merit for multilayer thermionic refrigeration is discussed in terms of an effective B factor, which has a similar definition as the B factor in thermoelectrics. We show that high efficiencies for cooling or power generation are only obtained with very high values of this B factor. Such high values can only be attained because of the low thermal conductivity of multilayers. The B factor for thermionics is usually less than the one for thermoelectrics.
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Vining et al. (1999) studied this question.
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