1、 What is TECTEC (Thermo Electric Cooler), also known as thermoelectric cooler, which is a sheet-like device in appearance, also known as semiconductor cooling chip, semiconductor thermoelectric cooling component, TEC cooling chip. It is an electronic device that uses the Peltier effect of semiconductor materials (Peltier effect: refers to the phenomenon where one end absorbs heat and the other end releases heat when a direct current passes through a thermocouple composed of two semiconductor materials) to achieve cooling or heating. 
TEC is usually composed of several pairs of P-type and N-type semiconductor thermocouples connected in series or parallel, and then packaged with ceramic plates on top and bottom, so that one end of the TEC device is the cold side and the other end is the hot side. With various heat transfer methods such as heat exchangers, the hot end of TEC can continuously dissipate heat, and the cold end can continuously absorb heat from the working environment. The cooling capacity of a single pair of PN units is limited, and TECs are generally composed of tens to dozens of PN units combined. The temperature difference between the cold and hot ends of a single TEC can reach 60-70 ℃, and the cold end temperature can reach -20~-10 ℃. If you want to obtain a larger temperature difference and a lower cold end temperature, you can stack multiple TECs for use. 
2、 There are many types of TEC thermoelectric refrigerators, mainly divided into four categories: single-stage TEC, multi-stage TEC, Micro TEC, and annular TEC. 
3、 Upstream and downstream industrial chain 
1. Upstream 
The upstream of TEC mainly includes the supply of raw materials and equipment such as thermoelectric materials (bismuth telluride, etc.), copper-clad ceramic substrates, semiconductor sealants, etc. The upstream industry provides the TEC industry with the necessary raw materials, process technology, and related equipment for production. The scale of raw material supply, material prices, and technological level in the upstream industrial chain have a significant impact on the TEC industry. The core of thermoelectric material TEC is a PN junction composed of two types of thermoelectric materials, P-type and N-type. These thermoelectric materials include but are not limited to bismuth telluride, lead selenide, etc. They have excellent thermoelectric properties and can achieve efficient refrigeration effects. At present, the main commercial application of TEC is bismuth telluride based thermoelectric materials. The thermal insulation layer of the ceramic substrate TEC is composed of a ceramic substrate, and the semiconductor grains are compactly arranged and fixed between two insulated metalized ceramic substrates. The material and thickness of the ceramic substrate have a significant impact on the cooling efficiency of TEC. The commonly used packaging substrate materials currently include aluminum oxide ceramics, aluminum nitride ceramics, etc. Aluminum nitride ceramic substrates are widely used in micro TECs due to their high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion coefficient, and good chemical stability. Copper is the main raw material for upstream MEMS. Copper material refers to various shapes including rods, wires, etc. made of pure copper or copper alloys. In terms of manufacturing equipment, TEC's production involves precision cutting, welding, packaging and other processes, requiring the use of high-precision equipment. The quality and performance of these devices directly affect the production efficiency and product quality of TEC. 
2. Midstream production enterprises 
Currently, in the field of high-end semiconductor refrigeration technology, the high-end TEC market, such as Micro TEC applied to optical modules, is mainly controlled by multiple international leading companies from Japan and the United States. The main players are Daiwa (which fully acquired RMT from Russia in 2021), which accounts for about 60%, Komatsu, which accounts for about 20%, and Laird, Phononic, and IV-II Marlow from the United States, which account for about 15%. The localization rate of high-end TEC devices is less than 5%. 
Domestic TEC enterprises mainly focus on the non micro consumer TEC market. 
3. Main downstream applications 
TEC focuses on precise cooling in small spaces, with characteristics such as small size, light weight, fast cooling, precise temperature control, quietness, and portability. With irreplaceable advantages such as flexibility, diversity, and reliability, it is widely used in many fields such as electronic and electrical industry, communication, automotive, medical, industrial, consumer electronics, aerospace, lasers, scientific research/experiments, etc. The scale development of downstream markets has created objective new market capacity for the TEC industry, while the structural upgrading of downstream industries helps drive technological progress in the TEC industry. 
4、 TEC Industry Situation 1. Market Size 
The global market size is expected to reach 2.369 billion US dollars by 2030 for thermoelectric cooler (TEC) modules, with a compound annual growth rate of over 12% (including large modules) from 2024 to 2030. 
2. Domestic market size 
Domestic sales of optical modules account for approximately 60-70% of the global total, and China has already occupied 7 of the top ten optical module manufacturers in the world. Only Japan's KELK, Japan's Ferrotec, the United States' II-VI Marlow, the United States' Phononics, and Russia's RMT are able to ship Micro TECs for optical modules globally. The massive data center demand brought about by the future AI era will lead to a surge in demand for optical modules. AI must have computing power, and computing power must be used to build data centers. Of the total investment of 100 million yuan in data centers, 20 million yuan is for optical modules, and Micro TEC is the core component of optical modules. Driven by 5G and AI, the Micro TEC market has broad prospects. 
TEC (Semiconductor Refrigerator) is the "invisible hero" of optical modules - precisely regulating the internal temperature of the module through the "thermoelectric temperature difference effect" (optical devices are extremely sensitive to temperature, and excessive temperature differences can cause signal distortion). Supply and demand dark line: • 800G era: Each module relies on 2 TECs, TEC demand is "rigid"; In the era of silicon optics, silicon-based optical devices have stronger temperature adaptability, and the demand for TEC may decrease or even partially replace it, which may impact the TEC market in the long run. 
Domestic TEC major players include Wuhan Gaoxin Technology, Jiangsu Wenxin Technology, Shenzhen Chuangshi Technology, Yantai Ruichuang Weina, etc., all of which are deeply bound to top customers such as Xuchuang and Xinyisheng. The core supplier of Xinyisheng is Wuhan Gaoxin Technology - its high-precision TEC (± 0.1 ℃) is suitable for 800G temperature control requirements, and it has been "co developed" with Xinyisheng for many years in the 800G project, with a strong supply chain connection. 
Future revelation: 2025 is the "800G steady-state period" for optical modules, but 1.6T and silicon optical technology are already secretly accumulating power. For TEC suppliers, they need to seize both the "current dividend" of 800G and the "long-term challenge" of silicon photonics substitution; For the industry, the high-speed demand driven by AI is still expanding, but technological iterations will continue to reshape the supply chain landscape - whoever can break through first in silicon photonics and 1.6T will have the next round of discourse power