A thermoelectric structure and device including at least first and second material systems having different lattice constants and interposed in contact with each other, and a physical interface at which the at least first and second material systems are joined with a lattice mismatch and at which structural integrity of the first and second material systems is substantially maintained. The at least first and second material systems have a charge carrier transport direction normal to the physical interface and preferably periodically arranged in a superlattice structure.

Phonon-blocking, electron-transmitting low-dimensional structures

An improved integrated circuit package for providing built-in heating or cooling to a semiconductor chip is provided. The improved integrated circuit package provides increased operational bandwidth between different circuit devices, e.g. logic and memory chips. The improved integrated circuit package does not require changes in current CMOS processing techniques. The structure includes the use of a silicon interposer. The silicon interposer can consist of recycled rejected wafers from the front-end semiconductor processing. Micro-machined vias are formed through the silicon interposer. The micro-machined vias include electrical contacts which couple various integrated circuit devices located on the opposing surfaces of the silicon interposer. The packaging includes a Peltier element.

Compact system module with built-in thermoelectric cooling

A structure, system and method for controlling a temperature of a heat generating device in a solid medium, wherein heat is extracted from the medium into at least one heat extraction device, the heat extraction device dissipates heat into an environment apart from the medium by a heat sink thermally coupled to the heat extraction device; and heat from the medium is dissipated into the heat sink by a first thermal interface material thermally coupling the heat sink to the medium.

Thin film thermoelectric devices for hot-spot thermal management in microprocessors and other electronics

A thermoelectric generator may include first and second thermally conductive plates and a plurality of pairs of P-type and N-type thermoelectric elements. The first thermally conductive plate may be configured to generate heat responsive to solar radiation, and the first and second thermally conductive plates may be spaced apart. The P-type and N-type thermoelectric elements of each pair may be electrically coupled in series, and the P-type and N-type thermoelectric elements of each pair may be thermally coupled in parallel between the first and second thermally conductive plates.

Thermoelectric generators for solar conversion and related systems and methods

A thermoelectric cooling and heating device including a substrate, a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on one side of the substrate and configured to perform at least one of selective heating and cooling such that each thermoelectric element includes a thermoelectric material, a Peltier contact contacting the thermoelectric material and forming under electrical current flow at least one of a heated junction and a cooled junction, and electrodes configured to provide current through the thermoelectric material and the Peltier contact. As such, the thermoelectric cooling and heating device selectively biases the thermoelectric elements to provide on one side of the thermolectric device a grid of localized heated or cooled junctions.

Thin-film thermoelectric cooling and heating devices for DNA genomic and proteomic chips, thermo-optical switching circuits, and IR tags

A method of making a thermoelectric device comprises forming electrodes on a surface of a first substrate and on a surface of a second substrate. Thereafter, a P-type thermoelectric material plate is bonded to the surface of the first substrate having the electrodes, and an N-type thermoelectric material plate is bonded to the surface of the second substrate having the electrodes. Each of the thermoelectric material plates are then processed by cutting and removing portions thereof to form P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips bonded to the first and second substrates, respectively. Thereafter, the N-type thermoelectric material chips of the second substrate are bonded to the electrodes of the first substrate, and the P-type thermoelectric material chips of the first substrate are bonded to the electrodes of the second substrate to form PN-junctions between the first and second substrates.

Hirohiko C

Papers

Thermoelectric device and a method of manufacturing thereof