An electrically-powered device, structure and/or component is provided that includes an attached electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly energy harvesting element or component. The energy harvesting component provides a mechanism for generating autonomous renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in the integrated circuit system, structure and/or component. The energy harvesting element includes a first conductor layer, a low work function layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conductor layer that are particularly configured in a manner to promote electron migration from the low work function layer, through the dielectric layer, to the facing surface of the second conductor layer in a manner that develops an electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. The energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase an electrical power output.

An integrated circuit system, structure and/or component is provided that includes an integrated electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly energy harvesting element or component. The energy harvesting component provides a mechanism for generating autonomous renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in the integrated circuit system, structure and/or component. The energy harvesting element includes a first conductor layer, a low work function layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conductor layer that are particularly configured to promote electron migration from the low work function layer, through the dielectric layer, to the facing surface of the second conductor layer in a manner that develops an electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. An energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase a power output of the electric harvesting component.

The present invention is a photovoltaic-thermoelectric solar cell and a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic-thermoelectric solar cell. The solar cell includes a substantially transparent electrode, an organometallic photovoltaic material disposed on the transparent electrode, and a cathode disposed on the organometallic photovoltaic material. The organometallic photovoltaic material may be a porphyrin nanomaterial.

A thermal stabilization system stabilizes inertial measurement unit (IMU) performance by reducing or slowing operating variations over time of the internal temperature. More specifically, a thermoelectric heating/cooling device operates according to the Peltier effect, and uses thermal insulation and a mechanical assembly to thermally and mechanically couple the IMU to the thermoelectric device. The thermal stabilization system may minimize stress on the IMU and use a control system to stabilize internal IMU temperatures by judiciously and bidirectionally powering the thermoelectric heating/cooling device. The thermal stabilization system also may use compensation algorithms to reduce or counter residual IMU output errors from a variety of causes such as thermal gradients and imperfect colocation of the IMU temperature sensor with inertial sensors.

An electrically-powered device, structure and/or component is provided that includes an attached electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly energy harvesting element or component. The energy harvesting component provides a mechanism for generating autonomous renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in the integrated circuit system, structure and/or component. The energy harvesting element includes a first conductor layer, a low work function layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conductor layer that are particularly configured in a manner to promote electron migration from the low work function layer, through the dielectric layer, to the facing surface of the second conductor layer in a manner that develops an electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. The energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase an electrical power output.

Thermal management systems and corresponding use methods are described herein. A thermal management system includes components of a computing device. The computing device includes a housing. The housing includes an outer surface and an inner surface. The computing device also includes a heat generating component supported by the housing. The computing device includes a phase change device adjacent or physically connected to the heat generating component. The phase change device includes a first side and a second side. The first side is closer to the heat generating component than the second side. The second side is opposite the first side. The phase change device is compressible, such that when a force is applied to the outer surface of the housing, the inner surface of the housing flexes towards the second side of the phase change device and the phase change device is compressed.

A cooling system comprises a board management controller (BMC), a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) controller, and a cooling distribution unit (CDU) controller. The BMC monitors a cooling system to obtain a first power value representing a power consumed by an electronic device, performs a lookup operation in a control lookup table based on the first power value, and determines a first thermoelectric cooling (TEC) current and a first pump speed based on the lookup operation. The TEC controller is to control a TEC device attached to the electronic device to cause the first TEC current to flow within the TEC device. The CDU controller is to configure a pump speed of a fluid pump of the CDU according to the first pump speed.

The invention concerns a thermoelectric module with multiple thermoelectric elements, which are arranged spaced apart from one another, two thermoelectric elements being respectively electrically connected by means of a conductor bridge, an electrical insulation being arranged at least in certain portions on a side of the conductor bridge that is facing away from the thermoelectric element and/or on a side of the conductor bridge that is facing the thermoelectric element, the electrical insulation being arranged on the surface of the conductor bridge, the electrical insulation and the conductor bridge being thermomechanically decoupled.

Disclosed is a compound semiconductor material with excellent performance and its utilization. The compound semiconductor may be expressed by Chemical Formula 1 below:

M1.sub.aCo.sub.4Sb.sub.12-xM2.sub.x   Chemical Formula 1

where M1 and M2 are respectively at least one selected from In and a rare earth metal element, 0≦a≦1.8, and 0≦x≦0.6.

Circuitry and techniques described herein can use a clamp circuit to provide back-drive compensation in applications where a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) device is to be controlled. A back-drive compensation circuit can be used to inhibit or prevent a linear output stage of a TEC control circuit from being forced out of its intended operating range. The clamp circuit can be implemented using a variety of circuit topologies, such as including a comparator arrangement with hysteresis. In another approach, a linear amplifier topology can provide clamping behavior, such as by injecting or sinking a current at the output node or an intermediate node to inhibit or prevent the output node or intermediate node from being driven outside a specified voltage range by an external source.