A power generation element includes: a substrate including mutually opposed first and second principal surfaces; an electrode portion provided on the first principal surface and the second principal surface, the electrode portion including a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion; and an intermediate portion including nanoparticles. The substrate includes a first substrate portion and a second substrate portion that are mutually overlapped viewed in a first direction. The first principal surface of the first substrate portion includes a first separated surface and a first joint surface. The second principal surface of the second substrate portion includes a second separated surface and a second joint surface.

We disclose a chemical sensing device for detecting a fluid. The sensing device comprises: at least one substrate region comprising at least one etched portion; a dielectric region formed on the at least one substrate region, the dielectric region comprising at least one dielectric membrane region adjacent to the at least one etched portion; an optical source for emitting an infra-red (IR) signal; an optical detector for detecting the IR signal emitted from the optical source; one or more further substrates formed on or under the dielectric region, said one or more further substrates defining an optical path for the IR signal to propagate from the optical source to the optical detector. At least one of the optical source and optical detector is formed in or on the dielectric membrane region.

A device for detecting electromagnetic radiation is provided, including a substrate; at least one thermal detector placed on the substrate; and an encapsulating structure encapsulating the detector, including a thin encapsulating layer of a material that is transparent to said radiation, extending around and above the detector so as to define with the substrate a cavity in which the detector is located; wherein the thin encapsulating layer comprises a peripheral wall that encircles the detector, and that has a cross section, in a plane parallel to the plane of the substrate, of square or rectangular shape, corners of which are rounded.

An apparatus, a method, and a computer program product are provided. The apparatus may be an electronic component. The electronic component includes at least one energy harvester coupled between at least one pair of hot and cold regions of the electronic component and configured to convert thermal energy to electrical energy in order to provide power to at least the electronic component, the at least one energy harvester including a radiative thermal channel or a conductive thermal channel. A first end of the conductive thermal channel is coupled to a first semiconductor material and a second end of the conductive thermal channel is coupled to a second semiconductor material, the first semiconductor material being coupled to the hot region and isolated from the cold region and the second semiconductor material being coupled to the cold region and isolated from the hot region.

A thermoelectric generation module having: a base material; a plurality of electrodes disposed on the base material; and a thermoelectric conversion layer that coats each of the electrodes individually leaving a portion of the electrode to which a wiring is to be connected, wherein the thermoelectric conversion layer adheres to the base material around the electrode excluding the portion of the electrode to which the wiring is to be connected.

A microbolometer device integrated with CMOS and BiCMOS technologies and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming a microbolometer unit cell, comprises damaging a portion of a substrate to form a damaged region. The method further includes forming infrared (IR) absorbing material on the damaged region. The method further includes isolating the IR absorbing material by forming a cavity underneath the IR absorbing material.

A tunnel-effect power converter including first and second electrodes having opposite surfaces, wherein the first electrode includes protrusions extending towards the second electrode.

Embodiments relate to a method in which electrical energy is supplied to a heat generating source to convert the electrical energy to heat. A thermal energy harvesting thermionic device proximal to the heat generating source to receive the heat from the heat generating source is heated and an electrical output is generated. The thermal energy harvesting thermionic device includes at least a cathode, an anode spaced from the cathode to provide an inter-electrode gap between the cathode and the anode, and a plurality of nanoparticles suspended in a fluid medium contained in the inter-electrode gap. The temperature of the thermal energy harvesting thermionic device is monitored, and a source of the electrical energy is activated to supply the electrical energy to the heat generating source in response to a change in the temperature of the thermal energy harvesting thermionic device. Also provided are related apparatus.

An infrared sensor comprises a base substrate including a recess, a bolometer infrared ray receiver, and a Peltier device. The bolometer infrared ray receiver comprises a resistance variable layer, a bolometer first beam, and a bolometer second beam. The Peltier device comprises a Peltier first beam formed of a p-type semiconductor material and a Peltier second beam formed of an n-type semiconductor material. The Peltier device is in contact with a back surface of the bolometer infrared ray receiver. One end of each of the bolometer first beam, the bolometer second beam, the Peltier first beam, and the Peltier second beam is connected to the base substrate. The bolometer infrared ray receiver and the Peltier device are suspended above the base substrate. Each of the bolometer first beam, the bolometer second beam, the Peltier first beam, and the Peltier second beam has a phononic crystal structure including a plurality of through holes arranged regularly.

A thermoelectric conversion element that includes a laminated body having a plurality of first thermoelectric conversion portions, a plurality of second thermoelectric conversion portions, and an insulator layer. The first thermoelectric conversion portions and the second thermoelectric conversion portions are alternately arranged in a Y-axis direction and bonded to each other in first regions, and the insulator layer is interposed between the first thermoelectric conversion portions and the second thermoelectric conversion portions in second regions. The insulator layer surrounds a periphery of each of the second thermoelectric conversion portions. A ratio (W2/W1) of a thickness (W2) of the first thermoelectric conversion portion to a thickness (W1) of the second thermoelectric conversion portion in the Y-axis direction is greater than 4 and 11 or less.