Provided are: a method for producing a chip of a thermoelectric conversion material that enables annealing treatment of a thermoelectric conversion material in the form not having a junction with an electrode, and enables annealing of a thermoelectric semiconductor material at an optimum annealing temperature; and a method for producing a thermoelectric conversion module using the chip (13). Also provided are: a method for producing a chip of a thermoelectric conversion material formed of a thermoelectric semiconductor composition, including (A) a step of forming a sacrificial layer (2) on a substrate (1), (B) a step of forming a chip of a thermoelectric conversion material on the sacrificial layer formed in the step (A), (C) a step of annealing the chip of a thermoelectric conversion material formed in the step (B), and (D) a step of peeling the chip of a thermoelectric conversion material annealed in the step (C); and a method for producing a thermoelectric conversion module using the chip produced according to the production method.

A structure and a method for mounting thermocouple on an intermetallic compounds such as TiAl by suppressing occurrence of cracks are provided. A thermocouple mounting structure is provided with a substrate, a coating formed on the substrate and a foil joined on the coating, and sandwiches a thermocouple between the substrate and the foil. A thermocouple mounting method includes forming a coating on a substrate and welding a foil on the coating, and the welding includes arranging a thermocouple so that the substrate and the foil sandwiches the thermocouple. Occurrence of cracks in the substrate formed with intermetallic compounds can be suppressed by providing a thermal spray coating between the substrate and the foil.

A thermoelectric conversion element of the present disclosure includes a thermoelectric conversion layer, a first metal layer, a second metal layer, a first joining layer, and a second joining layer. At least one of the first joining layer and the second joining layer includes a second alloy. A content of Mg in the second alloy is 84 atm % or more and 89 atm % or less, a content of Cu in the second alloy is 11 atm % or more and 15 atm % or less, and a content of an alkaline earth metal in the second alloy is 0 atm % or more and 1 atm % or less.

A thermoelectric power generation module mounting substrate includes: a printed substrate having a heat transfer through-hole penetrating a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and being in contact with a housing on the second surface; and a thermoelectric power generation module mounted on the printed substrate in contact with the first surface.

Various examples of thin film thermoelectric (TE) devices, their fabrication and applications are presented. In one example, a thin film TE device includes a first substrate including a void; a p-type TE element attached to the first substrate at a first end and extending over the void to a second end; an n-type TE element attached to the first substrate at a first end and extending over the void to a second end adjacent to the second end of the p-type TE element; and an interconnection coupling the second ends of the p-type TE element and the n-type TE element. In some examples, TE device layers can be vacuum sealed between a supporting substrate and a transparent substrate. A thermal spreader can include TE modules having a distribution of TE elements that operate in generating or cooling modes to cool IC or device hotspots using self-generated power.

Provided is a heat flow switching element which has a larger change in a thermal conductivity and has excellent thermal responsiveness. The heat flow switching element includes an N-type semiconductor layer, an insulator layer laminated on the N-type semiconductor layer, a P-type semiconductor layer laminated on the insulator layer, an N-side electrode connected to the N-type semiconductor layer, and a P-side electrode connected to the P-type semiconductor layer. In particular, the insulator layer is formed of a dielectric. Also, a plurality of N-type semiconductor layers and P-type semiconductor layers are laminated alternately with the insulator layer interposed therebetween.

A thermoelectric module includes: an electrode; a double layer stacked on a thermoelectric pellet; and a solder layer interposed between the double layer and the electrode to bond the double layer to the electrode, the solder layer containing a Sn—Cu-based alloy. The solder layer is formed to have an interface with one of the double layer and the electrode and has at least one ε layer having an ε phase (Cu.sub.3Sn).

A thermoelectric module according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first substrate; a thermoelectric element disposed on the first substrate; a second substrate disposed on the thermoelectric element and having a smaller area than the first substrate; a sealing part disposed on the first substrate and surrounding a side surface of the thermoelectric element; and a wire part connected to the thermoelectric element, drawn out through the sealing part, and supplying power to the thermoelectric element, wherein the sealing part has a through hole through which the wire part passes, and the through hole is disposed closer to the second substrate than the first substrate.

A thermoelectric module includes a substrate, an electrode provided on a first surface of the substrate, a thermoelectric element, and a first diffusion prevention layer disposed between the electrode and the thermoelectric element. The first diffusion prevention layer includes a first material having a lower ionization tendency than that of hydrogen.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric half-cell which utilises the metallization for obtaining both the electric and thermal contact required to form a functional thermoelectric cell.