A structure and method for cooling a three-dimensional integrated circuit (3DIC) are provided. A cooling element is configured for thermal connection to the 3DIC. The cooling element includes a plurality of individually controllable cooling modules disposed at a first plurality of locations relative to the 3DIC. Each of the cooling modules includes a cold pole and a heat sink. The cold pole is configured to absorb heat from the 3DIC. The heat sink is configured to dissipate the heat absorbed by the cold pole and is coupled to the cold pole via an N-type semiconductor element and via a P-type semiconductor element. A temperature sensing element includes a plurality of thermal monitoring elements disposed at a second plurality of locations relative to the 3DIC for measuring temperatures at the second plurality of locations. The measured temperatures control the plurality of cooling modules.

A method for obtaining copper arsenic chalcogen derived nanoparticles, including selecting a first precursor material from the group comprising copper, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and mixtures thereof, selecting a second material from the group comprising sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and mixtures thereof, and then reacting both precursors in a solvent medium at conditions conducive to the formation of copper arsenic chalcogen derived nanoparticles.

Disclosed are methods for the manufacture of n-type and p-type filled skutterudite thermoelectric legs of an electrical contact. A first material of CoSi.sub.2 and a dopant are ball-milled to form a first powder which is thermo-mechanically processed with a second powder of n-type skutterudite to form a n-type skutterudite layer disposed between a first layer and a third layer of the doped-CoSi.sub.2. In addition, a plurality of components such as iron, and nickel, and at least one of cobalt or chromium are ball-milled form a first powder that is thermo-mechanically processed with a p-type skutterudite layer to form a p-type skutterudite layer “second layer” disposed between a first and a third layer of the first powder. The specific contact resistance between the first layer and the skutterudite layer for both the n-type and the p-type skutterudites subsequent to hot-pressing is less than about 10.0 μΩ.Math.cm.sup.2.

A semiconductor structure comprises one or more semiconductor devices, each of the semiconductor devices having two or more electrical connections; one or more first conductors connected to a first electrical connection on the semiconductor device, the first conductor comprising a first material having a positive Seebeck coefficient; and one or more second conductors connected to a second electrical connection on the semiconductor device, the second conductor comprising a second material having a negative Seebeck coefficient. The first conductor and the second conductor conduct electrical current through the semiconductor device and conduct heat away from the semiconductor device.

A method of forming a thermoelectric device structure and the resultant thermoelectric device structure. The method forms a first pattern of epitaxial thermoelectric elements of a first conductivity type on a first semiconductor substrate, forms a second pattern of epitaxial thermoelectric elements of a second conductivity type on a second semiconductor substrate, separates the epitaxial thermoelectric elements of the first conductivity type and places the epitaxial thermoelectric elements of the first conductivity type and the epitaxial thermoelectric elements of the second conductivity type on a heat sink, and integrates the heat sink to a device substrate including an electronic device to be cooled.

Provided herein is a skutterudite-type material having high thermoelectric conversion characteristics in a high temperature region. A thermoelectric conversion material is provided that contains a skutterudite-type material represented by the following composition formula (I)

I.sub.xGa.sub.yM.sub.4Pn.sub.12   (I),

wherein x and y satisfy 0.04≦x≦0.11, 0.11≦y≦0.34, and x<y, I represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of In, Yb, Eu, Ce, La, Nd, Ba, and Sr, M represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Rh, Ir, Fe, Ni, Pt, Pd, Ru, and Os, and Pn. represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Sb, As, P, Te, Sn, Bi, Ge, Se, and Si.

The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric structure including a thermoelectric substrate and a barrier layer covering the thermoelectric substrate. A material of the barrier layer is metallic glass. The thermoelectric structure of the present disclosure may apply to a medium-temperature (about 400K to about 800K) thermoelectric module to effectively block the diffusion of the thermoelectric substrate.

A thermoelectric conversion material expressed by a chemical formula X.sub.3T.sub.3-yT′.sub.ySb.sub.4 (0.025≦y≦0.5), wherein the X includes one or more elements selected from Zr and Hf, the T includes one or more elements selected from Ni, Pd, and Pt, while including at least Ni, and the T′ includes one or more elements selected from Co, Rh, and Ir.

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.

According to one embodiment, a power generation element includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a first member. The first member is provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The first member includes a first semiconductor having polarity. A gap is between the second conductive layer and the first member. A <000-1> direction of the first semiconductor is oblique to a first direction from the first conductive layer toward the second conductive layer.