A thermoelectric element according to one example of the present invention comprises: a first substrate; a first insulating layer disposed on the first substrate; a first bonding layer disposed on the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer disposed on the first bonding layer; a first electrode disposed on the second insulating layer; a P-type thermoelectric leg and N-type thermoelectric leg, disposed on the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the P-type thermoelectric leg and N-type thermoelectric leg; a third insulating layer disposed on the second electrode; and a second substrate disposed on the third insulating layer, wherein the first insulating layer is composed of a composite comprising silicon and aluminum, the second insulating layer is a resin layer composed of a resin composition comprising an inorganic filler and at least one of an epoxy resin and a silicone resin, and the first bonding layer comprises a silane coupling agent.

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 .Math.cm.sup.2 .

A power generator includes thermoelectric transducers configured so that the band gap energy of an intrinsic semiconductor part disposed between an n-type semiconductor part and a p-type semiconductor part is lower than each band gap energy of the n-type semiconductor part and the p-type semiconductor part. The power generator is used in a vehicle that includes an exhaust pipe in which exhaust gas that supplies heat to the thermoelectric transducers flows. The thermoelectric transducers are installed in the exhaust pipe in such a manner that the surface of the intrinsic semiconductor part is opposed to the flow of the exhaust gas.

Dices of integrated Z-device structures on a substrate wafer of a 3D integrated thermo-electric generator (iTEG) may be stacked in a tri-dimensional heterogeneous integration mode, without or with interposer wafer dices, in coherent thermal coupling among them. Through silicon vias (TSVs) holes through the thickness of the semiconductor crystal of substrate of the dices of integrated Z-device structures in geometrical projection correspondence with valley bottom metal junction contacts, and through silicon vias (TSVs) holes through the thickness of the semiconductor crystal of interposer dices, in geometrical projection correspondence with the hill-top metal junction contacts of the coupled Z-device structures, have a copper or other good heat conductor filler, form low thermal resistance heat conduction paths through the stacked Z-device structures. Thermoelectrically generated current is gathered from every integrated Z-device of a multi-tier iTEG operating in an out-of-plane heat flux configuration.

A thermoelectric module and methods for making and applying same provide an integrated, layered structure comprising first and second, thermally conductive, surface volumes, each in thermal communication with a separate respective first and second electrically conductive patterned trace layers, and an array of n-type and p-type semiconducting elements embedded in amorphous silica dielectric and electrically connected between the first and second patterned trace layers forming a thermoelectric circuit.

An enhanced electrical yield is achieved with an integrated thermoelectric generator (iTEG) of out-of-plane heat flux configuration on a substrate wafer having hill-top junction metal contacts and valley-bottom junction metal contacts joining juxtaposed ends of segments, alternately p-doped and n-doped, of defined thin film lines of segments of a polycrystalline semiconductor, extending over inclined opposite flanks of hills of a material of lower thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of the thermoelectrically active polycrystalline semiconductor, by keeping void the valleys spaces (V) among the hills and delimited at the top by a planar electrically non conductive cover with metal bond pads defined over the coupling surface, adapted to bond with respective hill-top junction metal contacts. The junction metal contacts have a cross sectional profile of low aspect ratio, with two arms or wings overlapping the juxtaposed end portions of the segments. Preferably the inner void is evacuated upon packaging the iTEG.

Disclosed are two geometrically identical integrated Z-device structures, integrated in two distinct silicon dices, joined together in a face-to-face configuration, such that a p-doped thin film leg of one structure faces toward a n-doped thin film leg of the other structure and vice versa. Upon joining the Z-device structures together, the hill-top metal contacts of one integrated structure are bonded in electrical and thermal continuity with correspondent hill-top metal contacts of the other integrated structure, forming a substantially bivalve TEG of increased power yield for the same footprint area and having an enhanced conversion efficiency. Thermo-electrically generated current may be gathered from one or several end pad pairs, the pads of which are connected to respective valley bottom contacts, on one and on the other of the two dices of the bivalve device, at the ends of conductive lines of micro cells respectively belonging to one and to the other of the two coupled dices.

An electronic device includes a trigonal crystal substrate defining a (0001) C-plane. The substrate may comprise Sapphire or other suitable material. A plurality of rhombohedrally aligned SiGe (111)-oriented crystals are disposed on the (0001) C-plane of the crystal substrate. A first region of material is disposed on the rhombohedrally aligned SiGe layer. The first region comprises an intrinsic or doped Si, Ge, or SiGe layer. The first region can be layered between two secondary regions comprising n+doped SiGe or n+doped Ge, whereby the first region collects electrons from the two secondary regions.

A thermoelectric device is provided that includes a first flexible copper substrate having a carbon layer disposed on a polycrystalline flexible copper foil, a first nanowire structure disposed on the carbon layer, where the first nanowire structure includes a first lateral film layer disposed on the distal ends of the first nanowire structure, where the first lateral film layer connects the first nanowire structure distal ends, a second nanowire structure disposed on the first lateral film layer, where the second nanowire structure includes a second lateral film layer disposed on distal ends of the second nanowire structure, where the second lateral film layer connects the second nanowire structure distal ends, and a second flexible copper substrate disposed on the second lateral film layer.

A thermoelectric module including at least one PN junction device is provided. The PN junction device includes a PN junction structure, top electrodes and at least one bottom electrode. The PN junction structure includes an N-type thermoelectric element and a P-type thermoelectric element, wherein side surfaces of the N-type thermoelectric element and the P-type thermoelectric element facing each other are in contact. The top electrodes are separated from each other and respectively cover a portion of a top surface of the N-type thermoelectric element or a portion of a top surface of the P-type thermoelectric element. The bottom electrode covers a bottom surface of the N-type thermoelectric element and a bottom surface of the P-type thermoelectric element.