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.

In an aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided comprising the steps of: (a) providing a silicon-containing substrate, (b) depositing a first metal on the substrate, (c) etching the substrate produced by step (b) using a first etch, and (d) etching the substrate produced by step (c) using a second etch, wherein the second etch is more aggressive towards the deposited metal than the first etch, wherein the result of step (d) comprises silicon nanowires. The method may further comprise, for example, steps (b1) subjecting the first metal to a treatment which causes it to agglomerate and (b2) depositing a second metal.

Integrated circuit devices which include a thermoelectric generator which recycles heat generated by operation of an integrated circuit, into electrical energy that is then used to help support the power requirements of that integrated circuit. Roughly described, the device includes an integrated circuit die having an integrated circuit thereon, the integrated circuit having power supply terminals for connection to a primary power source, and a thermoelectric generator structure disposed in sufficient thermal communication with the integrated circuit die so as to derive, from heat generated by the die, a voltage difference across first and second terminals of the thermoelectric generator structure. A powering structure is arranged to help power the integrated circuit, from the voltage difference across the first and second terminals of the thermoelectric generator. The thermoelectric generator can include IC packaging material that is made from thermoelectric semiconductor materials.

A thermoelectric module may include a metallic module housing surrounding a module interior and conductor bridges arranged therein. The module housing may include a cold side wall and a warm side wall connected to cold-side conductor bridges and warm-side conductor bridges, respectively, in a thermally conductive, electrically insulating and permanent manner. The module may also include thermoelectric elements extending between the cold-side and warm-side conductor bridges. The cold side wall may be formed from a first metal material having a first heat expansion coefficient, and the warm side wall may be formed from a second metal material having a second heat expansion coefficient distinct from the first heat expansion coefficient. At least one of the first and second metal materials may be an iron material, the wall formed from the iron material having an electrically insulating coating, including one of a glass-ceramic sol-gel, a silicon oxide, and a polysilazen coating.

The invention relates to a handle for a cooking vessel that includes at least one thermoelectric generator. The thermoelectric generator includes at least a first contact surface thermally connected to a heat sink and the heat sink is formed from a material that undergoes a phase transition when heated to temperatures varying between 50° C. and 70° C.

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric module, and a thermoelectric module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of thermoelectric elements that are disposed between a heat transmission member and a cooling member; and a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer that are respectively disposed between the heat transmission member and the plurality of thermoelectric elements and between the cooling member and the plurality of thermoelectric elements, wherein the plurality of thermoelectric elements may include P-type thermoelectric elements and N-type thermoelectric elements, and a P-type thermoelectric element and an N-type thermoelectric element that neighbor each other may have different heights, and one electrode layer selected from among the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer formed throughout the P-type thermoelectric element and the N-type thermoelectric element that neighbor each other may have at least two bent portions.

A thermoelectric module is provided that includes a housing that has at least two opposite walls, and a plurality of thermoelectric elements that have at least two opposite surfaces, and a plurality of conductor bridges. At least two thermoelectric elements are connected to a conductor bridge, and the thermoelectric elements, via one of the surfaces thereof, are in thermal contact with a support element, a combination of at least two thermoelectric elements and a conductor bridge being in thermal contact with a support element.

Apparatus and methods of generating electricity include using an optically and thermally responsive material comprising single-walled Carbon nanotubes and Copper sulfide nanoparticles. This material acts as a thermoelectric generator lacking rectifying effects. In some forms, the generator may generate electricity from a light source alone, a heat source alone, or a source of both light and heat. Some forms exhibit enhanced optical and thermal switching characteristics, light absorption, photocurrent and thermocurrent generation under light illumination or/and thermal radiation, providing a new route to obtain thermoelectricity without any cooling or heat-sink component. Moreover, measurements showed thin films of SWNT CuS NPs had significantly increased light absorption (up to 80%) compared to untreated SWNT thin films.

A thermoelectric device (20) and a method for manufacturing and using the same are disclosed. The thermoelectric device (20) includes a hot shoe (24) and a cold shoe (28) disposed about the hot shoe. A heat conducting member (32) formed of a thermoelectric material extends between the hot shoe (24) and the cold shoe (28) and generates electricity in response to a temperature difference therebetween. The hot shoe (24) is heated and expands at a greater rate than the cold shoe (28) does during operation. The structural and spatial relationship of the hot shoe (24) and the cold shoe (28) maintains the thermoelectric material of the heat conducting member (32) in compression during operation of the thermoelectric device (20).

Structures that include thermoelectric couples and methods for fabricating such structures. A device level and a back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnect structure are fabricated at a front side of a substrate. A thermoelectric couple is formed that is coupled with the substrate. The thermoelectric couple includes a first through-silicon via extending through the device level and the substrate to a back side of the substrate, a second through-silicon via extending through the device level and the substrate to the back side of the substrate, an n-type thermoelectric pillar coupled with the first through-silicon via, and a p-type thermoelectric pillar coupled with the second through-silicon via. The BEOL interconnect structure includes a wire that couples the first through-silicon via in series with the second through-silicon via.