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 method may be provided of manufacturing a thermoelectric leg. The method may include preparing a first metal substrate including a first metal, and forming a first plated layer including a second metal on the first metal substrate. The method may also include disposing a layer including tellurium (Te) on the first plated layer, and forming a portion of the first plated layer as a first bonding layer by reacting the second metal and the Te. The method also includes disposing a thermoelectric material layer including bismuth (Bi) and Te on an upper surface of the first bonding layer, and disposing a second metal substrate, on which a second bonding layer and a second plated layer are formed, on the thermoelectric material layer, and sintering.

The invention relates to a porous thermoelectric material (5; 5a, 5b): having, at 20° C. and at atmospheric pressure, a thermal conductivity of less than 100 mW/(m.Math.K) and an electrical conductivity of between 20 S/m and 10.sup.5 S/m, and comprising a matrix of a thermal insulating material which has a porosity of more than 70%, and which may be filled at least locally with an electrically conductive material (5b), the content of the electrically conductive material being comprised between 0% and 90% by weight of the total weight of the thermal insulating material.

A thermoelectric module according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing, a thermoelectric element accommodated in the housing; a sealing member disposed on a side portion of the thermoelectric element; and a heat transfer member disposed on the thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element includes: a first substrate; a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the first substrate; a plurality of thermoelectric legs disposed on the plurality of first electrodes; a plurality of second electrodes disposed on the plurality of thermoelectric legs; and a second substrate disposed on the second electrodes. The heat transfer member includes a plurality of grooves, and the sealing member is in contact with a side surface of at least one of the first electrodes, the second electrodes, and the plurality of thermoelectric legs.

A thermoelectric module includes a flexible film with an insulation characteristic, the film having a shape that is longer in a lengthwise direction than in a width direction, a plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements and a plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements alternately arranged on one surface of the film in the lengthwise direction of the film, and first electrodes and second electrodes that alternately connect the plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements and the plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements at one side and an opposite side with respect to the width direction of the film to electrically connect the plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements and the plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements in series. One lateral end and an opposite lateral end of the film are bent with the plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements, the plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements, the first electrodes, and the second electrodes attached to the film.

A thermoelectric module including at least a first and a second thermoelectric element comprising a thermoelectric semiconductor; an electrode connecting the first and second thermoelectric elements; and at least a first and a second joining layer, the first joining layer positioned between the first thermoelectric element and the electrode, and the second joining layer positioned between the second thermoelectric element and the electrode; and at least a first and a second barrier layer including an alloy including Cu, Mo and Ti, the first barrier layer positioned between the first thermoelectric element and the first joining layer, and the second barrier layer positioned between the second thermoelectric element and the second joining layer. The module prevents heat diffusion of the material of the joining layer, preventing the oxidation and deformation of the thermoelectric element under high temperature environment, and exhibiting improved operational stability due to excellent adhesion to a thermoelectric element.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a thermoelectric leg comprises: a thermoelectric material layer comprising Bi and Te; a first metal layer and a second metal layer respectively arranged the thermoelectric material layer; a first adhesive layer arranged between the thermoelectric material layer and the first metal layer and comprising the Te, and a second adhesive layer arranged between the thermoelectric material layer and the second metal layer and comprising the Te; and a first plating layer arranged between the first metal layer and the first adhesive layer, and a second plating layer arranged between the second metal layer and the second adhesive layer, wherein the thermoelectric material layer is arranged between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, the amount of the Te is higher than the amount of the Bi in the thermoelectric material layer.

A heat conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of P-type thermoelectric legs and a plurality of N-type thermoelectric legs which are electrically connected and arranged in an array; an insulating part disposed on one surface of the plurality of P-type thermoelectric legs and the plurality of N-type thermoelectric legs; a heat sink disposed on the insulating part; a fan disposed spaced a predetermined distance from the heat sink; and a plurality of fastening members having moduli of elasticity of 1*10.sup.3 kgf/cm.sup.2 to 30*10.sup.3 kgf/cm.sup.2 and fixing the heat sink and the fan. Each one of the fastening members comprises: a shaft part; a first fixed part which is disposed at one end of the shaft part and fixed to the heat sink; a second fixed part which protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the shaft part and is fixed to the fan; and a separating part which protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft part and is disposed between the heat sink and the fan to separate the heat sink and the fan, wherein the width of the second fixed part increases toward the first fixed part, and the shaft part, the first fixed part, the second fixed part, and the separating part are integrally formed.

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 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.