This disclosure relates to an integrated thermoelectric cooler and methods for forming thereof. The integrated thermoelectric cooler can include a plurality of thermoelectric rods located between the detector substrate and a system interposer. The detector substrate and the system interposer can directly contact ends of the thermoelectric rods. The integrated thermoelectric cooler can be formed by forming the plurality of thermoelectric rods on reels, for example, and the plurality of thermoelectric rods can be thinned down to a certain height. The thermoelectric rods can be transferred and bonded to the system substrate. An overmold can be formed around the plurality of thermoelectric rods. The height of the overmold and thermoelectric rods can be thinned down to another height. The thermoelectric rods can be bonded to the detector substrate. In some examples, the overmold can be removed.

A thermoelectric composition is provided that includes a nanocomposite comprising a copper selenide (Cu.sub.2Se) matrix having a plurality of nanoinclusions comprising copper metal selenide (CuMSe.sub.2) distributed therein. M may be selected from the group consisting of: indium (In), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi), and combinations thereof. The thermoelectric composition has an average figure of merit (ZT) of greater than or equal to about 1.5 at a temperature of less than or equal to about 850K (about 577° C.). Methods of making such a thermoelectric nanocomposite material by a sequential solid-state transformation of a CuSe.sub.2 precursor are also provided.

The present disclosure relates to an energy harvesting system for generating electrical energy by using a solar cell and a thermoelectric device. The energy harvesting system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a solar cell for generating electrical energy based on sunlight; an interface layer located under the solar cell and including a heat transfer layer for transferring heat generated by the solar cell; a thermoelectric device located under the interface layer, including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a thermoelectric channel located between the first and second electrodes, and configured to generate electrical energy based on a temperature difference between the first and second electrodes that occurs when heat generated by the solar cell is transferred to the first electrode through the heat transfer layer; and a cooling layer located under the thermoelectric device and cooling the second electrode to increase the temperature difference.

A method includes forming a plurality of first semiconductor mesa structures at a first semiconductor substrate. The first semiconductor substrate has a first conductivity type. The method further includes forming a plurality of second semiconductor mesa structures at a second semiconductor substrate. The second semiconductor substrate has a second conductivity type. The method further includes providing a glass substrate between the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate. The method includes connecting the first semiconductor substrate to the second semiconductor substrate so that at least a portion of the glass substrate is located laterally between the first semiconductor mesa structures of the plurality of first semiconductor mesa structures and the second semiconductor mesa structures of the plurality of second semiconductor mesa structures.

To provide a Peltier cooling element that is excellent in thermoelectric performance and flexibility and can be manufactured easily at low cost. A Peltier cooling element containing a thermoelectric conversion material containing a support having thereon a thin film containing a thermoelectric semiconductor composition containing thermoelectric semiconductor fine particles, a heat resistant resin, and an ionic liquid, and a method for manufacturing a Peltier cooling element containing a thermoelectric conversion material containing a support having thereon a thin film containing a thermoelectric semiconductor composition containing thermoelectric semiconductor fine particles, a heat resistant resin, and an ionic liquid, the method containing: coating a thermoelectric semiconductor composition containing thermoelectric semiconductor fine particles, a heat resistant resin, and an ionic liquid, on a support, and drying, so as to form a thin film; and subjecting the thin film to an annealing treatment.

The present application discloses a thermoelectric material, which contains CsAg.sub.5Te.sub.3 crystal material. At 700K, the thermoelectric material has an optimum dimensionless figure-of-merit Z1 as high as 1.6 and a high stability, and the thermoelectric material can be recycled. The present application also discloses a method for preparing the CsAg.sub.5Te.sub.3 crystal material. The CsAg.sub.5Te.sub.3 crystal material is one-step synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state method, using a raw material containing Cs, Ag and Te, so that the high-purity product is obtained while the synthesis time is greatly shortened.

A thermoelectric material is provided. The material can be a grain boundary modified nanocomposite that has a plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains and a plurality of zinc oxide nanoparticles within the plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains. In addition, the material has zinc antimony modified grain boundaries between the plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains.

Provided is a thermoelectric material satisfying (MX).sub.1+a(TX.sub.2).sub.n and having a superlattice structure, wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Group 13, Group 14, and Group 15, T is at least one element selected from Group 5, X is a chalcogenide element, a is a real number satisfying 0<a<1, and n is a natural number of 1 to 3.

In a step of pressing a laminate, the laminate is first pressed while being heated to a temperature lower than a melting point of a thermoplastic resin so as to elastically deform the thermoplastic resin and apply a pressure in a direction perpendicular to a laminating direction to thereby allow first and second conductive pastes to tightly adhere to front and rear surface patterns. Next, the laminate is pressed while being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin so as to fluidize the thermoplastic resin while allowing the thermoplastic resin to flow out from the laminate and apply a pressure in the direction perpendicular to the laminating direction to thereby allow the first and second conductive pastes are solid-sintered.

Methods and processes to fabricate thermoelectric materials and more particularly to methods and processes to fabricate nano-sized doped silicon-based semiconductive materials to use as thermoelectrics in the production of electricity from recovered waste heat. Substantially oxidant-free and doped silicon particulates are fractured and sintered to form a porous nano-sized silicon-based thermoelectric material.