# US 2010/0163089 A1 · Thermoelectric device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0163089 A1 - Document ID: US20100163089A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/495,441 - Filed: 2009-06-30 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2008-12-31 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l. - Inventors: William B. Donley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100163089A1 ## CPC - H10N 10/17: characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device - H10N 10/10: operating with only the Peltier or Seebeck effects - B32B 38/06: Embossing - B32B 38/10: Removing layers, or parts of layers, mechanically or chemically - B32B 2310/024: Peltier effect - B32B 2457/00: Electrical equipment - Y10T 156/10: Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A thermoelectric device includes a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements. Each thin-film thermoelectric element is a Seebeck-Peltier device. The thin-film thermoelectric elements are electrically coupled in parallel with each other. The thermoelectric device may be fabricated using conventional semiconductor processing technologies and may be a thin-film type device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermoelectric device, comprising: a support structure having electrically insulating frame members defining a plurality of openings; and a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements electrically coupled together in parallel, each respective thin-film thermoelectric element having a respective electrically conductive member and a respective Seebeck effect member that is electrically coupled to the respective electrically conductive member, and each thin-film thermoelectric element is at least partially positioned within a respective one of the plurality of openings. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermoelectric device of claim 1, further comprising: a first electrically conductive layer covering the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements and electrically coupling the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The thermoelectric device of claim 2 wherein each respective thin-film thermoelectric element has generally planar opposed first and second surfaces, the respective first surfaces being generally aligned in a first plane, the respective second surfaces being generally aligned in a second plane that is generally parallel to the first plane, wherein the first electrically conductive layer covers the respective first surface of each respective thin-film thermoelectric element and is electrically coupled thereto, and further comprising: a second electrically conductive layer covering the respective second surface of each respective thin-film thermoelectric element and electrically coupling respective second surfaces of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The thermoelectric device of claim 3 wherein the respective Seebeck effect layer of each respective thin-film thermoelectric element is a p-doped material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The thermoelectric device of claim 3 wherein the respective Seebeck effect layer of each respective thin-film thermoelectric element is an n-doped material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The thermoelectric device of claim 1 wherein the respective electrically conductive member of each respective thin-film thermoelectric element is received by the respective opening, and wherein each respective electrically conductive member is physically separated from all other respective thin-film thermoelectric elements by at least one of the electrically insulating frame members of the support structure. ### Claim 7 A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric device having multiple thin-film thermoelectric elements, comprising: forming a layer of a first material at a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations on a generally planar first surface of a substrate; forming a layer of a second material over at least the layer of the first material at the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, wherein the first material is one of a Seebeck effect material or an electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect and the second material is the other one of the Seebeck effect material or an electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material; physically isolating the respective layer of the first material at a respective thin-film thermoelectric element location from the respective layer of the first material at all of the other thin-film thermoelectric element locations for each thin-film thermoelectric element location; physically isolating the respective layer of the second material at a respective thin-film thermoelectric element location from the respective layer of the second material at all of the other thin-film thermoelectric element locations for each thin-film thermoelectric element location; and electrically coupling a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements in parallel, wherein each respective thin-film thermoelectric element of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements is at a respective one of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, and each respective thin-film thermoelectric element includes the respective layer of the first material and the respective layer of the second material at the respective thin-film thermoelectric element location. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein electrically coupling multiple thin-film thermoelectric elements in parallel further includes: covering each respective thin-film thermoelectric element of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements with a layer of a second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material over, wherein the layer of the second electrically conductive non-Seebeck material extends generally in a plane over the generally planar first surface of the substrate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, and further comprising: forming a layer of a third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material at the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations that is substantially chemically inert with at least one of the Seebeck effect material, the first electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material, and the second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material, wherein the third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material coats at least a first surface of the layer of the Seebeck effect material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein physically isolating the respective layer of the first material at a respective thin-film thermoelectric element location from the respective layer of the first material at all of the other thin-film thermoelectric element locations and physically isolating the respective layer of the second material at a respective thin-film thermoelectric element location from the respective layer of the first material at all of the other thin-film thermoelectric element locations further includes: selectively removing at least a portion of the layer of the first material that is between adjacent thin-film thermoelectric element locations; and selectively removing at least a portion of the layer of the second material that is between adjacent the thin-film thermoelectric element locations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein a respective gap extends between adjacent thin-film thermoelectric element locations after selectively removing at least a portion of the layer of the second material that is between adjacent of the thin-film thermoelectric element locations, and further including: disposing an electrically insulative material in each respective gap. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: forming a respective opening in the first surface of the substrate at each thin-film thermoelectric element location prior to forming the layer of the first material, and wherein forming a layer of a first material at a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations further includes, opening at least partially filling the respective opening with the first material at each one of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein electrically coupling a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements in parallel further includes: forming a plurality of openings in a generally planar second surface of the substrate that is opposed to the first surface of the substrate, wherein each via extends inward from the second surface of the substrate to a bottom surface of a respective thin-film thermoelectric element; and disposing a layer of a third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material that at least partially fills each one of the openings and at least partially covers the second surface of the substrate such that the bottom surfaces of the thin-film thermoelectric elements are electrically coupled together by the third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material. ### Claim 14 A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric device having a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements, comprising: forming a respective opening in a first surface of a generally planar substrate at a first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations; at least partially filling each respective opening with a layer of a first material of a respective thin-film thermoelectric element, the first material is one of a Seebeck effect material or a first electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material; providing a layer of a second material of a respective thin-film thermoelectric element material at each one of the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, the second material is the first electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material when the first material is the Seebeck effect material, or the second material is the Seebeck effect material when the first material is the first electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material, wherein a respective thin-film thermoelectric element comprises the first material and the second material at the respective thin-film thermoelectric element location of the respective thin-film thermoelectric element; providing a layer of a second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material that physically couples the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together, the second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material physically connected to a respective bottom surface of each thin-film thermoelectric element of the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements; and providing a layer of a third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material that physically couples the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together, the third electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material physically connected to a respective top surface of each thin-film thermoelectric element of the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 comprising: at least partially filling a respective gap between adjacent thin-film thermoelectric elements of the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element with an electrically insulative material thermoelectric element. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 comprising: slicing the substrate into a plurality of dies, each die comprising a respective thermoelectric device having a second plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements that are electrically parallel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 comprising: forming at least one respective opening in a second surface of the substrate at the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, wherein each respective opening extends from the second surface to the respective bottom surface of a respective thin-film thermoelectric element of the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein providing a layer of a second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material that physically couples the first plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together includes at least partially filling each respective opening in the second surface of the substrate with the second electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material.