US 2011/0226304 A1Published application

Thermoelectric Conversion Module

AssigneeMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

InventorsSachiko Hayashi, Takanori Nakamura

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Abstract

A thermoelectric conversion module that generates electric power by applying a temperature difference to a pn junction between a p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material and an n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material, at least one surface of a pair of surfaces to which a temperature difference is to be applied is covered with an insulating film. Surfaces other than the surfaces to which the temperature difference is to be applied are also covered with an insulating film. The p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material, the n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material, an insulating material arranged therebetween, and the insulating film that covers a predetermined region of the surface are co-sintered.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A thermoelectric conversion module comprising:

a module body comprising a p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material and an n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material, wherein the p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material is directly bonded to the n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material in a first region of a junction surface between the p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material and the n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material, and the p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material is bonded to the n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material with an insulating material provided therebetween in a second region of the junction surface to form a pn junction;
a pair of lead-out electrodes arranged to output electric power generated by a temperature difference applied to the pn junction, and
an insulating film covering a region of at least one surface of a pair of surfaces at which the p-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material and the n-type oxide thermoelectric conversion material are exposed and to which the temperature difference is applied.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.