# US 2018/0323361 A1 · Thermoelectric device embedded in a printed circuit board

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- Number: US 2018/0323361 A1
- Document ID: US20180323361A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/031,868
- Filed: 2018-07-10
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2007-08-29
- Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Applicants: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Inventors: Henry L. Edwards; Kenneth J. Maggio; Steven Kummerl; Sreenivasan K. Koduri
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323361A1

## CPC

- H10N 10/10: operating with only the Peltier or Seebeck effects
- H05K 1/0203: {Cooling of mounted components (H05K1/0272 takes precedence)}
- H05K 1/185: associated with components encapsulated in the insulating substrate of the PCBs; associated with components incorporated in internal layers of multilayer circuit boards
- H10D 62/00: Semiconductor bodies, or regions thereof, of devices having potential barriers
- H10D 62/01: {Manufacture or treatment}
- H10W 40/28: comprising Peltier coolers
- H10W 70/09: extending onto an encapsulation that laterally surrounds the chip or wafer, e.g. fan-out wafer level package [FOWLP] RDLs
- H10W 70/60: Insulating or insulated package substrates; Interposers; Redistribution layers (leadframes H10W70/40)
- H05K 2201/0358: Resin coated copper [RCC]
- H05K 2201/10219: Thermoelectric component
- H10W 70/099: {Connecting interconnections to insulating or insulated package substrates, interposers or redistribution layers}
- H10W 72/073: {of die-attach connectors}
- H10W 72/926: {Multiple bond pads having different sizes}
- H10W 72/9413: {on encapsulations}
- H10W 72/944: {Dispositions of multiple bond pads}
- H10W 74/019: {using temporary auxiliary substrates (H10W74/017 takes precedence)}
- H10W 90/734: {between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL}
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A circuit board includes an embedded thermoelectric device with hard thermal bonds. A method includes embedding a thermoelectric device in a circuit board and forming hard thermal bonds.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of embedding an integrated thermoelectric device in a circuit board, the method comprising:
placing the integrated thermoelectric device onto die attach epoxy on a first resin coated copper film;
adding a layer of partially cured epoxy resin over the integrated thermoelectric device;
placing a second resin coated copper film over the layer of partially cured epoxy resin;
hot pressure laminating the first resin coated copper film, the integrated thermoelectric device, the layer of partially cured epoxy resin and the second resin coated copper film to form the circuit board with the integrated thermoelectric device embedded;
laser drilling openings in a front side and a back side of the circuit board to metal pads on the integrated thermoelectric device;
forming metal layers on the front side and the back side of the circuit board which at least partially fill the openings;
patterning and etching the metal layers on the front side and the back side of the circuit board to form electrical and thermal traces; and
forming a hard thermal bond between the thermal trace and a heat source or a heat sink.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a hollowed out area is formed in the layer of partially cured epoxy resin to accommodate the integrated circuit device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising placing thermal insulating material around the integrated thermoelectric device and placing the thermal insulating material onto the die attach epoxy.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hard thermal bond is formed by soldering.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal traces and the electrical traces are separate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal trace is also an electrical trace.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated thermoelectric device is a stand alone thermoelectric device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated thermoelectric device is embedded in an integrated circuit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated thermoelectric device is a thermoelectric generator.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated thermoelectric device is a thermoelectric cooler.