# US 5,705,434 A · Method of manufacturing thermoelectric conversion module

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- Number: US 5,705,434 A
- Document ID: US5705434A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/744,599
- Filed: 1996-11-07
- Granted: 1998-01-06
- Earliest claimed: 1995-11-13
- Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd.; Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuichiro Imanishi; Makoto Miyoshi; Tetsuo Watanabe; Keiko Kushibiki; Kazuhiko Shinohara; Masakazu Kobayashi; Kenji Furuya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5705434A

## CPC

- H10N 10/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10N 19/101: {Multiple thermocouples connected in a cascade arrangement}
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A thermoelectric conversion module having a large capacity and a curved surface which can be secured to a corresponding curved surface of a base member is manufactured by inserting N type and P type semiconductor strips into through holes formed in a honeycomb structural body, filling spaces between walls defining the through holes and the semiconductor strips with filler members, cutting the honeycomb structural body into a plurality of thermoelectric conversion module main bodies each having a desired surface configuration, providing metal electrodes on both surfaces of a thermoelectric conversion module main body such that alternate N type and P type semiconductor elements are connected in cascade, and removing the filler members or the honeycomb structural body and filler members.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion module comprising the steps of:
preparing a honeycomb structural body having a first surface, a second surface opposed to said first surface, and a plurality of channels which extend from said first surface to said second surface, alternate one or more of said channels being classified into a first group and the remaining channels being classified into a second group;
inserting N type and P type semiconductor strips into the channels belonging to the first and second groups, respectively;
filling spaces formed between walls defining the channels and the semiconductor, strips inserted therein with filler members;
cutting said honeycomb structural body into a plurality of thermoelectric conversion module main bodies, each of the bodies having N type and P type semiconductor elements provided within said channels exposed at mutually opposing first and second surfaces;
forming metal electrodes on opposite surfaces of said each of the bodies such that adjacent one or more N type semiconductor elements and one or more P type semiconductor elements are connected in cascade by means of said metal electrodes; and
removing said filler members or said honeycomb structural body and filler members.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein said filling step by immersing the honeycomb structural body having the semiconductor strips inserted therein into a melt of a material of the filler members.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein said filling step comprises sucking, of a capillary action, a melt by way of material of the filler members into the spaces formed between the walls of the honeycomb structural body and the semiconductor elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein said removing step comprises immersing said each of the bodies into an etchant which can etch the filler members.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein said cutting step is performed such that at least one of the surfaces of said each of the bodies is shaped into a curved configuration.