On-chip Peltier cooling devices on a micromachined membrane structure

A Peltier device comprising:

• a) a substrate having first and second surfaces and an aperture therethrough;
• b) a membrane structure located proximately at said second surface and spanning said aperture, said membrane being thin in comparison to the thickness of said substrate;
• c) said membrane having two segments of two different semiconductor types and having a junction between said two segments at the approximate midpoint between said segments;
• and
• d) thin film metal contact pads for contacting said segments at their ends opposite said junction.

A Peltier device on a membrane structure comprising:

• a) a substrate having an aperture therein, said aperture terminating at a membrane region;
• b) p-doped and n-doped segments implanted in said membrane region and p-doped and n-doped regions implanted in said substrate adjacent to and contiguous with said segments, first ends of said segments meeting at a common point on said membrane to form a junction;
• c) metal contact pads situated on top of said doped regions opposite said junction;
• and
• d) a junction pad situated above said junction.