Thermoelectric device

A thermoelectric device, comprising:

• a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements, 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;
• a plurality of isolating structures physically isolating thin-film thermoelectric elements from each other;
• and
• first and second electrodes electrically coupling the thin-film thermoelectric elements in parallel, the first electrode directly electrically coupling the electrically conductive members to each other and the second electrode electrically coupling the Seebeck effect members to each other and wherein the second electrode is a continuous material on the plurality of Seebeck effect members, each of the thin-film thermoelectric elements being positioned between the first and second electrodes.

A thermoelectric device, comprising:

• a substrate having a first surface with a plurality of first openings at a plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, respectively;
• first material portions of respective thin-film thermoelectric elements in the first openings, respectively, the first material portions being of a Seebeck effect material or an electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material;
• second material portions of the respective thin-film thermoelectric elements at the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric element locations, respectively, the second material portions being of the electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material if the first material conductive portions are of the Seebeck effect material, and the second material portions being of the Seebeck effect material if the first material portions are of the electrically conductive non-Seebeck effect material;
• a first conductive electrode layer that physically and directly electrically couples the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together, the first conductive electrode layer being physically and electrically coupled to respective bottom surfaces of the thin-film thermoelectric elements;
• and
• a second conductive electrode layer that physically and electrically couples the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements together and contacts the thin-film thermoelectric elements, the second conductive electrode layer being a continuous material and is physically and electrically coupled to respective top surfaces of the plurality of thin-film thermoelectric elements, and each thin-film thermoelectric element being positioned between the first and second conductive electrode layers.