Miniature Thermoelectric Power Generator
First Claim
1. A thermoelectric device, comprising:
- a stack of thermoelectric modules, each thermoelectric module comprising;
an inner thermally conductive ring, the inner thermally conductive ring providing a channel for hot gas to pass therethrough;
an outer thermally conductive ring, an outer surface of the outer thermally conductive ring remaining cooler than the inner thermally conductive ring; and
a radially-oriented thermopile in connection with the inner thermally conductive ring and the outer thermally conductive ring, wherein the radially-oriented thermopile has alternating regions of thermoelectric material.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The subject invention pertains to thermoelectric power generation. According to certain embodiments, a stack of silicon-micromachined chips can be connected to form a cylindrical heat exchanger that enables a large, uniform temperature difference across a radially-oriented thermopile. Each layer in the stack can comprise two thermally-isolated concentric silicon rings connected by a polyimide membrane that supports patterned thermoelectric thin films. The polyimide membrane can be formed by selectively etching away the supporting silicon, resulting in thermally-isolated inner and outer rings. In operation, hot gas can flow through a finned central channel, and an external cross flow can enhance heat transfer to ambient to keep the outer surfaces cool. The resulting temperature gradient across the thermopile generates a voltage potential across the open ends due to the Seebeck effect. When connected to a load, current flows, and electrical power is supplied by the generated voltage potential caused by the temperature gradient.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A thermoelectric device, comprising:
-
a stack of thermoelectric modules, each thermoelectric module comprising; an inner thermally conductive ring, the inner thermally conductive ring providing a channel for hot gas to pass therethrough; an outer thermally conductive ring, an outer surface of the outer thermally conductive ring remaining cooler than the inner thermally conductive ring; and a radially-oriented thermopile in connection with the inner thermally conductive ring and the outer thermally conductive ring, wherein the radially-oriented thermopile has alternating regions of thermoelectric material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method for fabricating a thermoelectric device, the method comprising:
-
providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a front-side oxide layer and a back-side oxide layer; forming an annular thermally insulating membrane on the front-side oxide layer; forming a set of first thermoelements on the annular thermally insulating membrane; forming a set of second thermoelements on the annular thermally insulating membrane; removing portions of the front-side oxide layer exposed at an inner region of the annular thermally insulating membrane and at an outer region of the annular thermally insulating membrane; removing the back-side oxide layer; forming a protective coating on the set of first thermoelements and the set of second thermoelements; and performing an etching process with respect to the back-side of the semiconductor substrate such that the semiconductor substrate is completely removed in a region corresponding to the inner region of the annular thermally insulating membrane while defining a finned inner channel, and the semiconductor substrate is completely removed to expose a bottom surface of the front-side oxide layer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A method for fabricating a thermoelectric device, comprising:
-
fabricating a plurality of thermoelectric modules using a silicon wafer, wherein each thermoelectric module comprises two thermally-isolated concentric silicon rings connected by a thermally insulating membrane that supports patterned thermoelectric thin films; and stacking two or more of the thermoelectric modules to form a tubular or cylindrical structure.
-
Specification