Thermoelectric device and method of fabricating the same

• US 6,329,217 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2000
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shigeru, Sakamaki, Yumiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaudhuri, Olik
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAI SING
• Application Number:
  US09/576,811
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 251/467, 251/930, 136/203, 136/204, 136/212
• US Class Current: 438/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/17 characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device

Abstract

A plurality of n-type bar-shaped devices (51) consisting of an n-type thermoelectric semiconductor and a plurality of p-type bar-shaped devices (52) consisting of a p-type thermoelectric semiconductor are regularly disposed or fixed through an insulating layer (50) to form a thermoelectric device block (53). End portions of the n-type bar shaped device (51) and the p-type bar-shaped device (52) are connected with an interconnection conductor (58a) on an upper surface (53a) and a lower surface (53b), which will be interconnecting end faces of the thermoelectric device block (53), to form a plurality of thermocouples connected in series. In addition, a pair of terminal conductors (58b, 58b) which is electrically connected with bar-shaped devices (51a, 52a) at least on one end portion and the other end portion of the n-type and p-type bar-shaped devices (51, 52) connected in series is formed on end face (53c) excluding the upper surface (53a) and the lower surface (53b) which will be an interconnecting end face of the thermoelectric device block (53), and a lead wire is connected to the terminal conductors (58b, 58b).

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a thermoelectric device, comprising the steps of:

forming a thermoelectric device block having two faces of interconnecting end faces by regularly disposing and fixing a plurality of n-type bar-shape devices consisting of the n-type thermoelectric semiconductors and a plurality of p-type bar-shaped devices consisting of the p-type thermoelectric semiconductors through an insulating layer, and exposing respectively both end faces of said each n-type bar-shaped device and each p-type bar-shaped device;

forming a plurality of thermoelectric couples by connecting between end faces of said n-type bar-shaped device and p-type bar-shaped device with an interconnection conductor on the interconnecting end face of the thermoelectric device block, and connecting alternatively said plural n-type bar-shaped devices and plural p-type bar-shaped devices in series; and

forming a pair of terminal conductors electrically connected respectively to the bar-shaped devices at least on one end portion and the other end portion of said plural thermocouples connected in series, on a face excluding said interconnecting end face of said thermoelectric device block.

2. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein

said pair of terminal conductors is formed on one face excluding said interconnecting end face of said thermoelectric device block in said step of forming the terminal conductor.

3. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein

said pair of terminal conductors is formed one each on opposing two faces excluding said interconnecting end faces of said thermoelectric device block in said step of forming the terminal conductor.

4. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

exposing each bar-shaped device at least on one end portion and the other end portion of a plurality of said thermocouples connected in series on one face excluding said interconnecting end face of said thermoelectric device block, before said step of forming the terminal conductor; and

forming said terminal conductor by making contact respectively with one and the other of said pair of terminal conductor on the exposed surface of said each bar-shaped device in said step of forming the terminal conductor.

5. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

exposing each bar-shaped device at least on one end face and the other end face of plural said thermocouples connected in series on one and the other of opposing two surfaces excluding said interconnecting end face of said thermoelectric device block, before said step of forming the terminal conductor; and

forming said terminal conductor by bringing one and the other of said pair of terminal conductors respectively into contact with the exposed surfaces on said one face and the other face of said each bar-shaped device in said step of forming the terminal conductor.

6. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

forming respective chamfered oblique faces by grinding or polishing a corner formed with one face excluding said interconnecting end face of said thermoelectric device block and each face adjacent to both ends of said face, and exposing respectively each bar-shaped device at least on one end portion and the other end portion of said thermocouples connected in series on the one chamfered oblique face and the other chamfered oblique face before said step of forming the terminal conductor; and

forming the thermoelectric device by bringing one and the other of said pair of terminal conductors contact with the exposed surface on said one chamfered oblique face and the exposed surface on the other chamfered oblique face of said each bar-shaped device in said step of forming the terminal conductor.

7. The method of fabricating the thermoelectric device according to any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein

the process of forming said thermoelectric device block comprises the steps of:

forming a longitudinal groove and a longitudinal partition wall respectively on the n-type thermoelectric semiconductor block and the p-type thermoelectric semiconductor block to make an n-type grooved block and a p-type grooved block;

unifying the n-type grooved block and p-type grooved block by fixing said longitudinal groove and longitudinal partition wall each other to combine and forming an insulating adhesive layer in the space between the fixed portion of both blocks to make an integrated block;

making an integrated grooved block by forming a transverse groove and a transverse partition wall in the direction intersecting to said longitudinal groove on the integrated block;

forming a block by making an insulating layer on the transverse groove of the integrated grooved block and regularly disposing said plural n-type bar-shaped device and said plural p-type bar-shaped device through the insulating layer; and

forming two faces of interconnecting end faces exposed both end faces of said each n-type bar-shaped device and each p-type bar-shaped device by grinding and polishing two surfaces intersecting at right angles with the longitudinal direction of said each n-type bar-shaped device and p-type bar-shaped device of said block.