Seiko Instruments Inc

Hirohiko Nemoto

Matsuo Kishi

Hiroshi Okano

Shuzo Sudo

A thermoelectric conversion device is manufactured by the following steps of forming. A metallic material is formed on a substrate. A photosensitive resin pattern is formed on the metallic material. Patterned n-type or p-type thermoelectric material elements having a predetermined thickness and electrode junction layers are formed by plating. Next, the photosensitive resin pattern is dissolved and the metallic material is removed. And the substrate having the p-type thermoelectric material elements and the substrate having the n-type thermoelectric material elements are joined with the electrode junction layers interposed between the each thermoelectric material elements and the opposed substrate.

Thermoelectric conversion device and method of manufacturing the same

A thermoelectric device comprises a pair of substrates each having a surface, P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips interposed between the pair of substrates, electrodes disposed on the surface of each substrate and connecting adjacent P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips to each other, and support elements disposed over the surface of each of the substrates for supporting and aligning the thermoelectric material chips on the respective electrodes and between the pair of substrates. Each of the thermoelectric material chips has a first distal end connected to one of the electrodes of one of the substrates and a second distal end connected to one of the electrodes of the other of the substrates. The adjacent P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips connected by the electrodes are interposed between the pair of substrates such that a line connecting centers of the adjacent P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips is coincident with a diagonal of each of the adjacent P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips.

Thermoelectric device

A thermoelectric device comprises a pair of substrates each having a surface, electrodes disposed on the surface of each of the substrates, and P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips interposed between the pair of substrates. Each of the thermoelectric chips has a first distal end connected to one of the electrodes of one of the substrates and a second distal end connected to one of the electrodes of the other of the substrates. Support elements are disposed over the surface of each of the substrates for supporting and aligning the thermoelectric material chips on the respective electrodes and between the pair of substrates.

A method of making a thermoelectric device comprises forming electrodes on a surface of a first substrate and on a surface of a second substrate. Thereafter, a P-type thermoelectric material plate is bonded to the surface of the first substrate having the electrodes, and an N-type thermoelectric material plate is bonded to the surface of the second substrate having the electrodes. Each of the thermoelectric material plates are then processed by cutting and removing portions thereof to form P-type and N-type thermoelectric material chips bonded to the first and second substrates, respectively. Thereafter, the N-type thermoelectric material chips of the second substrate are bonded to the electrodes of the first substrate, and the P-type thermoelectric material chips of the first substrate are bonded to the electrodes of the second substrate to form PN-junctions between the first and second substrates.

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Chiba, Japan

Hirohiko Nemoto