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Procedia Engineering 27 (2012) 85 93

Procedia
Engineering
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

2011 Chinese Materials Conference

A high packing density micro-thermoelectric power generator

fabricated by electrochemical MEMS technology
Wei Wanga*, Xialiaoa, Yanbing Zhua, Han Xua, Huan Lib
a

Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R.
China
b
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Material Science and Engineering , Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China

Abstract
A new micro-thermoelectric power generator module with high packing density of film thermoelectric legs has been
proposed, in which a larger number of p-type and n-type thin-film thermoelectric legs are electrically connected in
series. Based on the new module, two micro-thermoelectric power generators are fabricated by the electrochemical
MEMS technology. The two micro-thermoelectric power generators containing 160 film thermocouples are all
fabricated with a size of 25mm (length) 4mm (width) 1mm (thickness), but the size of their thermoelectric legs
are different, the size of the thermoelectric legs are 3.6mm (length) 0.4mm (width) 20 m (thickness) and
3.6mm (length) 0.4mm (width) 50 m (thickness), respectively. The open circuit voltage Vopen-circuit, the
maximum output power and the corresponding power density of the two micro-thermoelectric power generators with
a constant temperature difference T=20K at room temperature is 630mV, 35 W, 357 W/cm3 and 660mV, 77
W, 770 W/cm3, respectively. The result shows that the thickness of the film thermoelectric materials have important
influence on the performance of the micro-thermoelectric power generators.

2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Chinese Materials
2011 Published
Research
Society by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Chinese Materials
Research Society
Keywords: micro-thermoelectric power generator; electrochemical MEMS technology; module; manufacture; properties

MEMS

a*, a, a, a, b
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +86-22-27409483; fax: +86-22-27409483.
E-mail address: wwangg@tju.edu.cn.

1877-7058 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Chinese Materials Research Society
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2011.12.428

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W. Wang, et al. / Procedia Engineering 00 (2011) 000000
a
b

300072
300072

n
p MEMS 2
25mm () 4mm () 1mm () 160
3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 20m () 3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 50m ()
20K 630mV35W
357Wcm3 660mV77W770W/cm3

MEMS

1.
MEMS
Micro-thermoelectric power
generator , MTEG
PVDCVDECD

[1-8]
1

Fleurial [9] 2003 126

60 m 20 m
1 W 40 Wcm-2 4mVWeber
[10] Whalen [11]
22 215m
30 ZT = 0.9715K
82mV 450W 104Wcm3
[12]
MEMS 2

2.
2.1.
Bi(NO3)35H2OK2TeO3Sb2O3H2SeO3
p BiIII TeIV SbIII SeIV
3mM6mM 20mM2mM0.67M 1M Bi(NO3)35H2OK2TeO3H2SeO3
n BiIIITeIV SeIV

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30mM20mM2mM 1M
2.2.
Bi-Sb-Te-Se
250 2h
2.3.
D/MAX-2500 X (XRD)
PHILIPS XL30 ESEM TMP (ESEM)
(EDS)
TJU-EC2001
TJU-EC2002
TJU-EC200320K

3.

1 p n
p
n p n
p n
Left pole

Electric connecting layer

Left pole

Electric connecting layer

Right pole

Right pole
A

P leg

P leg
N leg
a)

N leg

Insulating layer

b)

Insulating layer

1. a) b) A
Fig. 1. Schematic view of the film-like thermoelectric component. a) Three-dimensional view; b) Cross sectional view along cross
section A

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Insulating
connection
layer

Heat end

right pole
N leg

Pole
connecting
layer

P leg
Cold end

left pole

2.
Fig. 2. Schematic view of the thermoelectric aggregation

2
3

Insulating
connection
layer

Heat end

1
1

Negative electrode
Insulating layer

Pole
connecting
layer

Positive electrode
Cold end

Outer encapsulating layer

3.
Fig. 3. Schematic view of the partly encapsulated thermoelectric aggregation

3
4

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Procedia
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al. / Procedia
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Hot end
Outer
encapsulating
layer

Hard upper plate

Heat
conductiv
e layer

Heat
conductive
layer

Outer
encapsulatin
g layer

Hard lower plate

Positive electrode Cold end

4.
Fig. 4. Schematic appearance of the proposed MTEG module

1
2

4.
4.1.
n-type

p-type

5. n p SEM
Fig. 5. Morphologies of electrodeposited N-type Bi2Te3-ySey and P-type Bi2-xSbxTe3 films

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n p
SEM 5 n p

XRD 6 7 p n Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3
Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 015
p n -125 VK-1 110 VK-1
1.010-5m 1.810-5m

(205)

30

(1010)

20

(110)

(015)

10

40

50

60

70

80

90 100

2degree

6. p Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 XRD
Fig. 6. XRD patterns of p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 films

(015)
(110)
(0210)

(1010)

(101)
2
0

3
0

4
0

5
0

6
0

2degree

7
0

8
0

9
0

7. n Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 f XRD
Fig. 7. XRD patterns of n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 films

4.2.

1 n

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n p p
n p 2 n
n p p
MEMS
8 20 p 21
n p n
3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 20m () 3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 50m ()

9
8 9 b
160 25mm ()
4mm () 1mm ()

8. MEMS
Fig. 8. Photo of the film-like thermoelectric component

9. a b
Fig. 9. Photos of the MTEG composed of eight film-like thermoelectric components a) and its cross-section b).

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5.

20K 10 10 a 3.6mm ) 0.4mm ()

20m () 10 b 3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 50m ()

630mV35W 357Wcm3 660mV

77W770W/cm3

500

Testing Data
power

35

350

34

300

400

33

350

32
31

300

30

250
200

a)

0.06

29
0.08

0.10

I / mA

a)

0.12

0.14

28

Power / W

V / mV

450

voltage

400

testing data

36

V/mV

Simulated Line

stimulated line

voltage

power

250

100
50

70
60
50

200
150

80

40
power

30

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

I/A

b)

10. 20K
Fig. 10. Relationship of output voltage , output power and current density at room temperature with a constant temperature
difference T=20K.

6.

1
2
3

MEMS
25mm () 4mm () 1mm ()
20K 3.6mm ) 0.4mm () 20m () 3.6mm
) 0.4mm () 50m ()
630mV35W 357Wcm3 660mV77W770W/cm3

P/W

37
550

Wei Wang et al. / Procedia Engineering 27 (2012) 85 93

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(2009DFA62700)(200800560002)

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