US 11,856,857 B2
Integrated thermoelectric devices on insulating media
Uttam Ghoshal, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to Sheetak, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/769,742
Filed by Sheetak, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 19, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/056345
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/077095, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 22, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/030,167, filed on May 26, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/020,528, filed on May 5, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/951,808, filed on Dec. 20, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/916,663, filed on Oct. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0384703 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. H10N 10/17 (2023.01); H10N 10/01 (2023.01); H10N 10/852 (2023.01); H10N 10/853 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 10/17 (2023.02) [H10N 10/01 (2023.02); H10N 10/852 (2023.02); H10N 10/853 (2023.02)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thermoelectric apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a thermally and electrically non-conductive substrate having a first side and second side;
a plurality of tunnels between the first side and the second side, where each of the plurality of tunnels has a first opening on the first side and a second opening on the second side, and where the first opening is larger than the second opening;
wherein within each of the plurality of tunnels is deposited:
a via body;
a bottom layer disposed on the via body proximate to the first side;
a base barrier layer disposed on the via body proximate to the second side;
an energy filter layer adjacent to the second side and a plurality of base barrier layers;
a plurality of thermoelectric layers disposed adjacent to the energy filter layer for each of the plurality of base barrier layers, wherein each of the thermoelectric layers comprises alternating composite thermoelectric layers and interlayers; and wherein the thermoelectric layers for each tunnel are either n-type or p-type;
a plurality of top layers disposed on each of the plurality of thermoelectric layers;
a first plurality of conductive links proximate to the first side and electrically connected between a first set of pairs of the tunnels associated with the n-type and the p-type thermoelectric layers; and
a second plurality of conductive links proximate to the second side and electrically connected between a second set of pairs of the tunnels associated with the n-type and the p-type thermoelectric layers and alternating with the first plurality of conductive links.