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Micro-thermoelectric devices

Nature Electronics volume 5, pages 333–347 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Sustainable energy harvesting and efficient thermal management are required for the development of highly integrated electronic devices, the Internet of Things, and flexible and wearable technology. Micro-thermoelectric devices, which are capable of generating electricity from waste heat or using electricity to generate local cooling, are a promising solution. The devices have, in particular, a smaller leg cross-section and height than their commercial, macroscopic counterparts and can thus offer a faster response, higher resolution and greater power density. They can also be integrated with multifunctional microelectronic devices. Here we review the development of micro-thermoelectric devices. We examine progress in device design, integration, characterization and performance, and explore potential applications in cooling, power generation and sensing. We also analyse the key challenges that need to be addressed to create high-performance devices and realize the full commercial potential of the technology.

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Fig. 1: Existing and future applications and device principles of macro- and µ-TEDs.
Fig. 2: Power generation performance of a micro-thermocouple relating to different structural parameters.
Fig. 3: Timeline of major µ-TED developments in the past 30 years split into four fabrication technologies.
Fig. 4: Performance of µ-TEDs fabricated by different technologies.
Fig. 5: Potential application areas for µ-TEDs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank X. Ai and R. Uhlemann in IFW Dresden for their helpful technical support, and R. He for valuable feedback and fruitful discussions regarding the manuscript. Q.Z. acknowledges financial support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (no. CHN 1210297 HFST-P). H.R. acknowledges funding from the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) within grant no. RE3973/1–1. K.D. and L.W. acknowledge financial support by the strategic project at IFW Dresden on ‘Wireless sensor devices for high temperature applications’.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Qihao Zhang, Kangfa Deng, Lennart Wilkens.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Metallic Materials, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden), Dresden, Germany

    Qihao Zhang, Kangfa Deng, Lennart Wilkens, Heiko Reith & Kornelius Nielsch

  2. Institute of Applied Physics, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Kornelius Nielsch

  3. Institute of Materials Science, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Kornelius Nielsch

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  1. Qihao Zhang
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Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1 and 2.

Supplementary Table 1

Device parameters and performance of various micro-thermoelectric coolers.

Supplementary Table 2

Device parameters and performance of various micro-thermoelectric generators.

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Zhang, Q., Deng, K., Wilkens, L. et al. Micro-thermoelectric devices. Nat Electron 5, 333–347 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00776-0

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