A Novel VLSI Technology to Manufacture High-Density Thermoelectric Cooling Devices

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new VLSI manufacturing technology for high-density thermoelectric cooling devices that are integrated on semiconductor wafers, enabling efficient, quiet, and versatile temperature control solutions.

Contribution

It presents a novel monolithic process to produce high-density thermoelectric devices, enhancing cooling performance and integration with existing cooling methods.

Findings

Enables high-density thermoelectric device fabrication

Allows integration with traditional cooling methods

Provides improved heat flux and cooling efficiency

Abstract

This paper describes a novel integrated circuit technology to manufacture high-density thermoelectric devices on a semiconductor wafer. With no moving parts, a thermoelectric cooler operates quietly, allows cooling below ambient temperature, and may be used for temperature control or heating if the direction of current flow is reversed. By using a monolithic process to increase the number of thermoelectric couples, the proposed solid-state cooling technology can be combined with traditional air cooling, liquid cooling, and phase-change cooling to yield greater heat flux and provide better cooling capability.