Low cost miniature thermoelectric generator

A low-cost thermoelectric generator realised using integrated circuit technology is described. The thermopile comprises polycrystalline silicon thermoelements on a quartz substrate and employs a design previously reported by the authors for a silicon on sapphire device. An approximate 10 fold decrease in the substrate thermal conductivity is achieved. Results of output measurements are presented and compared with those of previous work highlighting the advantages of the new approach.