Design and fabrication of on-chip micro-thermoelectric cooler based on electrodeposition process

Micro-thermoelectric coolers (μ-TECs) using thermoelectric materials n-type Bismuth Telluride (Bi₂Te₃), p-type Antimony Telluride (Sb₂Te₃), and Platinum Bismuth Telluride (Pt/Bi₂Te₃) composite are designed, and the fabrication process of the prototype is developed. A silicon cooling stage is supported by surrounding thermoelectric legs of the n-type and p-type materials. The thermoelectric films are grown by using electrochemical deposition because of the ability to deposit thick films and the compatibility with microfabrication process. Two types of specific designs with different numbers of thermoelectric legs are considered, and their individual performance is calculated using material parameters of the electrodeposited thermoelectric materials. The calculation shows 0.46 – 0.52 of the maximum coefficient of performance (COP_max) and 18 – 26 K of maximum cooling temperature under small current supply. Fabrication process for the chip-scale cooling device is thus developed.