Design and Performance of Silicon Nanowire Micro Thermoelectric Generators

Design optimization and performance of a micro thermoelectric generator (μTeg)using silicon nanowires (Si-NWs) for the Seebeck elements are investigated for wearable device (WD) applications. A vacuum/insulator-hybrid isolation module structure is applied to the μTEG to maximize its output power. The μTEG module is fully optimized by our developed methodology using a single trade-off parameter. The optimally designed Si-NW μTEG module can exhibit high output power adaptable to WDs.