A planar-type uni-leg thermoelectric generator (TEG) using a SiGe membrane is proposed and analyzed theoretically. First, we built a model for a unit cell of the TEG, which can be fabricated by photolithography which is suitable for mass production. Then, the output power density was simulated by the finite element method to find the optimal dimension of the TEG. The estimated maximum power density at the optimized design is about10 μ W · cm −2 , under an ambient temperature difference of 1 K, and increases with the square of the temperature difference. We also analyzed the thermal and electrical resistances of the TEG, which revealed that the balance of the output power of one unit and the footprint is important for the optimization of the TEG. This study provides useful knowledge about designing and optimal dimensions of planar-type TEGs based on thin-film materials.

中文翻译：

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平面式单腿SiGe热电发电机的设计

提出了一种采用SiGe膜的平面型单腿热电发电机（TEG），并进行了理论分析。首先，我们为TEG的晶胞建立了一个模型，该模型可以通过光刻法进行制造，适合批量生产。然后，通过有限元方法模拟输出功率密度，以找到TEG的最佳尺寸。在1 K的环境温度差下，优化设计的估计最大功率密度约为10μW·cm -2，并且随温度差的平方增加。我们还分析了TEG的热阻和电阻，结果表明，一个单元的输出功率和占位面积之间的平衡对于优化TEG非常重要。