Fabrication of flexible thermoelectric generators with a lens array for near-infrared solar light harvesting

A flexible thermoelectric generator with a lens array that converts near-infrared (NIR) solar light, was fabricated using lithography and thin-film deposition processes. The generator comprised serially connected 270 pairs of thin-film thermocouples and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lens array. It p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shimizu, Y., Mizoshiri, M., Mikami, M., Ito, Y., Sakurai, J., Hata, S.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Fabrication
Generators
Glass
Lenses
Polyimides
Resists
Substrates
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:A flexible thermoelectric generator with a lens array that converts near-infrared (NIR) solar light, was fabricated using lithography and thin-film deposition processes. The generator comprised serially connected 270 pairs of thin-film thermocouples and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lens array. It possessed the flexibility to be easily placed on glass windows. The thermoelectric elements of Cu (p-type) and Cu-Ni (n-type) thin films were used in thermoelectric generators. The thermoelectric thin films were deposited on flexible polyimide substrates using sputtering method and were formed using lift-off techniques. When solar light (A.M. 1.5) was irradiated onto the fabricated generator, the open-circuit voltage and the maximum power were 7.4 V/m 2 and 11 μW/m 2 respectively. The flexible thermoelectric generator can be placed on arbitral hard materials, such as glass windows, for energy harvesting.
ISSN:2160-1968
DOI:10.1109/MEMSYS.2018.8346626