Method for heat dissipation on semiconductor device
View Patent ↗A device and method wherein a thermo electric generator device is disposed between stacks of a multiple level device, or is provided on or under a die of a package and is conductively connected to the package. The thermo electric generator device is configured to generate a voltage by converting heat into electric power. The voltage which is generated by the thermo electric generator can be recycled back into the die itself, or to a higher-level unit in the system, even to a cooling fan.
1. A method of converting heat into electric power, said method comprising: providing a thermoelectric generator device which comprises: a top layer; a bottom layer; a first electrical conductor, thermal insulator layer in contact with said top layer; a second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layer in contact with said bottom layer wherein both the first and second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layers are disposed between said top and bottom layers; a p-type material between the first and second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layers; an n-type material between the first and second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layers; and an electrical and thermal insulating layer between the p-type material and the n-type material, wherein a first end of said electrical and thermal insulating layer between the p-type material and the n-type material contacts the first electrical conductor, thermal insulator layer and does not contact the top layer, and wherein a second end of said electrical and thermal insulating layer between the p-type material and the n-type material contacts the second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layer as well as the bottom layer, thereby providing an electrical separation within the second electrical conductor, thermal insulator layer, wherein each of said top and bottom layers comprise an electrical insulator, thermal conductor layer which is non-electrically conductively contactable with a device; and using said thermoelectric generator device to covert heat generated by the thermoelectric generator device into electric power.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising providing that the bottom layer of the thermoelectric generator device is in contact with a die.
3. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising providing that the top layer of the thermoelectric generator device is in contact with a die, and the bottom layer of the thermoelectric generator device is in contact with a package.
4. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising sandwiching the thermoelectric generator device between two layers of a multiple layer device.