Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can significantly improve the net power consumption and battery life of the low power mobile devices or high performance devices by generating power from their waste heat. Recent advancements also show that the ultrathin thermoelectric devices can be fabricated and integrated within a micro-electronic package. This work investigates the power generation by an ultrathin TEG embedded within a micro-electronic package considering several key parameters such as load resistance, chip heat flux, and proximity of the TEG to chip. The analysis shows that the power generation from TEGs increases with increasing background heat flux on chip or when TEGs are moved closer to the chip. An array of embedded TEGs is considered in order to analyze the influence of multiple TEGs on total power generation and conversion efficiency. Increasing the number of TEGs from one to nine increases the useful power generation from 72.9 mW to 378.4 mW but decreases the average conversion efficiency from 0.47% to 0.32%. The average power generated per TEG gradually decrease from 72.9 mW to 42.0 mW when number of TEGs is increased from one to nine, but the total useful power generated using nine TEGs is significant and emphasize the benefits of using embedded TEGs to reduce net power consumption in electronics packages.
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March 2015
Research-Article
On-Chip Power Generation Using Ultrathin Thermoelectric Generators
Owen Sullivan,
Owen Sullivan
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: oasullivan@gmail.com
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: oasullivan@gmail.com
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Man Prakash Gupta,
Man Prakash Gupta
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: mp.gupta@gatech.edu
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mp.gupta@gatech.edu
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Saibal Mukhopadhyay,
Saibal Mukhopadhyay
Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering,
e-mail: saibal@ece.gatech.edu
and Computer Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,266 Ferst Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: saibal@ece.gatech.edu
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Satish Kumar
Satish Kumar
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: satish.kumar@me.gatech.edu
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: satish.kumar@me.gatech.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Owen Sullivan
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: oasullivan@gmail.com
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: oasullivan@gmail.com
Man Prakash Gupta
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: mp.gupta@gatech.edu
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mp.gupta@gatech.edu
Saibal Mukhopadhyay
Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering,
e-mail: saibal@ece.gatech.edu
and Computer Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,266 Ferst Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: saibal@ece.gatech.edu
Satish Kumar
G. W. Woodruff School
of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: satish.kumar@me.gatech.edu
of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
,771 First Drive
,Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: satish.kumar@me.gatech.edu
Contributed by the Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC PACKAGING. Manuscript received February 3, 2014; final manuscript received June 13, 2014; published online October 6, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Gongnan Xie.
J. Electron. Packag. Mar 2015, 137(1): 011005 (7 pages)
Published Online: October 6, 2014
Article history
Received:
February 3, 2014
Revision Received:
June 13, 2014
Citation
Sullivan, O., Gupta, M. P., Mukhopadhyay, S., and Kumar, S. (October 6, 2014). "On-Chip Power Generation Using Ultrathin Thermoelectric Generators." ASME. J. Electron. Packag. March 2015; 137(1): 011005. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4027995
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