Thick film thermoelectric energy harvesting systems for biomedical applications

Abstract

The potential for the microfabrication of thermoelectric generators has been shown for powering autonomous wireless sensors in and around the human body. Existing bulk fabrication methods (extrusion and dicing) as well as traditional microfabrication methods (sputtering and etching) cannot create structures with the correct size factors and aspect ratios for optimal power generation. As a result, this paper describes a new promising printing method, specifically developed to additively create microscale generators. Early results show that the method is both cost effective and scalable for the mass production of thermoelectric generators to power medical devices.