Development of a Flexible Thermopile Power Generator Utilizing BiTe-Cu Thin Films

In this paper, a thermoelectric generator with a flexible structure is presented. The thermoelectric generator consists of 1625 thermocouples made from two materials, i.e. n-type BiTe and Cu thin films, on a flexible polyimide sheet by utilizing micromachining technology. The prototype of the flexible thermoelectric generator has dimensions of 100mm × 80mm × 3mm (length × width × thickness). Theoretical calculations show an output voltage of 317mV/K and a power of 7.8μW/K2. Preliminary experimental results measured on the test thermocouple samples show an average Seebeck voltage of 58.8μV/K per one thermocouple was obtained. This thermoelectric generator structure can be bent flexibly, so it can be used on both flat and cylindrical surfaces, e.g. on the skin of human body.