| Advancements in micro-cooling are driven by applications across a number of industries, including biomedical, defense, communications, digital and analog electronics, and MEMS sensors. Thermoelectric coolers are attractive because they offer compact solid-state operation, and can be designed for low-power dissipation, which is a key consideration when targeting mobile applications.;This thesis presents the design, modeling, and measured performance of a new class of integrated thermoelectric microcoolers optimized for low-power operation. Two processes for fabricating microscale thermoelectric coolers using bismuth telluride and antimony telluride are presented. The first process is based on a 3-wafer stack silicon-glass-silicon process that provides excellent thermal isolation, good mechanical support, and full integration capability. Four different cooler designs based on this process were developed. The highest performing 6-stage design achieved cooling of 22.3 K with a power input of only 24.7 mW, and represents the highest reported performance for a multistage, in-plane, thermoelectric microcooler to date.;The second process is based on a single wafer with a XeF2 release. Four different cooler variations have been fabricated based on this process, including a 4-stage design with a novel scheme for distributing current to the thermocouples that has achieved more the 17 K of cooling. Although this cooler has not yet produced cooling as high as the best from the silicon-glass-silicon process, the process addresses a number of shortcomings of the silicon-glass-silicon process, including reducing parasitic thermal resistance, and increasing fabrication reliability. Simulations show that coolers produced with this process hold the potential to achieve temperature differences greater than 40 K when paired with the appropriate thermoelectric materials.;In addition to the achievements stated above, the development of these thermoelectric coolers has produced several contributions. The first is an analysis of the requirements for low-power thermoelectric cooling and application of those requirements to multiple processes and cooler designs. Second, the first planar multistage thermoelectric cooler has been demonstrated. Third, is the integration of thin-film thermoelectric materials with a planar micro-fabrication process, and fourth is the development of a low-power microcooler device that can be integrated with arbitrary MEMS and electronic devices. |
