Placement effect of MEMS thermoelectric generator to harvest waste heat using shunt configuration for microprocessor

Abstract

Using the waste heat generated by the microprocessor is a prospect to improve the total energy efficiency of a microprocessor system. There is a need for an optimal design to harvest waste heat efficiently. This study investigated the effect of the placement of the TEG on the total energy harvested. The heat dissipation performance of the microprocessor relative to the placement of the TEG is also investigated. To evaluate the placement effect, the system is subjected to a non-uniform temperature analysis using numerical method. The thermoelectric energy conversion equations were derived from Seebeck effect. The simulation evaluates two types of heat spreader material, copper and pyrolytic graphite. The advantages and their shortfalls are discussed in the results. © 2012 IEEE.