Abstract
Thin-film thermoelectric devices have potentially greater efficiency than bulk devices because of quantum and classical size effects involving electrons and phonons. We discuss criteria for the design of thin-film thermoelectric microcoolers to achieve high performance. The devices considered are membrane structures based on electron transport along the film plane. A model is developed to include the effects of heat loss and leg shape. The design is optimized based on the modeling results and used to guide microcooler fabrication. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.