Abstract: Basic principles and the history of thermoelectric materials and devices are introduced. Latest development of MEMS based micro thermoelectric coolers is summarized. Different thermoelectric materials and different cooler structures are analyzed and compared. Also the latest progress of bulk materials and low-dimensional thermoelectric materials are introduced, in which superlattice film materials and Cross-Plane devices are analyzed in detail. Several approaches to improve the performance of the thermoelectric cooler are presented, including the development of new materials with higher figure of merit value, enhancing the electrical conductivity and decreasing the thermal conductivity when maintaining a constant Seebeck coefficient, and the optimization of cooler structures by using new fabrication techniques to reduce thermal and electrical contact resistance.

Key words: Cooler, Micro-electro-mechanical systems, Superlattice film, Thermoelectricity