Patent ID: 8222511

Claim:
A thermoelectric device comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate disposed apart from each other, the first and second substrates configured to provide electrical insulation; a plurality of semiconductor elements comprising a first set of semiconductor elements and a second set of semiconductor elements, the first and second sets of semiconductor elements having dissimilar electrical properties, each of the plurality of semiconductor elements having a first end disposed towards the first substrate, a second end disposed towards the second substrate and a body extending between the first and second end, the plurality of semiconductor elements disposed in a substantially hexagonal array comprising rows in which semiconductor elements of the first and second sets of semiconductor elements alternate; and a first set of electrical conductors and a second set of electrical conductors; each of the first set of electrical conductor being electrically coupled to the first end of a semiconductor element of the first set of semiconductor elements and the first end of a semiconductor element of the second set of semiconductor elements, each of the second set of electrical conductors are electrically coupled to the second end of a semiconductor element of the first set of semiconductor elements and the a second end of a semiconductor element of the second set of semiconductor elements such that the plurality of semiconductor elements are electrically coupled to each other in series and in an alternating arrangement; wherein a separation distance between adjacent semiconductor elements is less than a diameter of the semiconductor elements, and wherein at least some of the electrical conductors comprise a width, in a dimension perpendicular to the separation distance, that is less than the diameter of the semiconductor elements, so that a density of the hexagonally-arranged semiconductor elements can be increased.