Patent ID: 6969679

Claim:
A method for fabricating a nanowire thermoelectric device comprising the steps of: providing a substrate upon which to grow nanowires; forming a first electrode pattern on a top surface of the substrate, wherein the first electrode pattern comprises bottom electrodes and a first set of connections which connects the bottom electrodes to form first and second groups of electrically connected bottom electrodes; forming a p-type nanowire on the substrate by activating the first group of electrically connected bottom electrodes during p-type material electrodeposition; forming a n-type nanowire on the substrate by activating the second group of electrically connected bottom electrodes during n-type material electrodeposition; forming top electrodes to connect the p-type nanowire to the n-type nanowire; forming a first set of holes in the substrate to remove the first set of connections between the bottom electrodes; forming a second set of holes in the substrate to allow for electrical access to the bottom electrodes; and forming a second bottom electrode pattern, wherein the second bottom electrode pattern comprises the bottom electrodes and a second set of connections between the bottom electrodes, and wherein the second bottom electrode pattern is formed using the second set of holes.