Patent ID: 8581089

Claim:
A module comprising: a substrate having a plurality of electrically and thermally conductive areas and a plurality of insulating areas configured to thermally and electrically separate the plurality of electrically and thermally conductive areas from each other; a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged on the substrate and connected electrically in series, each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements comprises: at least one n-layer of thermoelectric material arranged on and directly contacting a p-layer of thermoelectric material disposed between the n-layer and the substrate, or at least one p-layer of thermoelectric material arranged on and directly contacting an n-layer of thermoelectric material disposed between the p-layer and the substrate, wherein adjacently positioned thermoelectric elements have alternatingly arranged layer structures relative to each other with respect to the n-layer and p-layer of each thermoelectric element, wherein a respective p-layer of a respective thermoelectric element is always connected electrically to only one n-layer of only one adjacent thermoelectric element; and a first thermally and electrically conductive adherent layer configured to connect at least one pair of two adjacently positioned thermoelectric elements electrically on a cold side of the thermoelectric element to one of the plurality of electrically and thermally conductive areas of the substrate; and a second thermally conductive and electrically insulating adherent layer configured to connect the at least one pair of two adjacently positioned thermoelectric elements on a hot side of the thermoelectric element to at least one of the plurality of electrically and thermally conductive areas of the substrate, wherein a temperature gradient parallel to a boundary layer contacting surface between the n-layer and p-layer of each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements can be applied or detected between a hot side and a cold side of each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements.