Patent ID: 8623687

Claim:
A method of forming thermoelectric devices comprising: providing a continuous first header including a plurality of first patterns of electrically conductive traces on a surface thereof, wherein the plurality of first patterns are spaced apart and non-overlapping in a direction parallel with respect to the surface of the continuous first header, wherein each of the first patterns of electrically conductive traces includes a plurality of electrically conductive traces, and wherein the first header provides electrical isolation between each of the electrically conductive traces of the first patterns; providing a plurality of separate second headers with each of the plurality of separate second headers including a respective second pattern of electrically conductive traces thereon, wherein each of the second patterns of electrically conductive traces includes a plurality of electrically conductive traces on the respective second header, and wherein each of the second headers provides electrical isolation between the plurality of electrically conductive traces of the respective second pattern thereon; aligning each of the separate second headers with a respective one of the first patterns of electrically conductive traces on the continuous first header; and electrically coupling respective pluralities of thermoelectric elements between respective first and second patterns of electrically conductive traces of the continuous first header and the plurality of separate second headers so that each of the plurality of separate second headers is bonded through a respective one of the pluralities of thermoelectric elements to a respective one of the first patterns of electrically conductive traces on the surface of the continuous first header, wherein each of the separate second headers are spaced apart across the surface of the continuous first header in the direction parallel with respect to the surface of the continuous first header, wherein the separate second headers are non-overlapping in the direction parallel with respect to the surface of the continuous first header, and wherein thermoelectric elements of each plurality of thermoelectric elements are physically between the continuous first header and the respective second header and electrically coupled in series; and after electrically coupling the thermoelectric elements, singulating the continuous first header into a plurality of separate first headers, wherein each one of the separate first headers includes a respective one of the first patterns of electrically conductive traces, and wherein each one of the separate second headers is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of separate first headers to provide a plurality of physically and electrically separate thermoelectric devices.