Advanced Materials, Precision Manufacturing

Where materials science meets industrial-scale thermoelectric production. Engineered semiconductors and precision processing target leading thermoelectric performance.

Material Systems

Optimized semiconductors for every thermal application

PbTe/TAGS

N-Type

Lead Telluride (PbTe)

P-Type

TAGS (Te-Sb-Ge-Ag)

Temperature Range: 300–1000°C+ design envelope (continuous operation lab- and field-proven 440–550°C; higher-temperature reliability is a development target).

The workhorse combination for industrial waste heat recovery. Matched thermal expansion, stable phase relationships, and excellent electrical properties at extreme temperatures.

Below ~250–300°C, BiTe is the better material (lower zT crossover) – MPG uses BiTe formulations to cover the low-temperature tail in both power and cooling.

Continuous operation at 440–550°C is enabled by the high-temperature contact and thermal-interface structures, informed by MicroPower's early collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and evolved internally since. MicroPower's proprietary energy-sorting barrier layer (post-funding production roadmap) further multiplies chip-level power density on top of this baseline.

Applications: Steel mills, cement plants, foundries, industrial furnaces, biogas engine exhaust recovery.

BiTe

Bismuth Telluride

Bi₂Te₃

Temperature Range: Sub-~250°C – covers the low-temperature tail in both power generation and cooling modes (cooling extends to <−150°C in cascade configurations).

MicroPower's BiTe formulations cover the low-temperature operating envelope where commercial PbTe is impractical – and deliver, in cooling mode, roughly 2× the COP of best-in-class commercial Peltier devices under ordinary conditions.

Stable across thermal cycling. Superior mechanical reliability. Proven track record in demanding laboratory and medical environments.

Applications: Bioreactor cooling, laboratory freezers, cryogenic sample storage, medical device cooling, data centre spot cooling.

HgCdTe

Mercury Cadmium Telluride

Hg₁₋ₓCdₓTe

Specialty Application: Infrared and narrow-bandgap thermoelectrics

Advanced material for research-phase infrared detection and ultra-cryogenic cooling. Theoretical potential for performance below -150°C. Variable bandgap tuning enables wavelength-specific applications.

Future Applications: Infrared sensors, next-generation cryogenic systems, advanced research instrumentation.

InSb

Indium Antimonide

InSb

Specialty Application: Cryogenic and quantum applications

High carrier mobility at low temperatures makes InSb exceptional for cryogenic thermoelectric and sensor applications. Research literature documents performance with liquid helium cooling systems.

Future Applications: Quantum research equipment, extreme cryogenic systems (< -200°C), specialized military applications.

Manufacturing Process

Five-step precision manufacturing from raw materials to finished modules

1

Raw Material Synthesis

Using Bridgman Oven crystal growth technique, we grow high-purity semiconductor ingots. For PbTe/TAGS, precursor elements are loaded into quartz ampoules and heated to melting point, then cooled at controlled rate to form crystalline ingots. The ingots are characterized for composition, defect density, and electrical properties before proceeding.

2

Precision Ingot Slicing

Diamond wire saws slice ingots into thin wafers with parallel faces and controlled thickness. Precision here is critical – thickness variations affect electrical contact and thermal distribution. Each slice is inspected for flatness and defects.

3

Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) – Energy-Sorting Barrier Deposition

This is the step at which MicroPower's proprietary energy-sorting barrier layer is grown. In an ultra-high-vacuum chamber, atomic beams of the barrier material are deposited onto the chip with monolayer precision – the same technique used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

The barrier sits inside the chip and acts as an electron energy sorter – letting hot, high-energy electrons through to the cold side and blocking the ohmic backflow that would otherwise cancel them out. The result on PbTe is a 1.5–1.8× chip-level power-density enhancement on top of the base material's performance. The barrier layer is part of MicroPower's post-funding production roadmap, not a feature of current modules.

4

Module Assembly & Heat Exchangers

Individual semiconductor legs are joined to electrical contacts and mounted between hot-side and cold-side heat exchangers. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are applied for contact conductance. The module is encapsulated in protective housing. Assembly is done in controlled-humidity environments to prevent oxidation and moisture ingress.

5

Quality Testing & Characterization

Modules are tested across their operating range: electrical output, thermal conductance, mechanical integrity, and durability under thermal cycling. This is how we validate module performance targets (including the 14% module efficiency figure at 550°C, extrapolated from ARL chip-level evaluation) and support long-life reliability modelling.

Barrier layer material science

Why MBE Matters for the Energy-Sorting Barrier

The energy-sorting barrier only works as designed when its thickness, composition, and interface quality are controlled at the atomic scale. Molecular Beam Epitaxy is the only deposition method that gives that level of control on the chip materials MicroPower uses.

Why Other Methods Fall Short

  • Sputtering: MicroPower's predecessor company tried this on PbTe and PbSnTe. SIMS analysis confirmed it could not hold the composition or thickness control the energy-sorting barrier requires – the technical reason MBE became necessary.
  • Chemical Vapor Deposition: Vapor-phase precursors decompose on the surface. Contamination, rough films, difficult to control thickness at the relevant scale.
  • Thermal Diffusion: Heat the semiconductor pair and let atoms diffuse naturally. Uncontrolled – no barrier precision.

MBE is the right tool because:

  • Atomic precision: Barrier thickness controlled to within angstroms
  • Clean interface: Ultra-high vacuum eliminates contamination
  • Controlled stoichiometry: Exact composition of the barrier material
  • Monolayer thickness control: Allows the barrier height and width to be tuned to the energy-sorting optimum

The combination of MicroPower's chip materials, the high-temperature contact and thermal-interface structures (informed by early ARL collaboration and evolved internally), and – post-funding – the MBE-grown energy-sorting barrier, is what defines MicroPower's manufacturing position.

Manufacturing Scalability

Path to volume production is clear

Established Equipment Base

MBE, Bridgman ovens, and diamond-wire saws are all proven, commercially available tools. Used daily in semiconductor chip fabrication worldwide.

The scale-up model does not require new manufacturing machinery; it applies existing industry-standard tools to thermoelectric production.

Established Industrial Supply Chains

Raw materials (Pb, Te, Bi, Sb, Ge, Ag) sit on established global industrial supply chains. Thermal interface materials, housings, and contacts are standard components.

Scale-up planning should include a sourcing strategy for tellurium, germanium, antimony and silver in particular, where pricing and availability can vary with downstream demand from solar PV and microelectronics.

Capital Investment Model – Preliminary Planning

The proposed scale-up model uses commercially available MBE, Bridgman, slicing, assembly and test equipment. The ranges below are preliminary planning estimates for ramping from pilot production (~100 units/month) to industrial scale (~10,000 units/month); they would be refined with a manufacturing partner or lead investor:

  • MBE systems: $2–5M each, 2–3 systems for production scale
  • Crystal growth infrastructure: $1–2M
  • Testing and characterization: $500K–1M
  • Assembly and integration facility: $3–5M
  • Indicative total for scale-up: $15–20M (planning estimate)