Thermoelectric device and heat sink assembly with reduced edge heat loss

摘要

An assembly that includes one or more thermoelectric devices and a heat sink and that corrects the problem of an uneven heating effect across the area occupied by the devices due to a lateral heat loss at the edges of the devices or other anomalies among the devices is constructed with a heat sink that contains voids in the slab or flat surface that is in thermal contact with the thermoelectric devices. The voids are located at or within the periphery of the area that is directly aligned with the thermoelectric devices and are concentrated in regions relatively close to the periphery, leaving an area in the center of the slab that is either void-free or of a relatively low void density.