{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8541678","patent":{"patent_number":"US-8541678","title":"Thermionic/thermotunneling thermo-electrical converter","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2006-10-04T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2013-09-24T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":33,"abstract":"A thermionic or thermotunneling converter consisting of two electrodes maintained at a desired distance from one another by means of spacers in which the electrodes comprise silicon coated with a hard material, or comprise a ceramic or other refractory material. The spacers are formed by oxidizing one electrode, protecting certain oxidized areas and removing the remainder of the oxidized layer. The protected oxidized areas remain as spacers. These spacers have the effect of maintaining the electrodes at a desired distance without the need for active elements, thus greatly reducing costs."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Thermionic/thermotunneling thermo-electrical converter","description":"A thermionic or thermotunneling converter consisting of two electrodes maintained at a desired distance from one another by means of spacers in which the electrodes comprise silicon coated with a hard","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8541678","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8541678","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Thermionic/thermotunneling thermo-electrical converter\" (US-8541678). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8541678","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8541678","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-8541678","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-05-30T18:54:10.738Z"}