The demand for safe and clean energy sources has become more important than ever worldwide. Thermionic power generation is one of these energy sources, which directly converts heat into electrical energy using thermionic electrons. We developed a micro-gap thermionic power generator, which operates at relatively low temperature using SiC as an emitter. Electrons are emitted and travel from the heated SiC emitter to the collector electrode by thermionic emission. In this work, we have firstly demonstrated low temperature operation at 830 oC as a result of micro-gap between the emitter and collector electrodes. An output power density of 11.5 mW/cm2 is obtained. In addition, the heat losses from the emitter electrode are evaluated. Thermal conduction to the collector is by far the predominant thermal loss. In order to validate this result, a thermal resistance measurement device is built and the thermal resistance of the micro-gap is measured. Its value of 2.4 K/W allows for estimating in a more realistic way the heat loss by thermal conduction from the emitter to the collector via the gap. The newly estimated value still corresponds to a predominant thermal loss, hence highlighting the need for downsizing the SiO2 columns of the micro-gap in order to increase the power conversion efficiency.

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High-density integration technologies with copper (Cu) through-silicon via (TSV) have emerged as viable alternatives for achieving the requisite integration densities for the portable electronics and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMSs) package. However, significant thermo-mechanical stresses can be introduced in integrated structures during the manufacturing process due to mismatches of thermal expansion and the mechanical properties between Cu and silicon (Si). The high-density integration demands an interconnection material with a strong mechanical strength and small thermal expansion mismatch. In this study, a novel electroplating method is developed for the synthesis of a graphene-copper (G-Cu) composite with electrochemically exfoliated graphenes. The fabrication and evaluation of the G-Cu composite microstructures, including the microcantilevers and micromirrors supported by the composite, are reported. We evaluated not only the micromechanical properties of the G-Cu composite based on in-situ mechanical resonant frequency measurements using a laser Doppler vibrometer but also the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the composite based on curvature radius measurements at a temperature range of 20–200 °C. The Young’s modulus and shear modulus of the composite are approximately 123 and 51 GPa, which are 1.25 times greater and 1.22 times greater, respectively, than those of pure Cu due to the reinforcement of graphene. The G-Cu composite exhibits a 23% lower CTE than Cu without sacrificing electrical conductivity. These results show that the mechanically strengthened G-Cu composite with reduced thermal expansion is an ideal and reliable interconnection material instead of Cu for complex integration structures.