Abstract: A thermoelectric array, such as a thermocouple array, includes a pair of dissimilar conductors disposed adjacent to each other at a plurality of locations. A switch is provided which selectively electrically couples and decouples the conductors at each such location, and an effective thermoelectric element is formed at the location where a switch is closed. The switches may be easily controlled to ensure that only the switch at the desired location is closed to form an effective thermoelectric element. Switches may include MOSFET pairs in series or dual-gate MOSFETs, and arrays of such switched thermoelectric elements may be integrated and fabricated on a common semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of trimming an element of an integrated circuit with a laser beam. A reflective, or otherwise optically opaque, template-like layer is placed over a portion of the circuit element to control the trimming operation. The laser beam is directed along the sharp edge of this layer in such a way that the maximum energy portion of the beam strikes a part of the circuit element, while low energy portions of the beam are prevented from reaching other parts of the element where they might adversely affect its characteristics.