  Thermoelectricity is the direct conversion of temperature gradient to
electric voltage, and vice-versa. There are several potential applications of
thermoelectricity, ranging from clean noiseless cooling, to waste-power
harvesting in automotives. The performance of thermoelectric devices is still a
challenge, and many approaches have been researched to overcome such obstacle.
This paper seeks to give an overview of the thermoelectric phenomenon, the bulk
semiconductor thermoelectric devices, and the new ways to increase performance
of thermoelectric devices using new material structures and going to
low-dimensional materials.
