NOVELTY - A thermopile slice is fabricated by using multiple thermopile doped p-type and n-type thermopiles slices which are laminated together to form a periodic block of spacers and thermoelectric materials.    USE - The method is used for fabricating a thermopile slice for use in micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology to produce thermoelectric devices having size in the order of microns e.g. micro-sensors and micro-transducers. It is also used on markets where cooling power requirement is small e.g. food coolers, laser diode coolers, and infrared detector coolers.    ADVANTAGE - The technique produces advanced thermoelectric device that supports cooling over a broad range of areas. It enables precise periodic assembly of semiconductor materials into thermoelectric or MEMS devices with optimized yield, superior performance, and dimensional flexibility.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Fabrication of a thermopile slice comprises bonding a thin film semiconductor sheet having either an n-type or p-type semiconductor to a substrate containing a power distribution circuitry. The semiconductor sheet-substrate pairs are stacked and bonded to form a stack having alternating sheets of an n-type and then p-type semiconductor. The stack is then sliced to form a film having alternating strips of an n-type and p-type semiconductor. The strips are separated by the substrate. These slices are bonded to thermally insulative spacer material. Slice-spacer pairs are stacked and bonded to form a block, which is then sliced to form a thermopile slice having an array of thin semiconductor material in a checker board arrangement of n-type or p-type islands. The spacer materials are then removed to isolate the islands.    INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (a) a method for generating electrical power in space comprising fabricating the thermopile as described above exposing the slice to a temperature gradient by orienting one surface to deep space while reflecting the sun to the other surface, and storing electrical power generated by the temperature gradient across the thermopile slice; and    (b) a thermopile array product.