From Eureka Alert:
University of Washington researchers have succeeded in building a cooling device tiny enough to fit on a computer chip that could work reliably and efficiently with the smallest microelectronic components.
The device, which uses an electrical charge to create a cooling air jet right at the surface of the chip, could be critical to advancing computer technology because future chips will be smaller, more tightly packed and are likely to run hotter than today’s chips. As a result, tomorrow’s computers will need cooling systems far more efficient than the fans and heat sinks that are used today.
“With this pump, we are able to integrate the entire cooling system right onto a chip,” said Alexander Mamishev, associate professor of electrical engineering and principal investigator on the project. “That allows for cooling in applications and spaces where it just wasn’t realistic to do before.” The micro-pump also represents the first time that anyone has built a working device at this scale that uses this method, Mamishev added.