Transistor-Integrated Cooling for a More Powerful Chip
AnonTechie writes:
Managing the heat generated in electronics is a huge problem, especially with the constant push to reduce the size and pack as many transistors as possible in the same chip. The whole problem is how to manage such high heat fluxes efficiently. Usually electronic technologies, designed by electrical engineers, and cooling systems, designed by mechanical engineers, are done independently and separately. But now EPFL researchers have quietly revolutionized the process by combining these two design steps into one: they've developed an integrated microfluidic cooling technology together with the electronics, that can efficiently manage the large heat fluxes generated by transistors. Their research, which has been published in Nature, will lead to even more compact electronic devices and enable the integration of power converters, with several high-voltage devices, into a single chip.
"This cooling technology will enable us to make electronic devices even more compact and could considerably reduce energy consumption around the world," says Matioli. "We've eliminated the need for large external heat sinks and shown that it's possible to create ultra-compact power converters in a single chip. This will prove useful as society becomes increasingly reliant on electronics." The researchers are now looking at how to manage heat in other devices, such as lasers and communications systems.
[Abstract]: Co-designing electronics with microfluidics
[Source]: EPFL
Journal Reference:
Remco van Erp, Reza Soleimanzadeh, Luca Nela, Georgios Kampitsis, Elison Matioli. Co-designing electronics with microfluidics for more sustainable cooling. Nature, 2020; 585 (7824): 211 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2666-1
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