Funded by Intel, the researchers at Purdue University developed an new technology that would improve computer chip cooling dramatically. The new technology is based on ionic wind engines and should increase chip cooling rates by as much as 250%.
"Other experimental cooling-enhancement approaches might give you a 40 per cent or 50 per cent improvement", said Suresh Garimella, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue. "A 250 per cent improvement is quite unusual. "
The experimental cooling device works by generating electrically charged atoms using electrodes placed near one another. The device containes a positively charged wire, or anode, and negatively charged electrodes, called cathodes. The anode are positioned about 10mm above the cathodes. When voltage passes through the device, the negatively charged electrodes discharge electrons toward the positively charged anode. The electrons collide with air molecules, producing positively charged ions, which are then attracted back toward the negatively charged electrodes, creating an "ionic wind". This "breeze" was found to increase the airflow on the surface of the experimental chip and so dramatically improve cooling.
The research team hopes to miniaturize the new technology and introduce it into computers within three years. Later on, they hope to integrate it into portable consumer electronics products such as mobile phones.