Intel Cooling Chips with Thermoelectrics
Researchers at Intel, RTI International of North Carolina, and Arizona State University have shown that it’s possible to build an efficient microrefrigerator that can target hot spots on chips, saving power and space, and more effectively cooling the entire system. Their work also demonstrates, for the first time, that it is possible to integrate thermoelectric material into chip packaging, making the technology more practical than ever before. Looks like thermoelectric cooling works well on a very small scale!. The thermoelectric cooler shown below (center gold square) is attached to a copper plate that is used to spread heat away from hot spots on chips.
“People have been talking about using high-efficiency thermoelectric materials for cooling hot spots on chips for years,” says Intel manager Ravi Prasher. He says that part of the reason he and his colleagues were able to succeed is because they used a material that has shown exceptional thermal properties, and they relied on Intel’s knowledge of chip packaging to build an integrated thermoelectric system that was engineered to fit within the confines of a chip’s housing.
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