A three-layer cooler etched in silicon pulls heat from dense chips while using little power, hinting that heat may no longer limit device size.
As electronic devices get smaller and more powerful, they release more heat in less volume, causing higher heat density and potential damage to internal parts.
Engineers use thermal management systems to keep devices safe, with microfluidic cooling being a promising approach for compact chips, involving fluid pushed through microscopic channels to carry away heat.
However, many earlier microfluidic designs have limitations, either failing to remove enough heat at high power density or requiring high pumping power.
heat is now a limiting factor for compact electronics used in computing, communication, defense, and consumer hardware.
Author's summary: New microfluidic device cools small electronics efficiently.