. 24/7 Space News .
CHIP TECH
Jumping droplets whisk away hotspots in electronics
by Staff Writers
Durham NC (SPX) Apr 04, 2017


A schematic of how the new jumping droplets electronics cooling system works. Watch a video on the research here.

Engineers have developed a technology to cool hotspots in high-performance electronics using the same physical phenomenon that cleans the wings of cicadas. When water droplets merge, the reduction in surface area causes the release of a small amount of energy. So long as the surface beneath is hydrophobic enough to repel water, this energy is sufficient to make the merged droplet jump away.

On the wings of cicadas, this phenomenon drives droplets to catch and remove particles of dirt and debris. In the new cooling technology created by engineers at Duke University and Intel Corporation, droplets jump toward hotspots to bring cooling where the electronics need it most.

The results appear online on April 3, 2017, in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

"Hotspot cooling is very important for high-performance technologies," said Chuan-Hua Chen, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke. "Computer processors and power electronics don't perform as well if waste heat cannot be removed. A better cooling system will enable faster computers, longer-lasting electronics and more powerful electric vehicles."

The new technology relies on a vapor chamber made of a super-hydrophobic floor with a sponge-like ceiling. When placed beneath operating electronics, moisture trapped in the ceiling vaporizes beneath emerging hotspots. The vapor escapes toward the floor, taking heat away from the electronics along with it.

Passive cooling structures integrated into the floor of the device then carry away the heat, causing the water vapor to condense into droplets. As the growing droplets merge, they naturally jump off the hydrophobic floor and back up into the ceiling beneath the hotspot, and the process repeats itself. This happens independent of gravity and regardless of orientation, even if the device is upside-down.

The technology has many advantages over existing cooling techniques. Thermoelectric coolers that act as tiny refrigerators cannot target random hotspot locations, making them inefficient for use over large areas. Other approaches can target moving hotspots, but require additional power inputs, which also leads to inefficiencies.

The jumping-droplet cooling technology also has a built-in mechanism for vertical heat escape, which is a major advantage over today's heat spreaders that mostly dissipate heat in a single plane.

"As an analogy, to avoid flooding, it is useful to spread the rain over a large area. But if the ground is soaked, the water has no vertical pathway to escape, and flooding is inevitable," said Chen. "Flat-plate heat pipes are remarkable in their horizontal spreading, but lack a vertical mechanism to dissipate heat. Our jumping-droplet technology addresses this technological void with a vertical heat spreading mechanism, opening a pathway to beat the best existing heat spreaders in all directions."

There is still much work to be done before Chen's jumping droplets can compete with today's cooling technologies. The main challenge is to find suitable materials that work with high-heat vapor over the long term. But Chen remains optimistic.

"It has taken us a few years to work the system to a point where it's at least comparable to a copper heat spreader, the most popular cooling solution," said Chen. "But now, for the first time, I see a pathway to beating the industry standards."

Research paper: "Hotspot cooling with jumping-drop vapor chambers," Kris F. Wiedenheft, H. Alex Guo, Xiaopeng Qu, Jonathan B. Boreyko, Fangjie Liu, Kungang Zhang, Feras Eid, Arnab Choudhury, Zhihua Li and Chuan-Hua Chen. Applied Physics Letters, 2017. DOI: 10.1063/1.4979477

CHIP TECH
A robust, 2-ion quantum logic gate that operates in a microsecond is designed
Basque Country, Spain (SPX) Mar 30, 2017
The UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country is conducting this work alongside the Boulder group, led by the Nobel laureate David Wineland. The theory group led by Gonzalo Muga of the UPV/EHU's Department of Physical Chemistry, has teamed up with the experimental group of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, United States, led by David Wineland, the 2012 Nobel Physics L ... read more

Related Links
Duke University
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CHIP TECH
US, Russian Astronauts Prepare for April Crew Swap on Space Station

US astronaut John Glenn is buried with military honors

No Roscosmos plans to send space tourists to ISS before 2020

Russia, Europe, US Should Work Together on Space Exploration - German Agency

CHIP TECH
Dream Chaser to use Europe's next-generation docking system

Bezos sells $1 bn in Amazon stock yearly to pay for rocket firm

Europe's largest sounding rocket launched from Esrange

US-Russia Venture Hopes to Sell More RD-180 Rocket Engines to US

CHIP TECH
Russia critcal to ExoMars Project says Italian Space Agency Head

Chile desert combed for clues to life on Mars

New MAVEN findings reveal how Mars' atmosphere was lost to space

Potential Mars Airplane Resumes Flight

CHIP TECH
Yuanwang fleet to carry out 19 space tracking tasks in 2017

China Develops Spaceship Capable of Moon Landing

Long March-7 Y2 ready for launch of China's first cargo spacecraft

China Seeks Space Rockets Launched from Airplanes

CHIP TECH
Ukraine in talks with ESA to become member

BRICS States Want to Expand Cooperation to Space Science

Mitsubishi Electric to Build New Satellite Production Facility

Horizon 2020 European funded DEMOCRITOS project concludes work with some key outcomes

CHIP TECH
New research could help speed up the 3-D printing process

A self-healing, water-repellant coating that's ultra durable

Norway joins US Strategic Command space data sharing program

Citizen scientist photographs space station space debris from Earth

CHIP TECH
Inside Arctic ice lies a frozen rainforest of microorganisms

Exoplanet mission gets ticket to ride

Atmosphere around super-earth detected

Possible Venus twin discovered around dim star

CHIP TECH
Hubble takes close-up portrait of Jupiter

Neptune's movement from the inner to the outer solar system was smooth and calm

Four unknown objects being investigated in Planet X

New Horizons Halfway from Pluto to Next Flyby Target









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.