Mini-fridges on a nanoscale? New cooling technique could make computer chips more powerful

Researchers from The University of Osaka develop an environmentally friendly nanoscale system for cooling chips

Osaka, Japan – As more devices get piled onto computer chips to increase processing power capacity, heat generation becomes increasingly concentrated. This heat must be removed to keep chip performance high, but is currently achieved by circulating water through millimeter-scale channels to cool nanosized hotspots. This scale mismatch reduces the cooling efficiency, by consuming more water than necessary, also raising environmental concerns.

Now, researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a strategy to enhance cooling by driving the flow of ions through nanoscale channels. This ionothermoelectric strategy is analogous to the Peltier technique, in which passing an electric current through a material results in heating or cooling. This compelling invention is set to be reported in ACS Nano.

“We fabricated a nanosized pore in a semiconductor membrane and surrounded the nanopore with a ‘gate’, in the form of a nanowire. Applying a voltage to the gate induced the flow of ions through the nanopore,” explains lead author, Makusu Tsutsui. “Varying the voltage modulated the surface charge of the nanopore.”

A negative applied voltage resulted in a negatively charged nanopore that was only permeable to positively charged ions, or cations. Consequently, each ion drags a certain quantity of heat along with its charge. The team created a concentration gradient in saltwater around the nanopore to drive cation transport in one direction, effectively pumping heat out of the nanopore. Reversing the applied voltage made the nanopore surface positive and permeable only to negative ions, or anions, therefore switching the system from cooling to heating.

“We placed a nanoscale thermocouple next to the holes within the materials – or nanopores – to map temperature changes driven by the voltage-induced ion transport,” says senior author, Tomoji Kawai. “Switching from heating to cooling resulted in temperature drops of over 2 K. We found that the ionic heat transfer depended on the input power as well as the ion species used.”

Solid-state nanopores are fully compatible with semiconductor fabrication technologies. Thus, implementing the ionic refrigeration strategy developed at The University of Osaka could increase the capability of next-generation semiconductor chips. Alongside improving capability potential, it is also hoped that these advances in thermal control may also be able to ease environmental concerns.

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The article, “Gate-tunable ionothermoelectric cooling in a solid-state nanopore,” was published in ACS Nano at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c13339

About The University of Osaka

The University of Osaka was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world. Now, The University of Osaka is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.

Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en