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Intel Develops Micro-Refrigerator To Cool Chips
Spacedonkey writes "Researchers at Intel, RTI International of North Carolina, and Arizona State University have made ultra-thin 'micro-refrigerators' for computer chips. The device uses a thermoelectric cooler made from nanostructured thin-film superlattice that can reduce the temperature by 55C when a current passes through it. In testing, it reduced the temperature on part of a chip by 15C without impairing its performance. The researchers say the component could be particularly useful for cooling hot spots that frequently occur on multi-core chips."
Yeah I was about to say: Gee congratulations, you just invented a Pelletier, oh wait that already exists.
I guess the story here is miniaturization by making it really really thin? (I didn't rtfa of course)
You are exactly right also, you are not getting rid of heat only moving it from one side of the waifer to another. Something else has to take it from there. Fans are defiantly one way, heatsinks and heatpipes are another.
The other drawback is that they use electricity to function. In relative terms, a LOT of electricity. So put that on top of a top of the line processor which already gobbles up tons of juice and you are starting to suck down an awful lot of wattage. Which of course requires a bigger PSU. Not to mention not being green and all that. Anyway devils in the details... and while I didn't rtfa, these sort of articles are usually light on that sort of thing.