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Monday, March 29, 2004

"NANOTECH: microfluidic pump chases self-cooled chips"
Future chips may be self-ventilating, thanks to added microfluidic-like layers that pump heat-laden air off-chip using a classic "corona wind" effect. Purdue University has patented the technique at the nanoscale, and two team members have co-founded a company to commercialize aspects of the cooling system. The Purdue team recently demonstrated a chip that created ions between closely spaced carbon-nanotube electrodes and funneled the resulting air currents down microfluidic channels, allowing the resultant heat to squirt out the sides of the chip.
Audio Interviews / Text: http://eetimes.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=18402861