• Electronics
• Thermal Management
• Micro Power Sources
• Sensor Power & Packaging Technologies
• Optoelectronic Devices
• 3-D Microsystem Integration
• Sensors & Systems
• Organic & Flexible Electronics

Thermal Management

Rama Venkatasubramanian discusses his applied research
in thermoelectric technology

We are applying our thin-film thermoelectric technology to address emerging cooling applications in electronics and photonic integrated circuits.

The ability to provide power and cooling is becoming increasingly important in the design of high-performance chips for both portable and large-scale computer systems. High-performance electronics in many situations are limited by the ability to remove heat from the operating chip. Heat is typically concentrated in hot spots in the chip, reaching heat fluxes in excess of 1000 W/cm². Component- and system-level heat flux densities are projected to increase as computers and other digital devices add increased functionality and move from the 65-nm node to the 45-nm node and below.

Our thin-film superlattice thermoelectric devices are uniquely suited for providing a large temperature differential (>50°C), high heat flux removal capability (>1000 W/cm²), and low-profile thickness (<100 microns) to allow unobtrusive integration onto the backside of conventional Si, III-V chips with low-temperature (<250°C) processing.

Research Citations

• Venkatasubramanian, R., O'Quinn, B., Alley, R., Siivola, E., Reddy, A., Soto, M., & et al. (2005).
  Superlattice thermoelectrics for thermal management of electronics and optoelectronics.
  Proceedings of the InterPack 2005, ASME InterPack Conference, San Francisco, CA.