Researchers at Purdue recently demonstrated their new "ionic wind" technology that can improve the cooling rate of internal computer components by as much as 250 percent. This is the sort of dramatic cooling improvement needed for the computer industry to develop lighter weight computers and laptops that are still powerful enough to run high-intensity programs without frying your CPU.

The researchers tested the experimental technology on a mock computer chip for observers. It works by generating ion movement between two oppositely charged electrodes. Electrons colliding with air molecules create positively charged ions that then flow toward the negatively charged electrode producing an "ionic wind." This breeze increases the airflow on the surface of the chip, cooling it down. Researchers used infrared imaging to show that the technology reduced heating on the mock chip from 140 degrees Fahrenheit to about 95 F.

The next step in the research will be to reduce the size of components within the cooling device from the scale of millimeters to microns. They'll also have to make the device more rugged before it is ready for commercial use. If they are able to shrink and toughen the device, Purdue researchers predict the new cooling technology could be introduced into computers within three years.

Post by Errol Pierre-Louis