Overheating of smartphones is no longer
a big issue… thinks why? A new temperature mapping technology for tiny devices
that could help to solve the problem of overheating in
smartphones and computers have recently been developed. Plasmon Energy Expansion Thermometry or PEET, is the name
of technique that allows temperatures to be mapped in units as small as a
nanometre, a unit of measure equal to one-billionth of a metre. It is based on the same physical principles behind the
glass-bulb thermometer that was invented by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit back in
1724.
This new
thermal imaging technique allows engineers to "see" how the
temperature changes from point to point inside the smallest electronic circuits
said the researchers. The latest microelectronic circuits consist of
billions of nanometer-scale transistors. It is important to note that each
transistor generates only a tiny bit of heat as it operates. So when several
transistors operate at a same time, the computer chips become very hot. And
eventually, cell phones and computer become warm. And in the case of computer,
it is necessary to ensure that the fans run properly.
"With
the old techniques, measuring the thermal conductivity of a nanowire returns
one number. Mapping temperature with PEET, we get 10,000 numbers as we go down
the wire," explained lead researcher Chris Regan, associate professor of
physics and astronomy at University of California, Los Angeles. "It is the
difference between seeing the score and watching the game – one gives you much
better knowledge of the players," Regan pointed out.
PEET
removes the disadvantages of current temperature mapping techniques which
includes use one of two thermal imaging techniques: capturing
the infrared radiation the device emits or dragging a tiny thermometer back and
forth across the device’s surface. Also they both have failed to demonstrate
the resolution necessary to “see” the active features in modern transistors,
which are typically 22 nanometers across or smaller.
PEET
determines temperature in the same way by monitoring changes in density using a
transmission electron microscope. The
team demonstrated the technique on tiny aluminium wires that were heated on one
end. PEET mapping will enable them to heat a
transistor and accurately map which parts of it heat up and track how the heat
is transported away. This knowledge could help engineers revolutionize the
design of the nanoscale electronics inside the next generation of computing
devices
No comments:
Post a Comment