UCLA researchers have unveiled a new solid-state thermal transistor that uses electric fields to effectively control the movement of heat in semiconductors. This represents a major advance in the thermal management of computer chips and potential applications in understanding the thermal regulation of the human body. An illustration of a UCLA-developed solid-state thermal transistor that uses electric fields to control heat transfer. Credit: H-Lab/UCLA
New electronic devices precisely and quickly control turning heat on and off.
A team of UCLA scientists has unveiled the first stable, fully solid-state thermal transistor of its kind that uses electric fields to control thermal movement in semiconductor devices.
Group research recently published in journals scienceLet’s take a closer look at how the device works and its potential uses. With the highest speed and performance, this transistor could break new ground in thermal management in computer chips through atomic-level design and molecular engineering. This advance could also improve our understanding of how the human body regulates heat.
A leap forward in thermal management technology
“Precise control over how heat flows through materials has long been a dream of physicists and engineers, but an elusive dream,” said co-author of the study, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Professor Yongji Hu said. DOI: 10.1126/science.abo4297
Other authors on the paper, all from UCLA, include Man Li, Huan Wu, Erin Avery, Zihao Qin, Dominic Goronzy, Huu Duy Nguyen, and Tianhan Liu. Hu and Weiss are also affiliated with the California NanoSystems Institute and UCLA Samueli’s Department of Bioengineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
This research
Source: scitechdaily.com
