Communications of the ACM
Researchers Develop Solid-State Thermal Transistor for Better Heat Management
The new thermal transistor, which boasts a field effect and a full solid state, offers high performance and compatibility with integrated circuits in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Credit: H-Lab/UCLA
A solid-state thermal transistor developed by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers enables precision control of heat movement in semiconductor devices using the on-off switching of an electric field.
The transistor is comprised of a self-assembled molecular interface that serves as a conduit for heat movement and a third-terminal gate through which the electric field is switched on and off to control thermal resistance across the atomic interfaces.
It achieved a switching speed exceeding 1 megahertz, or 1 million cycles per second.
The researchers also demonstrated 1,300% tunability in thermal conductance and reliable performance for more than 1 million switching cycles.
Said UCLA's Paul Weiss, "We have been able to improve both the speed and size of the thermal switching effect by orders of magnitude over what was previously possible."
From UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
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Abstracts Copyright © 2023 SmithBucklin, Washington, D.C., USA
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