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IBM Chips are oh so "Cool"!
Techtree News Staff, Oct 30, 2006 1150 hrs ISTIBM researchers have developed a new cooling technique for managing the temperature of computer chips, which they claim can double cooling efficiency.
IBM researchers have developed a new cooling technique for managing the temperature of computer chips, which they claim can double cooling efficiency.
This method entails a new way of spreading thermal paste between hot chips and their heat sinks, making the paste as thin as possible to transport heat from the chip to the cooling components more efficiently.
IBM claims the technique, called "high thermal conductivity interface technology", allows a two-fold improvement in heat removal over currently used methods. The researchers have designed a cap that is filled with a network of channels that can capture the heat generated by microprocessors, and transport it to other parts of the system.
Moreover, the pattern is designed in such a way that when pressure is applied, the thermal grease used to improve thermal contact between chip package and heat sink spreads more evenly, and the pressure remains uniform across the chip. This allows the right uniformity to be obtained at half the pressure, and around ten times better heat transport through the interface.
Speaking about this technique, Bruno Michel, manager - advanced thermal packaging research group, IBM's Zurich labs, said that the new process would enable chip designers to design more powerful chips, and continue to follow Moore's Law trend of shrinking transistors to ever-smaller sizes.
Michel described cooling as a holistic challenge from the individual transistor to the datacenter, and said that powerful techniques, brought as close as possible to the chip right where the cooling is needed, will be crucial for tackling power and cooling issues.
Furthermore, the researchers are also trying out ways to squirt water through channels lining the chips, using a technique called "direct jet impingement", in which an array of 50,000 tiny nozzles circulate water in a closed loop, but protecting the delicate chips circuits from getting wet.
The IBM team claims to have demonstrated cooling power densities of up to 370 watts per square centimeter with the water method, which is estimated to be about four to six times better than current air-cooling methods at about 75 watts per square centimeter.
While IBM is talking to chip makers to license the technology, the first method should be available for the next generation chips in about one year.
This method entails a new way of spreading thermal paste between hot chips and their heat sinks, making the paste as thin as possible to transport heat from the chip to the cooling components more efficiently.
IBM claims the technique, called "high thermal conductivity interface technology", allows a two-fold improvement in heat removal over currently used methods. The researchers have designed a cap that is filled with a network of channels that can capture the heat generated by microprocessors, and transport it to other parts of the system.
Moreover, the pattern is designed in such a way that when pressure is applied, the thermal grease used to improve thermal contact between chip package and heat sink spreads more evenly, and the pressure remains uniform across the chip. This allows the right uniformity to be obtained at half the pressure, and around ten times better heat transport through the interface.
Speaking about this technique, Bruno Michel, manager - advanced thermal packaging research group, IBM's Zurich labs, said that the new process would enable chip designers to design more powerful chips, and continue to follow Moore's Law trend of shrinking transistors to ever-smaller sizes.
Michel described cooling as a holistic challenge from the individual transistor to the datacenter, and said that powerful techniques, brought as close as possible to the chip right where the cooling is needed, will be crucial for tackling power and cooling issues.
Furthermore, the researchers are also trying out ways to squirt water through channels lining the chips, using a technique called "direct jet impingement", in which an array of 50,000 tiny nozzles circulate water in a closed loop, but protecting the delicate chips circuits from getting wet.
The IBM team claims to have demonstrated cooling power densities of up to 370 watts per square centimeter with the water method, which is estimated to be about four to six times better than current air-cooling methods at about 75 watts per square centimeter.
While IBM is talking to chip makers to license the technology, the first method should be available for the next generation chips in about one year.
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