Research > Faculty Projects
Self-assembly of Solid State Refrigeration Elements on a Substrate
Principal Investigator
Karl F. Bohringer
Sponsor(s)
Intel Corporation
Award Period
07/01/2006 - 06/30/2009
Abstract
This proposal addresses two central problems in packaging
of integrated circuits:
(1) The increasingly critical problem of heat generation and heat dissipation in integrated circuits. The proposed solution employs solid state refrigeration elements and a novel approach to assemble these elements in an efficient, massively parallel fashion.
(2) At the millimeter scale, 2D and stacked 3D assembly methods will be explored with thin silicon microelectronic parts of up to 5mm in length. The large component size with extreme aspect ratio (width: thickness =100:1) and high required alignment precision (0.1µm) require innovative solutions. For this application we will investigate a dual- size-scale precision assembly approach that consists of a first-level assembly with micron-scale precision using surface tension and/or coarse shape recognition, followed by a sub-micron-scale precision alignment and transfer using fine shape recognition and nano-scale control of surface properties.
The immediate impact of a successful implementation will allow the cost-effective production of more efficient cooling solutions for future integrated circuits. Vast possibilities beyond this immediate goal exist, as this approach will allow the massively parallel integration of heterogeneous materials and micro-scale devices, for example for miniature distributed sensor notes or for lab- on-chip devices in biomedical and point-of-care applications.
Updates or corrections to this page should be sent to gheaton@u.washington.edu.
