Nextreme Lands Another Patent for Its Chip Cooling Technology

Durham, N.C. — Further securing its position as a leader in revolutionary techniques for cooling semiconductors, Nextreme Thermal Solutions, has been awarded a US patent for its technology that could greatly impact global energy conservation and thermal management.

Nextreme's newest patent is for “Phonon-Blocking, Electron-Transmitting Low-Dimensional Structures” stems from research that RTI International completed in the area of nano-structured thermoelectric materials. All related intellectual property was acquired by Nextreme in a 2004 spin-out.

“This patent award is the culmination of years of research from a pioneer in the field of thermoelectrics,” said Seri Lee, chief technology officer at Nextreme. “Nano-structured materials hold great promise for significantly enhanced cooling and energy conversion performance.”

Research in nano-structured materials is advancing the efficiency of converting waste heat into electrical power, and for cooling electronics. The approach is resulting in improvements of 40 to 140 percent, according to Nextreme.

Nextreme has already created change in the electronics industry by incorporating cooling devices into packaging for integrated circuit devices. It also developed the OptoCooler module, the world’s smallest thermoelectric cooling device, an industry first for offering a heat pumping density in excess of 70 W/cm2.