Jumping droplets extinguish hotspots

摘要

The performance of electronic devices is often constrained by their inability to evenly dissipate the waste heat they produce. While a few options for hotspot cooling do exist, they don't work well for mobile hotspots, which move according to ever-changing computing tasks or power-amplification demands. Thermoelectric cooling, for example, is best for a fixed hotspot location. Electrowetting requires external power input. Flat-plate heat pipes are remarkable for their removal of heat through horizontal spreading which is much more effective than high thermal conductivity copper or even diamond heat sinks, but they lack a vertical mechanism to dissipate heat.