Spring Break
Convention brings nanotech insiders to University
By: Bolin Niu
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: News
Last update: 4/2/07 at 6:26 AM EST
Last update: 4/2/07 at 6:26 AM EST
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As made evident by the shrinking sizes of iPods, laptops and digital cameras, small is clearly in. But the emergence of such gadgets tends to pose problems of efficiency and cooling within their tiny confines.
A two-day workshop at Duke's Erwin Mills last Thursday and Friday, "Nanotechnology and the Emerging Global Knowledge Economy: Challenges and Opportunities," focused on the advent of nanotechnology in a global and regional context.
Technologies explored at Friday's workshop on product development, which targeted members of the Duke community and technology insiders, included machinery for the automotive and biomedical fields, among others.
Jesko von Windheim-CEO of Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc., located in Research Triangle Park-discussed his company's solutions to the limited size of nanotechnologies.
"We work on semiconductor processing, electronic packaging and especially thermoelectric material engineering," von Windheim said.
The company's major product, a "paper-thin heat pump," can lower temperatures by up to 40 degrees Celsius across its two sides. He described the device, which can be used in lasers and other small electronics, as "a solid-state refrigerator the size of a piece of confetti."
The multifunctional paper-thin heat pump performs the function of a power generator when placed next to a heat source, von Windheim added.
In order to meet the demands of customers, new technologies must be developed to offset the disadvantages of small products, he said.
"Because the market trend is making things smaller and more packed together, the dense power dissipation creates very high temperatures," von Windheim said, adding that such problems have been addressed on a larger scale.
In computers, for example, the dual-core chip was employed not to improve performance but rather to combat the problem of overheating, he said, noting that these challenges promise large rewards in the end.
"Some companies tell us, 'If you solve the thermal problem, our markets will expand 10 times,'" von Windheim said.
A two-day workshop at Duke's Erwin Mills last Thursday and Friday, "Nanotechnology and the Emerging Global Knowledge Economy: Challenges and Opportunities," focused on the advent of nanotechnology in a global and regional context.
Technologies explored at Friday's workshop on product development, which targeted members of the Duke community and technology insiders, included machinery for the automotive and biomedical fields, among others.
Jesko von Windheim-CEO of Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc., located in Research Triangle Park-discussed his company's solutions to the limited size of nanotechnologies.
"We work on semiconductor processing, electronic packaging and especially thermoelectric material engineering," von Windheim said.
The company's major product, a "paper-thin heat pump," can lower temperatures by up to 40 degrees Celsius across its two sides. He described the device, which can be used in lasers and other small electronics, as "a solid-state refrigerator the size of a piece of confetti."
The multifunctional paper-thin heat pump performs the function of a power generator when placed next to a heat source, von Windheim added.
In order to meet the demands of customers, new technologies must be developed to offset the disadvantages of small products, he said.
"Because the market trend is making things smaller and more packed together, the dense power dissipation creates very high temperatures," von Windheim said, adding that such problems have been addressed on a larger scale.
In computers, for example, the dual-core chip was employed not to improve performance but rather to combat the problem of overheating, he said, noting that these challenges promise large rewards in the end.
"Some companies tell us, 'If you solve the thermal problem, our markets will expand 10 times,'" von Windheim said.
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