Charged
Frigid Finding
Method of cooling electrons without external sources promises commercial, military benefits
Keeping cellphones, tablets, and laptops charged is a constant battle, but a breakthrough by UT Arlington engineers might make the task easier.
A team of researchers has discovered a way to cool electrons to -228 degrees Celsius at room temperature and without external means—an advancement that could enable electronic devices to function with very little energy. The process involves passing electrons through a quantum well to cool them and keep them from heating.
“We are the first to effectively cool electrons at room temperature. Researchers have done electron cooling before, but only when the entire device is immersed into an extremely cold cooling bath,” explains materials science and engineering Associate Professor Seong Jin Koh, who is leading the project. “Obtaining cold electrons at room temperature has enormous technical benefits.”
Cold electrons promise a new type of transistor that operates at low-energy consumption. Dr. Koh’s team is using its finding to create such devices.
As National Science Foundation Program Director Usha Varshney notes, “When implemented in transistors, this method could potentially reduce energy consumption of electronic devices by more than 10 times compared to the present technology.”