Long as the industry has been operating at a high heat dissipation of circuits, and to stack multiple chips on each other is becoming more or less standard for certain types of circuits. IBM shows off a new interesting technique that involves both cooling and operating these types of circuits with liquid metal.
So-called 3D die-stacking, TSV (Through Silicon Via) is that you stack multiple chips on each other. This is common in today's smartphones, which have a system processor and etches the RAM on top. The advantages of this technique is faster transfer speeds, communication between the stacked chips and lower power consumption. The disadvantage is that the cooling circuits, but also to provide the upper circles of power.
IBM has developed a technology to solve both problems, while it is still in experimental stage, it sounds very interesting. IBM does a lot of artificial intelligence has taken inspiration from the human brain, using the same medium to transport heat and provide the brain (and other body) with energy.
"The human brain is 10.000 times more dense and efficient Than any computer today. That's Because it Possible Uses only one, extremely efficient, network of capillaries and Blood Vessels to transport heat and energy, all at the Same Time," IBM
It has made channels in their wafers to allow the liquid metal - in this case the element Vanadium - to flow through a circuit. When you then stack multiple chips on each other, there are channels to flow through it. In IBM's tests should I have stacked a hundred silicon-based circuits on top of each other.
Vanadium can lead to charge through the stacked chips to run them, and when it loses its charge, it can absorb heat, allowing it to act as cooling. The idea is that you have a single medium for both running and cooling the stacked chips.
3D die-stacking is the future, but the technology will be used to overcome the problems of power and heat generation?
If and when the technology is materialized in real products is not clear, and IBM has previously shown a similar technique with thermally conductive adhesive for the same use. But the potential of this technology from IBM is large, and can result in both higher frequencies and lower power consumption. Another problem can not think of when you only see all the numbers in GHz (gigahertz), is that as the transistors may work faster need faster communication between all types of circuits. Although this is 3D die-stacking is actually a solution to the problem when you place the chips on each other, creating minor delays between them.
What we can say is that TSV is the future of the semiconductor industry, and some type of technology will be required in future to overcome both power and heat generation. Could you imagine having liquid metal in the heart of your computer or smartphone?
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