Thermal Transistor
Working with collaborators, we demonstrated a three-terminal thermal switch that uses an electric field to regulate heat flow through a molecular interface. The thermal transistor brings active control to heat transfer.
Key findings
- Reported switching speeds exceed 1 MHz.
- The reported thermal conductance modulation exceeds 1300%.
- The reported devices operated over more than one million switching cycles.
Relevance to electronics and thermal management
Active heat-flow regulation offers a research direction for dynamic thermal management and thermal circuits. Applications to AI hardware, power electronics, and packaging require further device and system integration.
Publication and authors
Electrically gated molecular thermal switch
Man Li, Huan Wu, Erin M. Avery, Zihao Qin, Dominic P. Goronzy, Huu Duy Nguyen, Tianhan Liu, Paul S. Weiss, Yongjie Hu
[Science 382, 585 (2023) · Download PDF]
DOI: 10.1126/science.abo4297 · Download PDF
Explore the laboratory’s publication list
Related research
- Boron arsenide for semiconductor thermal management
- θ-TaN: a metallic material for advanced thermal management
- Room-temperature phonon focusing in boron arsenide
- Thermal interface materials for electronics and packaging
- Transport physics: phonons, anharmonicity, and heat transfer
Selected media coverage
- Scientists Finally Invent Heat-Controlling Circuitry That Keeps Electronics Cool — Scientific American, January 2024
- A fast-switching thermal transistor — Nature Materials · News & Views
- Thermal Transistors Handle Heat With No Moving Parts — IEEE Spectrum
- Heat Transistor May Make for Cooler Computers — ASME