"Silicon carbide is attractive for high temperature, high power, high voltage and high frequency devices because of its extreme properties. However, there are still processing issues that must be resolved if these applications are to ever be fullyrealized. One of the major obstacles to SiC device… More

"Thermal management is in many areas key to solving problems related to an improvement in the performance of electrical components. With IC miniaturization trends, ever increasing clock speeds, and the proliferation of intelligent power control modules thatmagnify die level heat generation, there is… More

Carbon nanotubes are a relatively new form of pure carbon with properties that exceed that of diamond and graphite; for example their thermal conductivity which has been calculated to be up to 3 times higher than diamond, their strength which is 100 timesgreater than steel, and their stiffness which… More

Many military electronic applications require cooling that is beyond the capabilities of both passive and active conventional cooling techniques. A need exists for cooling technologies that can reach and exceed 1000 W/cm2. Recently, direct spray coolinghas been investigated as a means to remove… More

We propose to develop synthesis and processing approaches to high density semiconductor quantum dot/conducting polymer nanocomposites that exhibit improved efficiencies in thermoelectric devices. The best thermoelectric semiconductors currently have a dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit,… More

This research involves theoretical and experimental investigations of a novel thermoelastic effect which may be used in a completely solid state heat engine. By employing piezoelectric solids in a thermoelastic system, it may be possible to engineer a composite layered material which can use… More

In this Phase I program, an innovative concept for a 10 kW thermoelectric generator (TEG) using high temperature exhaust gas will be developed. Analysis shows that more than 90 % of the total heat transfer resistance is at the gas heat exchangers attached to the hot and cold junctions of the TEG… More

The goal of this project is to produce prototypes of a modular solid state heat pump based on a novel thermoelastic effect. The heat pumps will be tested in a portable, battery powered cooler for a chemical suit, such as those used in environments subjected to bio-chemical attacks. The new… More

PHEs (Plate Heat Exchangers) are widely used since they exhibit excellent heat transfer characteristics which allow more compact designs than are achievable with conventional shell and tube heat exchangers. Along with their easy maintenance and other advantages, the PHEs have become the prime choice… More

In this Phase II program, an innovative 10 kW thermoelectric generator (TEG) using high temperature exhaust gas (from a Stryker vehicle) will be constructed based on results from the Phase I program. Analysis shows that more than 90 % of the total heat transfer resistance is at the gas heat… More

An innovative heat spreader concept for T/R thermal management is developed in this proposal. The proposed heat spreader has a higher effective thermal conductivity than that of copper, approximately 7 ppm/oC of temperature expansion coefficient (TEC), which is appropriate for brazing or soldering… More

Thermal management is a limiting factor in a variety of areas in the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Proper thermal management of current Si and GaAs devices as well as wide band gap semiconductors is crucial for meeting survival and reliability requirements in advanced Radar,… More

Carbon nanotubes have a unique combination of extreme properties which make them highly desirable as filler materials for a wide range of advanced composites. They are 100 times stronger than steel but only 1/6 the weight, are the stiffest of all materials, have a low density, and have the highest… More

Synthetic Jet (SJ) actuators have recently been pursued as solutions in active flow control applications, aeroshaping of airfoils, and even thermal management of microelectronics. Of particular interest is the use of piezoelectric SJ actuators as flight air flow control devices where their compact… More

Synthetic Jet (SJ) actuators have recently been pursued as solutions in active flow control applications and aeroshaping of airfoils. Of particular interest is the use of SJ actuators as flight air flow control devices where their compact size, reduced weight and all-electric actuation make them… More

There is a market need for high intensity sound sources that can operate for long durations over wide temperature ranges and in environments with dust and humidity exposure. Piezoelectric sound sources offer many advantages over compression drivers in these applications. They can be small and… More

Acoustic air purification systems could be an important technology for protection of buildings from terrorist biological threats. The current limitations of these systems (e.g. cost, size, and power consumption) are mainly due to the inadequacy of commercially available sound sources for this… More