In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), joined a group of investors to fund a thin-film thermoelectric product manufacturer.

Nextreme Thermal Solutions is at the cutting edge of developing thermoelectric components designed to manage heat in semiconductors and other electronics. This is so-called 'thin-film superlattice' technology which can also turn heat into electricity. The process integrates thin-film thermoelectric material into the solder bumped interconnects that provide mechanical and electrical connections for today's circuits..

Nextreme said the funding will be used to ramp up products into full production in 2009 in response to demand from the photonics and military markets, and to develop new products for the computing, consumer and mobile markets.

Nextreme's OptoCooler was given an award by Nanotech Briefs in their fourth annual Nano 50 Awards program which recognizes the top 50 technologies, products, and innovators that have significantly impacted the state of the art in nanotechnology. The winners of the Nano 50 awards are known as the “best of the best” for innovative designs that will move nanotechnology to key mainstream markets.

Thermal bumps (thin-film superlattice) act as solid-state heat pumps and add thermal management functionality locally on the surface of a chip or to another electrical component. Thermal bumps are extremely small: 238μm (microns) in diameter by 60μm high, which enables the integration of thermal management capabilities at the wafer, die or package levels.

Nextreme says they are focused on solving thermal issues that are becoming more widespread in the electronics industry. An example they point to is a major producer of graphics processors who recently said that some of its notebooks graphics chips failed because the packaging materials could not withstand the “extreme thermal environments” brought about by a combination of inadequate thermal management and frequent power cycling seen in notebook computers.

Could Nextreme be talking about Nvivdia's chips that are failing in older Dell laptops?

Maybe Intel's Larrabee should license this technology if they are going to be in the 300 watt TDP range with all that extra heat. X