The December issue of designing lighting (dl) magazine has an interesting story about recent research into running infrared (IR) LEDs in reverse polarity to create active cooling. One caveat for this approach to work is that the object to be cooled has to be incredibly close to the IR LED — less than 1 wavelength’s distance of the IR light. The technique is called nanophotonic cooling.
This technology may enable future devices at the nanometer scale for cooling. It could lead to new solid-state cooling devices that are as good as current solid-state refrigeration devices based on thermoelectrics (conversion of heat to electricity and vice versa). It has the potential to cool future microelectronics. This technology is compatible with current ways to manufacture technologies that control, detect, and create light.
David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and President of Lighting Solution Development, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has co-chaired ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.
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