Method and apparatus for cooling integrated circuits using a thermoelectric module

摘要

An integrated circuit cooling device in which a thermoelectric module (TEM) is built into a printed circuit board (PCB) so that the TEM converts heat generated by an integrated circuit on the PCB into DC power that is then supplied to a DC-DC regulator to drive a cooling fan. In one embodiment, the cooling fan is incorporated within a heat sink disposed on one side of the PCB so that the built-in TEM is between the heat sink and the integrated circuit being cooled. In an alternate embodiment, the cooling fan is located remotely from the heat sink.