Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland and engineers from Samsung Electronics have created a new cooling chip called CHESS. This chip is small, silent, and does not use any moving parts or harmful chemicals. It can cool things like electronics, buildings, and even medical equipment with great precision.
CHESS stands for Controlled Hierarchically Engineered Superlattice Structures. It is a new type of thermoelectric cooling technology that uses nano-engineered materials. These materials move heat using electrons instead of the compressors and chemical refrigerants found in traditional cooling systems. This tiny chip is twice as efficient as older methods and can be manufactured in large quantities using the same tools that build computer chips.
Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian, the lead scientist at APL and head of the project said, “This real-world demonstration of refrigeration using new thermoelectric materials showcases the capabilities of nano-engineered CHESS thin films. It marks a significant leap in cooling technology and sets the stage for translating advances in thermoelectric materials into practical, large-scale, energy-efficient refrigeration applications.”
The scientists tested the CHESS chip against older bulk thermoelectric materials. The tests showed that CHESS improved cooling efficiency by almost 100% at room temperature. When the chip was added to a full cooling module, it was 75% more efficient.
When installed in a complete refrigeration system, the overall performance improved by 70%. The tests were done under real-world conditions, with high heat loads, similar to what would be expected in homes or commercial buildings.
The chip is incredibly small. Each cooling unit uses only 0.003 cubic centimeters of the special CHESS material about the size of a grain of sand. This means that it can be mass-produced at a lower cost. The team used a method called metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, or MOCVD, to make the chip. This method is already used in making solar panels and LED lights and is known for being cost-effective and suitable for large production.
Jon Pierce, a senior research engineer at APL who leads the MOCVD manufacturing process, said, “We used metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to produce the CHESS materials, a method well known for its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ability to support large-volume manufacturing.”
This chip was first developed for national security applications. Later, it was used in medical technology, including cooling therapy for prosthetics. In 2023, the technology received an R&D 100 Award. Now, with help from Samsung, the chip has moved beyond the lab and is ready for large-scale use.
Dr. Venkatasubramanian added, “This thin-film technology has the potential to grow from powering small-scale refrigeration systems to supporting large building HVAC applications, similar to the way that lithium-ion batteries have been scaled to power devices as small as mobile phones and as large as electric vehicles.”
The success of this chip is important because the world is facing a rising demand for cooling. Cities are growing, the weather is getting hotter, and more people use electronic devices every day. But traditional cooling methods like air conditioners and refrigerators use compressors and chemical refrigerants. These are not only large and noisy, but they also harm the environment and use a lot of energy.
CHESS offers a better way. Because it does not have any moving parts or chemicals, it is safer, quieter, smaller, and more reliable. This makes it a good choice for many applications from keeping smartphones cool to running air conditioning in large buildings.
Sungjin Jung, a materials engineer from Samsung who worked on the project, said the results were amazing. He explained that their testing used real commercial refrigerators and detailed models to make sure the performance was measured accurately.
CHESS technology is not only useful for cooling. It can also be used to turn heat into power. Jeff Maranchi, Program Area Manager at APL, said, “Beyond refrigeration, CHESS materials are also able to convert temperature differences, like body heat, into usable power.
In addition to advancing next-generation tactile systems, prosthetics, and human-machine interfaces, this opens the door to scalable energy-harvesting technologies for applications ranging from computers to spacecraft — capabilities that weren’t feasible with older bulkier thermoelectric devices.”
APL and Samsung will continue working together to improve this technology. Their plans include building larger refrigeration systems, like freezers, and adding artificial intelligence to improve energy use in smart buildings.
Susan Ehrlich, a technology commercialization manager at APL, added, “The success of this collaborative effort demonstrates that high-efficiency solid-state refrigeration is not only scientifically viable but manufacturable at scale. We’re looking forward to continued research and technology transfer opportunities with companies as we work toward translating these innovations into practical, real-world applications.”
