"Any hardcore gamer who tried to overclock his pc knows that the greatest limitation to how far you can go is your ability to keep the system cool. Needless to say, the size of cooling systems and fans is a major limitation for laptops and handhelds' processing powers.
Dan Schlitz and Vishal Singhal of Thorrn Micro Technologies, Inc. are working on a new solid state cooling system that is 35 times more efficient than existing fans.
"The RSD5 is one of the most significant advancements in electronics cooling since heat pipes. It could change the cooling paradigm for mobile electronics," said Singhal.
The RSD5 utilizes a phenomenon called corona wind. Corona wind is produced by passing current through a series of live wires that generate a micro-scale plasma (an ion-rich gas that has free electrons that conduct electricity). The wires lie within un-charged conducting plates that are contoured into half-cylindrical shape to partially envelop the wires."
Non-Moving Solid State Fan Outperforms Traditional Fans - MegaGames hardware