2 Quick Questions

[calbiterol]

First, does a computer chip require an atmosphere to run? In other words, it can run in a vacuum, right?

 

Second, I know there is an upper limit to acceptable temperatures for chips to run correctly in (hence heatsincs and fans in computers), but is there a lower limit?

[JPQuiceno]

Yes it can run in a vacum.

 

I doubt it has a lower limit.

 

I've seen computers cooled by nitrogen and almost frozen, and they still work.

[5614]

Suprisingly my computer manual recommends no operating temperatures below 10C but I too have seen the liquid nitrogen cooling systems working in the video of the world record 5GHz project... but then that processor was kicking out a lot of heat, but it still woulda lost it effectively immediately.

 

Running a computer in a vacuum would work, but there'd be little heat loss so it could over heat.

[AtomicMX]

There are physics formulas for that of course quite advanced.

[calbiterol]

I too have seen the liquid nitrogen cooling systems

 

Well then, that answers my question - I was considering experimenting with one, and was wondering if this would kill things. Apparently not. Thanks for the help.

[calbiterol]

While I'm on the subject, do cooling systems have to be on the chip? In particular, could the chip be in a supercold atmosphere (like with a liquid nitro cooling system) without direct contact with the cooling system, without running the risk of overheating?

[YT2095]

they can work in a vacuum if they`ve been tested for that, the resin outer coating can contain air pockets on cheaper chips (that`s why some explode when shorted out or over heated) the expand and `POP`, a Vacuum can and will have the same effect.

 

as for operating temp, there IS a lower limit (depending on the substrate/ chip type) mostly it`s important with analog ICs as they deal with Voltages rather than binary ON/OFFs at frequency.

semicons are suceptible to temp where voltage is concerned and so an offset with temp reference is usualy required to compensate.