Patent ID: 7661468

Claim:
A cooling apparatus, comprising: a channel defined by fins of a heat sink, the fins extending in a longitudinal direction from a surface of the heat sink substantially parallel to each other and separated by the channel; and an electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) pump coupled to the channel that forces gas to flow from a channel inlet to a channel outlet through the channel in a lengthwise direction of the channel that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, wherein the EHD pump comprises first and second electrodes, wherein the first electrode is comprised of a wire having a cross-sectional shape and being disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction, and wherein the second electrode is integrally formed in at least one of the fins, and wherein the first electrode is separated from the fins by a gas gap, and wherein the EHD pump causes ions to be generated along the length of the wire across the gas gap and accelerated toward the at least one fin, such that gas is pumped through the channel from the inlet towards the outlet of the channel.