A 3 cooling device that can plunge temperatures to -206oC has been designed for use in superconductor research by MMR Technologies Inc, in Mountain View, California, reports the Wall Street Journal: it compresses nitrogen to 1,800 lbs per square inch and quickly expands it, and costs $1,800; further research is being done to develop the device so it can freeze computer chips; a prototype can cool an integrated circuit to the temperature of ice water where it works up to 40% faster than at room temperature, but size, cost and reliability problems must be resolved to make the cooling technique practical – MMR hopes to have prototypes of the ready for customer trials in 1990.
