November 2014 - Semiconductor Engineering


Blog Review: Nov. 26


Mentor's Nazita Saye has stumbled on a defibrillating drone that can rescuscitate victims well before emergency services arrive. That's a new one. ARM's Brad Nemire has found an interesting new Kickstarter device, too. It measures everything from heart beat to body posture with earlobe sensors. Cadence's Brian Fuller follows a speech by economist Austan Goolsbee, who is optimistic about t... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


M&A NXP Semiconductors acquired the IP assets of Quintic for its wearable and Bluetooth Low Energy business. The deal is aimed at IoT applications. Numbers Mentor Graphics' numbers hit a record in fiscal Q3, which ended on Oct. 31. Revenue was $292.7 million, up from $275.6 million in the same period in 2013. Non-GAAP earnings were $39.92 million, up from $37.29 million in the same per... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Has extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography finally turned the corner after numerous delays and setbacks? The big test for EUV could reside at TSMC. “TSMC ordered two new EUV tools (from ASML), and is expected to use four EUV tools in total (with the two new orders) for its 10nm process (likely one layer, ramping in 2016 or 2017). EUV remains far from ready for broad adoption, in our view, but ... » read more

Virtual Prototyping Takes Off


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss [getkc id="104" kc_name="virtual prototyping"] with Barry Spotts, senior core competency FAE for fabric and tools at [getentity id="22186" comment="ARM"]; Vasan Karighattam, senior director of architecture for SoC and SSW engineering at [getentity id="22664" e_name="Open-Silicon"]; Tom De Schutter, senior product marketing manager for Virtualizer S... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 25


Direct-write diamond patterning Purdue University has devised a new technique that uses a pulsing laser to create synthetic nanodiamond films and patterns on a graphite substrate. The ability to pattern diamond surfaces could one day be used to make chips, biosensors and fuel cells. In the lab, researchers devised a multi-layered film, which includes a layer of graphite topped with a glass ... » read more

System Bits: Nov. 25


Biological circuits In recent years, researchers have made progress in the design and creation of biological circuits which can take a number of different inputs and deliver a particular kind of output — like electronic circuits. However, while individual components of such biological circuits can have precise and predictable responses, those outcomes become less predictable as more such ele... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 25


Better photodetectors Photodetectors are semiconductor devices that convert incoming light into electrical signals used in a vast array of products, from visible and infrared light detection systems to television remote controls. Meanwhile, perovskite is an organic-inorganic hybrid material with a crystal structure that is very efficient at converting light into electricity, and in recent year... » read more

Tech Talk: Formal Practices


[getentity id="22147" comment="Oski Technology"] president and CEO [getperson id="11074" comment="Vigyan Singhal"] defines [getkc id="33" comment="formal verification"], where to start, and how and when to use it. [youtube vid=pxoSWtb4xIw] » read more

Filling In The Gaps For Mixed-Signal Verification


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss mixed-signal verification with Haiko Morgenstern, Mixed-Signal Verification Group Staff Engineer at Infineon; Dr. Gernot Koch, CAD Manager at Micronas; Pierluigi Daglio, AMS Design Verification Flows Manager at STMicroelectronics; and Helene Thibieroz, AMS marketing manager at [getentity id="22035" e_name="Synopsys"]. What follows are excerpts of th... » read more

Week 24: Now The Review Work Begins


At least here in the United States, with next week’s Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas decorations already appearing in stores, there’s a sense that vacation season is around the corner. In contrast, on the technical program committee, we’re gearing up for real work, which in many ways is just now beginning. The deadline for invited content to DAC was last week and now we are in full thr... » read more

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