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Ann Mutschler

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Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Power/Performance Bits: June 24
By Ann Mutschler - 24 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Solar-cell efficiency in one step Rice University scientists have created a single-step process for producing highly efficient materials that let the maximum amount of sunlight reach a solar cell. The Rice lab of chemist Andrew Barron found a simple way to etch nanoscale spikes into silicon that allows more than 99 percent of sunlight to reach the cells’ active elements, where it can be t... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: June 17
By Ann Mutschler - 17 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Nanotubes boost terahertz detectors Researchers at Rice University, Sandia National Laboratories and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed novel terahertz detectors based on carbon nanotubes that could improve medical imaging, airport passenger screening, food inspection and other applications. Unlike current terahertz detectors, the devices are flexible, sensitive to polarizatio... » read more

System Bits: June 17
By Ann Mutschler - 17 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Smartphone for good: Adapted to reduce falls Purdue University researchers have shown how to modify a smartphone so that it can be used to measure a person's walking gait to prevent falls in people with compromised balance, such as the elderly or those with Parkinson's disease. The technology is being commercialized as SmartGait, and was designed as a tool to aid health care officials in as... » read more

Do SoCs Need Earthquake Insurance?
By Ann Mutschler - 13 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 1

RTL sign-off is not a new term, but with SoCs that can be comprised of up to 90% IP blocks combined with the complexities that advanced manufacturing process nodes bring, RTL sign-off activities become a process that demands a more comprehensive approach. “There is a fundamental shift going on in chip design in general in that there is a bigger focus on so-called system on chip (SoC) desig... » read more

S-L Power Modeling Gains Steam
By Ann Mutschler - 12 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 1

Power analysis, architectural exploration and optimization of an SoC is a hot topic of discussion today. It is well accepted this must be addressed at a higher level of abstraction because not just the hardware must be taken into account with power intent and power management structures. It has to be viewed from a system point of view, as well, where the hardware resides along with the opera... » read more

Power IS Top Priority, Isn’t It?
By Ann Mutschler - 12 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

While I don’t mean to start a battle – or maybe I do! – I heard something last week during DAC that gave me pause. The person I was speaking with – who told me they ‘got in a little bit of trouble’ for saying this – reminded me of an interesting subject we had talked about previously, namely, that they did not believe power is the number one concern of engineering teams today. Ye... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: June 10
By Ann Mutschler - 10 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Cheaper, lighter solar cells Think those flat, glassy solar panels on your neighbor’s roof are the best solar technology has to offer? Not so. Engineers in the University of Toronto’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have designed and tested a new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticle that they say outperforms the current state of the art. Based on a new form of solid... » read more

System Bits: June 10
By Ann Mutschler - 10 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Graphene for dummies EPFL researchers have developed a “how-to” manual for making the most efficient optical graphene circuits possible that facilitates and accelerates technological development in this future field. Graphene holds great promise as the basis for new chips that are faster, better-performing and more compact. For example, graphene makes it possible to design systems that ... » read more

Chip Security Impacts Power, Performance
By Ann Mutschler - 05 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 1

We know that hackers are getting more sophisticated all the time to the point that it may already be possible to gain access to an automobile without touching it. According to this Financial Times article, with new cars containing an increasing number of connected applications – everything from music streaming services and Bluetooth to email readers and likely even GPS systems – it leaves t... » read more

System Bits: June 3
By Ann Mutschler - 03 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Controlling the growth of metal-crystals from single atoms In a breakthrough that allows for observation and direct control of the nano-world in motion, researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a method, called Nanocrystallometry, that allows for the creation of precise components for use in nanotechnology. The method uses a doped-graphene matrix to slow down and then trap at... » read more

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