Author's Latest Posts


Power/Performance Bits: June 10


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


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


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


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

Power/Performance Bits: June 3


Stabilizing common semiconductors for solar fuels generation Researchers around the world are trying to develop solar-driven generators that can split water, yielding hydrogen gas that could be used as clean fuel. These devices would require efficient light-absorbing materials that attract and hold sunlight to drive the chemical reactions involved in water splitting. As semiconductors like sil... » read more

Elementary Not Too Early To Encourage Girls In Math And Science


Dr. Diana Marculescu, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is this year’s recipient of the Marie R. Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Achievement Award, which honors Dr. Marculescu for her leadership and for providing a role model to women in engineering through both her research and her teaching. Semiconductor Engineering spoke wit... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


M&A ARM said it is acquiring Duolog Technologies, a player in design configuration and integration technology for the semiconductor industry. ARM said this will expand its position for deploying complex system IP including debug and trace IP. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Tools and IP ARM’s Cortex A9 core is at the heart of a new secure processor from Broadcom aimed at endpo... » read more

Easing The Path To Evolution


On the surface, revolutionary changes in EDA seem unlikely due to the risk of replacing costly tools, flows and methodologies. But are they really? The answer depends on whom you ask. For Part One, click here. Risk is a big part of the equation here. “There are always pioneers in an organization and what you need to do is find someone who is willing to take some risk and typically it’s o... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: May 27


Battery captures waste heat, converts it to electricity While vast amounts of excess heat are generated by industrial processes and by electric power plants, researchers around the world have spent decades looking for ways to harness some of this wasted energy, according to engineering researchers at Stanford and MIT. They pointed out that most of these efforts have focused on thermoelectric d... » read more

System Bits: May 27


Making sheets of grapheme more easily Graphene’s promise as a material for new kinds of electronic devices, among other uses, has led researchers around the world to study the material in search of new applications but one of the biggest limitations to wider use of the strong, lightweight, highly conductive material has been the hurdle of fabrication on an industrial scale. Initial work w... » read more

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