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Ann Mutschler

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Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

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System Bits: Dec. 30
By Ann Mutschler - 30 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

3D printing merges plastics, active electronics Princeton researchers have embedded tiny light-emitting diodes into a standard contact lens, allowing the device to project beams of colored light as part of a project demonstrating 3-D printing techniques. And while the lens is not designed for actual use — it requires an external power supply — the device was created to demonstrate the a... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 30
By Ann Mutschler - 30 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

Crafting ultrathin color coatings Harvard University researchers have developed a technique that coats a metallic object with an extremely thin layer of semiconductor, just a few nanometers thick. And while the semiconductor is a steely gray color, the object ends up shining in vibrant hues because the coating exploits interference effects in the thin films. Carefully tuned in the laboratory, ... » read more

System Bits: Dec. 23
By Ann Mutschler - 23 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

Mini particle accelerator Researchers at MIT who succeeded last year in creating a material that could trap light and stop it in its tracks have now developed a more fundamental understanding of the process. The new work — which they said could help explain some basic physical mechanisms — shows that this behavior is connected to a wide range of other seemingly unrelated phenomena. Ligh... » read more

Is The Stacked Die Ecosystem Stagnating?
By Ann Mutschler - 23 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

While the stacked die ecosystem in general is currently status quo, with not much happening in the past year, there is definitely work being done —albeit cautiously—on the design tools side of things. It would be easy to feel impatient that the design tools are not complete and available today for [getkc id="82" comment="2.5D"] and [getkc id="42" comment="3D IC"] implementation until hearin... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 23
By Ann Mutschler - 23 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

Glimpsing pathway of sunlight to electricity According to University of Oregon and Lund University researchers, four pulses of laser light on nanoparticle photocells in a University of Oregon spectroscopy experiment have opened a window on how captured sunlight can be converted into electricity. The work, which the researchers expect could inspire devices with improved efficiency in solar e... » read more

Is The Stacked Die Ecosystem Stagnating?
By Ann Mutschler - 18 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 2

It is now widely agreed that not much has been happening in terms of adoption for 2.5D interposer and 3D ICs. “It seems like everyone is still at the starting line waiting for the race to begin," said Javier DeLaCruz, senior director of engineering of [getentity id="22242" e_name="eSilicon"]. "Interposer assembly and IP availability for effectively using the [getkc id="82" comment="2.5D IC... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 16
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

Measuring electrons in silicon In what is believed to be a first, a team of physicists and chemists based at UC Berkeley, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität in Munich, Germany, the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and the Molecular Foundry at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has captured images of electrons breaking free of their atomic shells using attosecond pulse... » read more

System Bits: Dec. 16
By Ann Mutschler - 16 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

High rise chip For decades, the mantra of the semiconductor industry has been ‘smaller, faster, cheaper.’ Stanford researchers are also adding ‘taller’ to the mix, and describing how to build high-rise chips that promise to leapfrog the performance of the single-story logic and memory chips on today's circuit cards. Stanford researchers said their approach would end the ‘logjams�... » read more

Yield Ramp Challenges Increase
By Ann Mutschler - 11 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

As semiconductor manufacturing moves down to smaller process nodes, there’s no doubt that it is increasingly difficult to ramp both test and manufacturing yields. One reason for this is simply scale. Smaller nodes translate into more steps and greater complexity in the manufacturing process, with attendant process variations. “Smaller process nodes increase the amount of embedded mem... » read more

Personal Security In The IoT
By Ann Mutschler - 09 Dec, 2014 - Comments: 0

I have to admit that in some regards, the Internet of Things concerns me…and not necessarily in a good way. Yes, I appreciate how convenient it will be when my refrigerator automatically orders my groceries when I get low on something, manages the electricity usage in my home, not to mention monitoring all of my bodily functions (ok, that might be an exaggeration), but are we stopping to ask ... » read more

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