Manufacturing Bits: March 24


Mouse brains to multi-beam At the recent SPIE Advanced Lithography conference, Sematech provided an update on its multi-beam, e-beam inspection program. The goal is to develop a next-generation inspection tool, which could be faster than traditional e-beam inspection and could one day displace brightfield inspection. “Optical inspection is having trouble detecting particles that are small... » read more

System Bits: March 24


A better band-aid UC Berkeley engineers are working on a bandage that can detect bedsores before they are visible - while recovery from them is still possible. Leveraging flexible electronics advancements, the researchers collaborated with colleagues at UC San Francisco to create their “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers as th... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: March 24


Power from packing peanuts After setting up a new lab, a Purdue University research team was left with a problem: mountains of packing peanuts. Instead of filling bags destined for a dumpster, the team saw an opportunity to find the packing material a useful purpose. The result was a process to convert waste packing peanuts into high-performance carbon electrodes for rechargeable lithium-... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 17


EUV source firm seeks help In 2012, a startup called Zplasma came out of stealth mode and introduced its first technology—a next-generation power source for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. But after much fanfare and hope, Zplasma has been unable to commercialize its EUV source technology. The company has also been unable to attract a development partner or outside funding. And t... » read more

System Bits: March 17


Symmetry in graphene growth According to Rice University researchers, what lies beneath growing islands of graphene is important to its properties. The team analyzed patterns of graphene – a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon – grown in a furnace via chemical vapor deposition and discovered that the geometric relationship between graphene and the substrate, the underlying material on whi... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Look out below! Intel has lowered its first-quarter revenue outlook. The company now expects first-quarter revenue to be $12.8 billion, plus or minus $300 million, compared to the previous expectation of $13.7 billion, plus or minus $500 million. “Intel may be experiencing greater-than-expected seasonal declines in both notebooks and desktops,” said Doug Freedman, an analyst with RBC Capita... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: March 10


Simulated memories Resistance-switching cells hold promise as a faster, higher capacity, lower power replacement for current non-volatile memory. Yet "the mechanisms that govern their remarkable properties have been poorly understood, limiting our ability to assess the ultimate performance and potential for commercialization," said Alejandro Strachan, professor of materials engineering at Pu... » read more

System Bits: March 10


Surviving entanglement breakdown Researchers at MIT have discovered that preserving the fragile quantum property known as entanglement isn’t necessary to reap benefits. By way of background, the MIT team reminded that the promise of quantum information processing, i.e., solving problems that classical computers can’t, as well as perfectly secure communication depends on a phenomenon cal... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 10


Hi-tech pens The University of California at San Diego has developed a hi-tech ballpoint pen. Researchers have taken off-the-shelf ballpoint pens and filled them with bio inks. With so-called enzymatic-ink-based roller pens, users are able to draw biocatalytic sensors on a surface. [caption id="attachment_18297" align="alignleft" width="300"] Researchers draw sensors capable of detecting... » read more

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