Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 19


Healing perovskites A team from the University of Cambridge, MIT, University of Oxford, University of Bath, and Delft University of Technology discovered a way to heal defects in perovskite solar cells by exposing them to light and just the right amount of humidity. While perovskites show promise for low-cost, efficient photovoltaics, tiny defects in the crystalline structure, called traps,... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 12


Failure analysis for 2.5D/3D chips Imec has developed a new failure analysis method to localize interconnection failures in 2.5D/3D stack die with through-silicon vias (TSVs). This technique is called LICA, which stands for light-induced capacitance alteration. It addresses the reliability issues for 2.5D/3D devices in a non-destructive and cost-effective manner at the wafer level. For s... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 12


Water-based li-ion battery Researchers at the University of Maryland and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory developed a lithium-ion battery that uses a water-salt solution as its electrolyte and reaches the 4.0 volt mark desired for household electronics, without the fire and explosive risks associated with some commercially available non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries. The battery provides i... » read more

System Bits: Sept. 12


Neural network cautionary tale As machine learning and neural networks proliferate widely today, there is a need to exercise caution in how they are employed, according to Stanford University researchers Michal Kosinki and Yilun Wang. In a study conducted recently, they have shown that deep neural networks can be used to determine the sexual orientation of a person, and caution that this ma... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 5


Laser-magnet metrology The FELIX Laboratory and the High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) have recently conducted the first measurements that combine a free electron laser (FEL) with a powerful magnet. The combination enables researchers to explore the electronic properties of materials. It provides a way to perform terahertz (THz) magneto spectroscopy on samples. The FELIX Laboratory at R... » read more

System Bits: Sept. 5


Reducing power consumption of datacenter caches As is commonly understood, most websites store data in databases, and since database queries are relatively slow, most sites also maintain so-called cache servers, which list the results of common queries for faster access, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) reminded. They noted that a data ce... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 5


Energy-harvesting yarn Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and Hanyang University in South Korea developed a carbon nanotube yarn that generates electricity when stretched or twisted. Possible applications for the so-called "twistron" yarns include harvesting energy from the motion of ocean waves or from temperature fluctuations. When sewn into a shirt, these yarns served as a sel... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 29


Compact synchrotron EUV sources For some time, the industry has been exploring the development of next-generation power sources for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. ASML and Gigaphoton are separately developing EUV sources based on the more traditional and compact laser-produced-plasma (LPP) technology. Then, in R&D, others are exploring the development of futuristic EUV sources us... » read more

System Bits: Aug. 29


Could video goggles, and a tiny implant cure blindness? Incredibly, the world of medical research is on the verge of curing blindness. Similar to cochlear implants for deaf people, Stanford University scientists and engineers are developing new devices to this end, including a bionic vision system based on photovoltaic implants, which is awaiting approval for human clinical trials in Europe. A... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 29


Colored solar panels Researchers from AMOLF, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) developed a technology to create efficient bright green solar panels in the hopes that a greater array of colors will prompt greater adoption among architects and builders who might see the traditional blue or black panels as an eyesore. The panels have a gr... » read more

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