Manufacturing Bits: June 20


Solar cell metrology Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a pair of novel techniques to measure the chemical compositions and defects in solar cells. The new techniques will give researchers insights into a thin-film solar cell material called cadmium telluride. The technology will also suggest ways to boost the efficie... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 23


Pushing optical metrology The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a new way to determine crystal types using optical metrology techniques. Using an optical-based technique called absorption spectroscopy, researchers have detected tiny nanocrystals down to about 2nm resolutions. Absorption spectroscopy measures the absorption of radiation. It is measured as a function o... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Feb. 28


‘Big G’ gravitation measurements The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled a new coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The CMM, dubbed Xenos, makes measurements that involve “big G” or the universal constant of gravitation. Basically, there are two meanings for the constant of gravity. The first is Newton’s universal law of gravitation. For this, the spe... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Feb. 21


AFM-on-a-chip An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a metrology tool that can measure and characterize structures in three dimensions. It uses a tiny probe to enable measurements in chip structures, but the instrument itself is often a large and bulky system. In response, the University of Texas at Dallas has devised an AFM-on-a-chip technology. The AFM is roughly the size of a dime. Based on... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Jan. 24


Trapping antimatter Japan’s Riken has conducted measurements in order to discover the differences between matter and antimatter, namely in the complex field of antiprotons. Antimatter is a material composed of antiparticles, according to Wikipedia. Antimatter has the same mass as particles of ordinary matter, but it has an opposite charge, according to Wikipedia. Basically, neutron... » read more

IoT Security Risks Grow


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss security issues with Asaf Shen, vice president of marketing for security IP in ARM's Systems & Software Group; Timothy Dry, principal staff marketing manager for the Industrial IoT segment at GlobalFoundries; Chowdary Yanamadala, senior vice president of business development at ChaoLogix; and Eric Sivertson, CEO of Quantum Trace. What follows ar... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 27


Coffee ring effect In physics, the “coffee ring effect" has been the subject of study for years. This phenomenon is a simple concept. A liquid or droplet hits a surface and dries. The particles in the droplet are suspended. And ultimately, it leaves a ring-like pattern. The phenomenon is named for the formation of a ring-like deposit when coffee or other liquid resides on a surface. ... » read more

Measuring Atoms And Beyond


David Seiler, chief of the Engineering Physics Division within the Physical Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to discuss the current and future directions of metrology. NIST, a physical science laboratory, is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: W... » read more

The Week In Review: IoT


Deals Verizon Communications reported acquiring the assets of LQD WiFi LLC, expanding its smart city portfolio; financial terms weren’t revealed. Mike Lanman, senior vice president, Enterprise Products and Internet of Things at Verizon, said in a statement: “LQD’s Palo technology hubs capture Verizon’s vision of delivering citizen engagement experiences by connecting people with their ... » read more

Oscilloscopes: The EE’s Stethoscope


Oscilloscopes are like the electricity to your house. You don't give it much thought until a storm knocks it out. The entire electronics industry can't function without oscilloscopes. But this equipment is such a constant and so consistent, we sometimes forget it's there. Semiconductor Engineering spent time with three Test & Measurement (T&M) industry stalwarts to talk about Oscillo... » read more

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