Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test

By Mark LaPedus - 09 Jul, 2021 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers and OEMs China has been working on compound semiconductors, such as gallium-nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). Now, a China-backed company has taken a big step in the SiC and related markets. Chip supplier Nexperia, a subsidiary of China’s Wingtech Technology, has acquired Newport Wafer Fab (NWF), a U.K.-based manufacture of power and compound semiconductors, including Si... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 6

By Mark LaPedus - 06 Jul, 2020 - Comments: 1

Luminosity record Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) has regained the world’s record for the highest luminosity achieved in a particle accelerator, beating the previous mark by CERN. KEK achieved the record in the SuperKEKB, a giant storage ring that combines an electron-positron collider with an advanced detector. This system is designed to explore fundamental ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 24

By Mark LaPedus - 24 Jul, 2018 - Comments: 0

Fast rotors Purdue University and others have developed what researchers claim is the world’s fastest man-made rotor. Researchers devised a tiny dumbbell from silica. Then, the object was levitated in a vacuum using a laser, thereby creating a spinning effect. This, in turn, enabled more than 60 billion revolutions per minute or more than 100,000 times faster than a dental drill. The t... » read more

Non-Traditional Chips Gaining Steam

By Jeff Dorsch - 15 Mar, 2018 - Comments: 0

Flexible hybrid electronics are beginning to roll out in the form of medical devices, wearable electronics and even near-field communications tags in retail, setting the stage for a whole new wave of circuit design, manufacturing and packaging that reaches well beyond traditional chips. FHE devices begin with substrates made of ceramics, glass, plastic, polyimide, polymers, polysilicon, stai... » read more

System Bits: June 14

By Ann Mutschler - 14 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

Microlaser phase locking arrays for terahertz security scanners Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Laboratories reminded that terahertz radiation, the band of electromagnetic radiation between microwaves and visible light, has promising applications in security and medical diagnostics, even if such devices will require the development of compact, low-power, high-quality terahertz lasers. ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 8

By Mark LaPedus - 08 Dec, 2015 - Comments: 0

Quantum computing At this week’s IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in Washington, D.C., chipmakers, research institutes and universities presented a plethora of papers on several subjects. A large number of papers revolve around the same theme—How to extend Moore’s Law. For this, researchers are working on a number of short- and long-term technologies to propel device... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Jan. 6

By Mark LaPedus - 06 Jan, 2015 - Comments: 1

Vertical SiC chips for electric cars Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for power electronics. The material has a high breakdown voltage, high operating temperatures and a superior thermal conductivity. At the recent 2014 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco, Toyota, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 25

By Mark LaPedus - 25 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

Direct-write diamond patterning Purdue University has devised a new technique that uses a pulsing laser to create synthetic nanodiamond films and patterns on a graphite substrate. The ability to pattern diamond surfaces could one day be used to make chips, biosensors and fuel cells. In the lab, researchers devised a multi-layered film, which includes a layer of graphite topped with a glass ... » read more

System Bits: June 17

By Ann Mutschler - 17 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

Smartphone for good: Adapted to reduce falls Purdue University researchers have shown how to modify a smartphone so that it can be used to measure a person's walking gait to prevent falls in people with compromised balance, such as the elderly or those with Parkinson's disease. The technology is being commercialized as SmartGait, and was designed as a tool to aid health care officials in as... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing

By Mark LaPedus - 13 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

In a much-anticipated deal, IBM is close to selling its chip unit to GlobalFoundries, according to Bloomberg. GlobalFoundries wants IBM’s engineers and the IP, and not the fabs. Intel lost its challenge against a record 1.06 billion euro ($1.44 billion) European Union fine handed down five years ago, according to Reuters. The EU said Intel tried to thwart AMD by giving rebates to PC makers... » read more

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Knowledge Centers
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