The Semiconductor Revolution And The Role Of Adaptable Testing


The semiconductor industry, the backbone of modern technology, is experiencing a rapid evolution driven by the increasing demands for higher performance, greater functionality, and lower power consumption. This evolution is creating new challenges and opportunities in the testing of mixed signal and RF semiconductors and electronics devices, making the need for adaptable and flexible test syste... » read more

Integration Hurdles For Analog And RF In Next-Gen Packages


A rapid increase in wireless connectivity and more sensors, coupled with a shift away from monolithic SoCs toward heterogeneous integration, is driving up the amount of analog/RF content in systems and changing the dynamics within a package. Since the early 2000s, the majority of chips used at the most advanced nodes were systems-on-chip (SoCs). All features had to fit into a single planar S... » read more

Research Bits: May 21


Lithium tantalate PICs Researchers at EPFL and Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology developed scalable photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on lithium tantalate (LiTaO3). Lithium tantalate can provide excellent electro-optic qualities and is used in telecom 5G RF filters. The team developed a wafer-bonding method for lithium tantalate, which is compatible with s... » read more

Optimize Power For RF/μW Hybrid And Digital Phased Arrays


Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are a critical component of both digital and hybrid phased array technology. Powering FPGAs for aerospace and defense applications comes with its own set of challenges, especially because these applications require higher reliability than many industrial or consumer technologies. This blog post will provide a brief history on beamforming and beam-steeri... » read more

Design Considerations In Photonics


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to talk about what CMOS and photonics engineers need to know to successfully collaborate, with James Pond, fellow at Ansys; Gilles Lamant, distinguished engineer at Cadence; and Mitch Heins, business development manager for photonic solutions at Synopsys. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. To view part one of this discussion,... » read more

RF General-Purpose Photonic Processor


A new technical paper titled "General-purpose programmable photonic processor for advanced radiofrequency applications" was published by researchers at Universitat Politècnica de València and iPronics. Abstract "A general-purpose photonic processor can be built integrating a silicon photonic programmable core in a technology stack comprising an electronic monitoring and controlling layer ... » read more

3-Channel Package-Scale Galvanic Isolation Interface for SiC and GaN Power Switching Converters


A new technical paper titled "A Three-Channel Package-Scale Galvanic Isolation Interface for Wide Bandgap Gate Drivers" was published by STMicroelectronics and DIEEI, Università di Catania. Abstract "This article presents the design of a three-channel package-scale galvanic isolation interface for SiC and GaN power switching converters. The isolation interface consists of two side-by-sid... » read more

Summary Of The Progress In Beta-Phase Gallium Oxide Field-Effect Transistors


A technical paper titled “Progress in Gallium Oxide Field-Effect Transistors for High-Power and RF Applications” was published by researchers at George Mason University and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Abstract: "Power electronics are becoming increasingly more important, as electrical energy constitutes 40% of the total primary energy usage in the USA and is exp... » read more

Densification Of RF Designs


It’s challenging enough to deal with wireless signals at the 5G and 6G frequencies. But with increased density in chips crammed into smaller packages, higher power, beam forming, and MIMO, design requirements are very different than in the past. Simple parasitic extraction no longer is sufficient. Daren McClearnon, product manager for RF and microwave simulation at Keysight, talks about the n... » read more

Lego-Like Photonics Chip With Expanded RF Bandwidth And Advanced Filter Control


A technical paper titled “Integrated microwave photonic notch filter using a heterogeneously integrated Brillouin and active-silicon photonic circuit” was published by researchers at University of Sydney and Australian National University. Abstract: "Microwave photonics (MWP) has unlocked a new paradigm for Radio Frequency (RF) signal processing by harnessing the inherent broadband and tu... » read more

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