Research Bits: April 8


Annealing processor Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science designed a scalable, fully-coupled annealing processor with 4096 spins on a single board with 36 CMOS chips, with parallelized capabilities for accelerated solving of combinatorial optimization problems. "We want to achieve advanced information processing directly at the edge, rather than in the cloud, or performing prepro... » read more

Research Bits: Jan. 16


3D stacking of 2D materials Researchers from Penn State University demonstrated monolithic 3D integration with 2D transistors made from 2D semiconductors called transition metal dichalcogenides. The 2D materials have unique electronic and optical properties, including sensitivity to light, making them ideal for use as sensors. “One challenge is the process temperature ceiling of 450 degre... » read more

Research Bits: September 5


Layered TMD semiconductors Scientists from Tsinghua University investigated fabrication techniques for fabricating and engineering transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). By modulating TMDs with various methods, including phase engineering, defect engineering, doping, and alloying, the material class could provide a wide range of alternatives for high-quality layered semiconductors with st... » read more

Chip Industry’s Technical Paper Roundup: July 18


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=118 /] (more…) » read more

Redox-Based Ionic Devices For High-Performance Neuromorphic Computing


A technical paper titled "A Redox-Based Ion-Gating Reservoir, Utilizing Double Reservoir States in Drain and Gate Nonlinear Responses" was published by researchers at National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Tokyo University of Science. Abstract: "Herein, physical reservoir computing with a redox-based ion-gating reservoir (redox-IGR) comprising LixWO3 thin film and lithium-ion co... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Worldwide semiconductor industry sales dropped 21% year-over-year in May to $40.7 billion, mostly driven by decreases in the Americas (-22%), Asia Pacific/All Other (-23%), and China (-29%). But there also were hints of a recovery. The three-month moving average showed a 1.7% increase in sales, with the largest increases in China (+3.9%) and Europe (+2%). “Despite continuing market sluggishne... » read more

Chip Industry’s Technical Paper Roundup: Mar. 6


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=84 /] If you have research papers you are trying to promote, we will review them to see if they are a good fit for our global audience. At a minimum, papers need to be well researched and documented, relevant to the semiconductor ecosystem, and free of marketing bias. There is no cost involved for us ... » read more

Fabricating Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes On Plastic Film


A new technical paper titled "Direct formation of carbon nanotube wiring with controlled electrical resistance on plastic films" was published by researchers at Tokyo University of Science. The paper states, "we have developed a simple method to fabricate multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) wiring on a plastic film at room temperature under atmosphere pressure. By irradiating a MWNT thin fil... » read more

Research Bits: Nov. 15


Low temperature 3D bonding Scientists from Osaka University developed a new method for the direct three-dimensional bonding of copper electrodes using silver layers. The method works at low temperatures and does not require external pressure. "Our process can be performed under gentle conditions, at relatively low temperatures and without added pressure, but the bonds were able to withstand... » read more

Research Bits: Aug. 16


Protein-based circuits Researchers from North Carolina State University and University of Cambridge created self-assembled, protein-based circuits that can perform simple logic functions and take advantage of an electron’s properties at quantum scales. A challenge in creating molecular circuits is the unreliability as circuit size decreases. At the quantum scale, electrons behave like wav... » read more