New LED, OLED Display Drivers Debuted
Three new power management products for driving light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and powering organic LED (OLED) displays have been announced by National Semiconductor Corporation. The new products – the LM2755 LED driver, the LM2757 inductor-less switched capacitor boost regulator and the LM4510 high-voltage boost regulator – are tiny system solutions that extend battery life and enable next-generation visual effects in portable media devices. They also enable multi-zone backlighting for three independent RGB or white indicator LEDs controlled by programmable pattern generators, deliver inductor-less solution well-suited for peripheral lighting features, and support OLED displays which are much thinner and consume less energy than LCDs. Read more
Intel CTO: Future of Transistors Different, But Hard to Predict
In 10 years, transistors may not look anything like those currently available in today’s market, according to Justin Rattner, Intel’s Chief Technology Officer, who answers questions about the future of the transistor industry in an interview published on Computing SA Online. Rattner talks about the persistence of Moore’s Law, plans for an 80-core chip, and possible non-silicon based transistor designs. The 30 year veteran of the field also discusses the feasibility of building devices which run on different quantum properties than electronic charge, such as spin-based electronics (spintronics). When asked what he saw for future computing devices, Rattner acknowledge that the field of perceptual computing is on the cusp of making very large advances, saying “over the next decade or so there will be devices, whether they’re robots or not, that exploit computational perception and exhibit a very human like behavior.” Read more
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Nanotube “Forests” Grown on Silicon Chips
Clusters of carbon nanotubes have been grown onto the surfaces of computer chips to enhance the heat flow to heat sinks, according to engineers at Purdue University’s Birck Nanotechnology Center. The forest-like growth of nanotubes outperforms conventional thermal interface materials and, like those materials, does not require elaborate clean-room environments. The new method creates a nanotube interface that conforms to a heat sink's uneven surface, conducting heat with less resistance than comparable interface materials currently in use by the industry. This could represent a possible low-cost, reduced-size manufacturing approach to chip cooling. Conventional thermal interface materials, which are sandwiched between silicon chips and the metal heat sinks, include greases, waxes and indium foil - all of which have drawbacks, such as insufficient contact for optimum heat transfer. Read more
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Call for Papers: Electronic Design Symposium
The International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (ISQED) will be held in San Jose, California, USA, 26-28 March 2007. Now in its eighth year, the symposium provides a forum to exchange ideas and promote the research, development and application of design methods, design processes and EDA design tools employed for the design of quality integrated circuits. Papers are requested in the areas of Manufacturing, Semiconductor Process and Devices; Integrated Circuit Design; and EDA/CAD. The final deadline for paper submissions is 29 October 2007. For additional details, please visit the conference website.
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European Scientists Share 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics
Two hard-disk pioneers won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics for a breakthrough in nanotechnology that allows huge amounts of data to be stored in small spaces. France’s Albert Fert and Germany’s Peter Gruenberg were both presented with the prize for their work in discovering giant magnetoresistance (GMR). GMR works via a large electrical response to a tiny magnetic input – when atoms are laid down on a hard disk in ultra-thin layer, they interact differently than when spread out more, making it possible to pack more data onto smaller disks. Laptop computers, MP3 players, even YouTube, would not be possible without this discovery, which basically allows anything requiring a large amount of storage to function properly. Gruenberg most recently published with the IEEE in 2000 and Fert in 2007 - both in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. Learn more
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Firm Unveils WiFi Sensor Network with Extended Battery Life
GainSpan has debuted a wireless sensor network solution that uses the widely deployed WiFi infrastructure and can provide the 5 -10 years of extended battery life necessary for applications such as temperature monitoring for energy management, condition monitoring of industrial equipment and streetlights in metro areas. Using the WiFi infrastructure will enable users with standard tools and a general knowledge base to deploy sensor systems and seamlessly integrate with existing management systems. The GainSpan GS1010 is an ultra low-power system-on-a-chip, using the IEEE 802.11 network, with a power management feature that enables a new class of applications to improve indoor and outdoor air quality, reduce energy consumption, cut costs and improve operational efficiencies. Read more
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First Organic Semiconductor Circuit Created
The world's first gate using thin films of organic semiconductors with both n- and p-type transistors was recently fabricated at the University of Washington and Stanford University. According to researchers, the complementary organic semiconductor (COS) circuitry was created from nanowires that self-assembled at room temperature from solutions of organic semiconductors. The semiconductor inverter gate has a gain exceeding of 8, an on/off ratio of 104 and electron mobility on the order of one-hundredth of a square centimeter per volt-second. Complementary semiconductors reduce power consumption by using capacitively coupled inputs that consume energy only when they switch from a 1 to a 0 or vice versa. They also use the same energy-efficient complementary architecture as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), but are cast in inexpensive organics instead of inorganic metal oxides. Read more
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Widening Interest in Printing Vertical Transistors
While most printed transistors use traditional, horizontal geometry to determine how controlled currents pass through transistors, some manufacturers are exploring a vertical geometry, meaning that channel length would no longer be dictated by printing resolution. Experts say this method would produce a smaller transistor that works at higher frequencies and is capable of managing higher currents. Even though Cambridge University has shown how the manufacturing of vertical geometry transistors can be simplified, and ORFID in the United States is commercializing them, only a handful of companies in the printed transistor industry are actually developing them. Some firms, however, are starting to take a second look at vertical geometry, according to experts, who say manufacturers of light emitting transistors and OLEDs that incorporate drive transistors may find the technique useful. Read more
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IEEE Launches Internet Television
IEEE officially launched IEEE.tv on 27 September 2007. IEEE.tv is an Internet-based television network featuring targeted programming on technology and engineering produced by IEEE members. First launched as a beta site in August 2006, IEEE.tv includes programs available to the general public, along with special programming that can only be viewed by IEEE members. Improved features include a “flash” video format, a list of “most viewed” and “recently added” videos, and different options for RSS feeds, enabling Internet syndication. Additional features, available only to IEEE members, include downloadable videos and personalization options.
In 2007, IEEE appointed the IEEE.tv Advisory Group to provide strategic oversight and guidance for product development. The Group includes:
- Charles Dages, Executive Vice President, Emerging Technology, Warner Bros.
- David Green, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham); IEEE Treasurer
- Tom Gurley, Independent Broadcasting Consultant; Past-President IEEE Broadcast Technology Society
- William Hayes, Director of Engineering and Technology, Iowa Public Television; President, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society
- Cecelia Jankowski, Managing Director, IEEE Regional Activities
- Lisa Lazareck, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; IEEE GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) volunteer, Co-host of Discovery Channel program Zapped
To learn more about the programs available from IEEE.tv, please visit the IEEE.tv website.
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