Researchers Create Circuit-Grade Nanowires
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a reliable way to produce nanowires that can accurately connect nanoscopic circuits. A sapphire substrate material serves as the base for growing the nanowires using commercial lithography techniques. Previous attempts to produce nanowires for circuits have grown the nanowires vertically, requiring them to be cut and moved to the final substrate material, according to researchers, who say the method could not predict the layout of the nanowires as they were deposited by a liquid. The new method uses tiny drops of gold deposited in lines along the desired pathways, on which nanowires will grow in a high-heat environment. NIST chose Zinc oxide as the semiconductor material because of its minor differences from sapphire that cause the nanowires to naturally form into very small, discrete lines growing in a predictable direction. Read more
Lab-on-a-Chip Could Prevent Avian Flu Epidemics
A miniaturized device that can be used to detect the highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) virus, built on a platform that uses magnetic force to manipulate individual droplets containing silica-coated magnetic particles, has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Genome Institute of Singapore. If the device is successfully commercialized, it could be deployed in affected regions to provide early detection and prevent avian flu epidemics. Using the device, medical or humanitarian aid workers would be able to detect the presence of the H5N1 virus directly from throat swab samples in less than half an hour. According to its developers, the new platform is as sensitive as currently available tests, but approximately 10 times faster and potentially 40 to 100 times cheaper. Read more
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IEEE Transactions on Robotics is Top-Rated Robotics Journal in Re-Issued 2006 Journal Citation Reports
IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) is the top ranking journal in the robotics category in the 2006 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) with an impact factor of 1.763, the highest in this category. The impact factor is a calculated figure indicating the average number of times articles published in the previous two years are cited in the current year.
When the JCR was originally published in June, T-RO appeared to have slipped to third place in this category. After the data was analyzed by Editor-in-Chief Alessandro De Luca, it was determined that a number of 2006 citations were missing. The JCR publisher, Thomson Scientific, confirmed the error and corrected it in the recently re-issued version of the 2006 JCR. JCR includes data for nearly 6,200 highly cited titles in a wide variety of disciplines.
The IEEE Transactions on Robotics has ranked number one in the Robotics category for several years and specifically for the five year period 2002 - 2006.
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Prototype Validates Inexpensive Metal-Oxide for WPAN
Metal-insulator electronics are a viable alternative to semiconductors for millimeter wavelength 60-gigahertz wireless personal area networking (WPAN) devices. The joint venture prototype uses Phiar diodes receiving the 60- gigahertz radio signal and stepping it down to a 2- or 3- gigahertz signal using an inexpensive analog metal-insulator circuit. Researchers say Phiar's ultra-inexpensive approach met or exceeded the performance specifications set by the IEEE 802.15.3c WPAN standard, while still overcoming the main obstacle to 60-gigahertz WPAN – high cost. By using metal-insulator electronics, which can be fabricated on standard CMOS lines atop ultra-cheap plastic substrates, researchers say they can drive manufacturing costs down to rival those of semiconductors. Read more
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Symposium: Networks-on-Chip
The IEEE International Symposium on Networks-on-Chip (NOCS) provides a high quality forum for scientists and engineers to present their latest research findings in the area of NOC-based systems – from the physical on-chip link level through the network level, and ranging up to systems architecture and application software. NOCS’08 will be co-located with the 14th IEEE International Symposium on Asynchronous Circuits and Systems (ASYNC’08) and take place at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, 7-11 April 2008. The organization and programs of both symposia will be jointly coordinated, including keynote lectures, tutorials, exhibitions and social events. Learn more
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Cosmic Circuits Release New WiMO Platform
Cosmic Circuits, based in Bangalore, India, has announced the availability of its WiMO™ Analog Front End platform for integration onto multi-channel (MIMO) WiFi and WiMax System-on-Chips (SOC). The analog front end platform, designed and silicon-tested on the Fujitsu 90nm Low-Leakage process technology, incorporates several features to make it friendly to SOC. Innovative analog circuit technology suited to nanometer technology nodes, and a digital-friendly architecture that uses a minimum number of amplifiers, allows the platform to achieve a very low die-area solution for single and multi-channel MIMO configurations. Combined with the Power-ON-SoC power-regulator portfolio from Cosmic Circuits, the new technology provides a complete analog solution addressing both power-path and signal-path requirements of wireless customers. Read more
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Most Complex RFIC for SATCOM and Radar Applications Debuted
The world's most complex phased array, a 16- element chip that can send at 30 to 50 gigahertz, has been developed by electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego, USA. The technology, also known as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), has applications in defense satellite communication and radar systems, automotive satellite systems for direct broadcast TV, and new methods for high speed wireless data transfer. The uniformity and low coupling between the elements of the array, its low current consumption and small size (3.2 by 2.6 square millimeters) are all unprecedented. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the device is strictly a transmitter, though researchers are working on a chip that can transmit and receive, and has been designed for use at the defense satellite communications frequency, which goes from 40 to 50 gigahertz. Read more
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CyOptics Acquires Lightwave Circuits Manufacturer
A leading producer of indium phosphide-based optical chips and components, CyOptics Inc. has acquired circuits provider Inplane Photonics. The acquisition gives CyOptics control of Inplane’s planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) for optical networks in both commercial and defense markets. Used in LAN/WAN networks, avionics and shipboard systems, the silica-on-silicon PLC technology will enable the integration of optical circuits for data transmission, distribution, detection and conditioning on multi-function silicon chips. This will allow CyOptics to continue the company’s miniaturization of components for optical communication networks in markets like telecoms, bio-photonics and test & measurement. Read more
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See-Through Electronics Visible on the Horizon
Transparent electronics – electrodes, semiconductors, transistors, circuits and other elements – may be commercially possible in a year or two, according to researchers, who say the technology will enable the embedding of transparent electronic circuits into large areas, like windows, for the display of video imagery. It has been impossible to make transparent electronic circuits until now because most circuits, electrodes and other elements are made of materials like metal or silicon. The new technology would allow a pane of glass to look like an ordinary window but actually be made up of electronics with a range of functions. Walls and desktops could also be equipped with these “stick-on” electronics. Read more
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Call for Papers: 2008 IEEE International Conference on RFID
The IEEE International Conference on RFID (IEEE RFID), scheduled for 16-17 April 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is one of the leading international technical conferences. IEEE RFID, co-sponsored by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, will bring together leading researchers, developers, integrators, and visionaries to discuss and expand their knowledge of technologies, systems, networks, algorithms, and applications that support the development and adoption of RF-based wireless communications and identification systems. Papers presenting new research, innovations, and implementations related to the theory and practice of RFID systems, sensor technologies, and related information system support are requested. All submissions should describe original work not previously published or currently under review for publication in another conference or journal and must be submitted by 19 December 2007. Learn more
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