Graphitic Memory: Advances Bring Graphite As Storage Medium A Step Closer Sep 14, 2009
13, 2009) Advances by the Rice University lab of James Tour have brought graphite s potential as a mass data storage medium a step closer to reality and created the potential for reprogrammable gate arrays that could bring about a revolution in integrated circuit logic design ... The Tour lab and NuPGA, led by industry veteran Zvi Or-Bach (founder of eASIC and Chip Express), have applied for a patent based on vertical arrays of graphite embedded in "vias," the holes in integrated circuits... (Science Daily)
Betting big on Indian R&D when chips are down Sep 11, 2009
Engineers at Analog Devices India product development centre work on highperformance analog design, embedded software development , among other things and are involved in all stages of integrated circuit development from concept to silicon to production. The India centre is the home of the SHARC family of processor products, used in home and automotive audio systems. (India Times)
New NIST publications describe standards for identity credentials and authentication systems Sep 10, 2009
Because there is growing interest in using secure identity credentials like PIV cards for multiple applications beyond the federal workplace, NIST provided its smart card research expertise in the development of an international standardISO/IEC 24727 Identification cards Integrated circuit card programming interfacesthat provides a set of authentication protocols and services common to identity management frameworks. The new NIST report, Use of ISO/IEC 24727 is an introduction to that... (EurekAlert!)
Sanmina-SCI and OneChip Photonics Announce Optical Manufacturing Partnership Sep 7, 2009
and OTTAWA, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanmina-SCI Corporation (Nasdaq NM: SANM, SANMD), a leading global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company, and OneChip Photonics, an emerging supplier of low-cost, high-performance optical transceivers, today announced a manufacturing partnership to produce OneChip Photonics' breakthrough Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC)-based Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) transceivers ... OneChip Photonics is a privately held company, headquartered in... (PR Newswire)
Some success stories Aug 29, 2009
Currently, the demand from China-based customers for its integrated circuit assembly and test services have been robust, accounting for about 50% of Unisem Chengdus revenue. Having achieved economies of scale, the groups margins should improve significantly in the third and fourth quarter reflecting improved utilisation rates, as well as stable average selling prices and raw material costs. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
Rival Exchanges, Flash Trading, Dark Pools Erode NYSE's Role Aug 29, 2009
Most of the companies in this 23-stock group are outsource manufacturers of chips and various integrated circuit assemblies. The two largest are Flextronics (FLEX). (Investors Business Daily)
University of Southampton Receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys Aug 21, 2009
The Virtual Learning Environment focuses on integrated circuit design and also involves a new range of courses on advanced system-on-chip (SoC) design, with support and faculty training from Synopsys. The grant has enabled ECS to install new computer hardware in the virtual learning laboratory to support up to 20 students. (PR Newswire)
Game Utilizes Human Intuition To Help Computers Solve Complex Problems Jul 31, 2009
The online logic puzzle is called FunSAT, and it could help integrated circuit designers select and arrange transistors and their connections on silicon microchips, among other applications. Designing chip architecture for the best performance and smallest size is an exceedingly difficult task that's outsourced to computers these days. (Science Daily)
* Unimicron swings to aftertax profit of more than NT$1bn Jul 29, 2009
Unimicrons factory utilization reached nearly 90 percent in the second quarter because of strong demand in both integrated circuit carriers and PCB applications for various consumer electronics. But the company remained cautious about its business outlook for this quarter as industry visibility is pretty low and demand for boards used in mobile phones and Internet communications remain weak, despite strong demand in high density interconnect PCBs. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Summer program has kids excited about science Jul 29, 2009
Chee Xiong and Chai Xiong picked through piles of resistors and capacitors in their search for integrated circuit sockets. Using a soldering pen, the 11-year-olds attached them to printed circuit boards. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
News in brief Jul 25, 2009
PETALING JAYA: Globetronics Technology Bhd plans to make a complete exit from China by end-October after the proposed sale of a unit involved in integrated circuit manufacturing. The board of directors, after carefully reviewing the future viability, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the China subsidiary (in consultation with the customers on-going loading plans), feels that it is in the best interests of the group to consolidate all its manufacturing operations in Malaysia,... (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
Silicon With Afterburners: New Process Could Be Boon To Electronics Manufacturer Jul 25, 2009
Moore's Law, suggested by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965, said the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles about every two years ... The challenge is to get past the limits of doping, a process that has been essential to creating the silicon substrate that is at the heart of all modern integrated circuits, said James Tour, Rice's Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science ... But as... (Science Daily)
NCIA invests over RM20mil for IC industry Jul 24, 2009
GEORGE TOWN: The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) is investing over RM20mil in a centre of excellence for the electrical and electronics integrated circuit (IC) design industry. Vice-president Cheang Wai Mun said the centre would be housed in a 60,000-sq-ft building (currently undergoing renovation) in Bayan Lepas and would be managed and operated by USAINS Info Tech Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of USAINS Holdings Sdn Bhd, the commercial arm of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
NASA technology touches everyday life Jul 20, 2009
" He also spends much of his time policing information, dispelling myths ranging from scissors and smoke detectors to Velcro and Tang, the preferred orange soft drink of man's early space missions. "People were drinking Tang before we went into space," he said. But much of what has been technologically achieved since the start of the space program -- such as computers and the miniaturization of electronics -- can be credited, at least partially, to that reach for the moon. "The first integrated... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
* Fees for IC passports to increase Jul 20, 2009
Taiwan began issuing passports embedded with integrated circuit chips, commonly known as e-passports, on Dec. 29 last year, becoming the 60th country in the world to issue IC passports for anti-forgery purposes. We had designated the first year of the e-passport issuance as a promotion period and maintained the service charge at the original NT$1,200 for each passport, but over the long run, the price will have to be raised because the cost of an e-passport is much higher, said Lo Yu-chung... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
* Local research team invents chlorophyll cell Jul 18, 2009
The team developed a flat integrated circuit (IC) model that can be attached to a chlorophyll cell and inserted into a diaper. When the diaper is wet, it activates the cell, generating power that sets off the IC, Liao said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Veteran chip analyst killed in motorcycle crash Jul 17, 2009
Bill McClean, president of IC Insights Inc., said he worked for several years with Hudson at Integrated Circuit Engineering Corp. in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hudson had also done some work for IC Insights on a contractual basis, McClean said. (EETimes)
MOSAID Sues IBM for Patent Infringement Jul 14, 2009
In its complaint, MOSAID claims that IBM has infringed and is infringing MOSAID's patents by making and selling microprocessor and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) products which practice MOSAID's patents. MOSAID is claiming infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Infineon poised for capital raise, sector bankers say Jul 2, 2009
In Asia, MediaTek, the listed Taiwan-based integrated circuit design house, could also be interested, but cultural issues could get in the way, he added. Another potential disposal candidate could be the wireline business, the second banker said. (FT.com -- Markets)
* TECO issues 1,000th ROC passport with chip inside Jun 28, 2009
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York on Friday issued its 1,000th Republic of China (ROC) passport embedded with an integrated circuit (IC) chip, a milestone in a program instituted by Taiwan last year to crack down on forged passports, an official said. Kenneth Liao (), head of the TECO New York office, reiterated that objective as he handed the 1,000th IC passport to its applicant. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
SMIC and Synopsys Announce the Availability of Reference Flow 4.0 Jun 24, 2009
SMIC and Synopsys Announce the Availability of Reference Flow 4. SMIC and Synopsys Announce the Availability of Reference Flow 4. (PR Newswire)
When America First Met the Microchip Jun 19, 2009
On March 24, 1959, at the Institute of Radio Engineers' annual trade show in the New York Coliseum, Texas Instruments, one of the nation's leading electronics firms, introduced a new device that would change the world as profoundly as any invention of the 20th centurythe solid integrated circuit, or, as it came to be called, the microchip ... The integrated circuit was one of them, but it was mentioned last and took up just two paragraphs. (Slate)
SMIC and CHINGIS Announce Availability of 0.18um Embedded Flash Process Technology and IP Portfolio Jun 2, 2009
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: ; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China, providing integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services at 0. 35um to 45nm. (PR Newswire)
NIST engineers discover fundamental flaw in transistor noise theory May 22, 2009
2009 IEEE International Conference on Integrated Circuit Design and Technology. Austin, Texas. (EurekAlert!)
ASU, UT Dallas develop circuits on plastic May 14, 2009
and researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas have placed a major type of integrated circuit on plastic. The metal oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, will help advance flexible displays being developed at the center. (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)
Terahertz Waves Are Effective Probes For Integrated Circuit Heat Barriers May 13, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) By modifying a commonly used commercial infrared spectrometer to allow operation at long-wave terahertz frequencies, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) discovered an efficient new approach to measure key structural properties of nanoscale metal-oxide films used in high-speed integrated circuits. See also. (Science Daily)
Verizon Wireless Selects Gemalto to Provide LTE OTA Platform and Universal Integrated Circuit Card for LTE Network Launch May 13, 2009
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and AUSTIN, Texas, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today it has selected Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, to provide an over-the-air (OTA) platform and LTE Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) for the industry's first Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network. The OTA platform and UICC will help Verizon Wireless deliver a secure and reliable multimedia data connection, provide global roaming and remotely add new UICC card... (PR Newswire)
NXP sampling standards compliant NFC chip to tier 1 handset makers May 12, 2009
To ensure interoperability the device was designed to support the three main architectures which are used to secure NFC transactions, including the Secure Element within the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), within the SD card and within the mobile handset. Commenting on the PN544, Nav Bains, Senior Director Mobile Money, GSM Association, said, in a statement: "In 2008, the GSMA Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative called for full NFC functionality including the standardized SWP protocol to be... (EETimes)
Onanon, Inc. to Exhibit at Design2Part Tradeshow with Their "Can Do" Connector mantra May 3, 2009
Integrated circuit (IC) sockets, adapters and interposers 3. Custom fabricated plastics. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
* Siliconware Precision bounces back into profit Apr 30, 2009
On the outlook for the semiconductor industry, Lin said the growth in integrated circuit [IC] demand in China meant that revenues were growing month by month, and that demand this month and next month would be very strong. Lin said he expected the semiconductor industry to go back into a normal seasonal inventory cycle in the second quarter and maintain steady volume growth. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
PDF Solutions(r) Reports First Quarter 2009 Results Apr 29, 2009
April 28, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PDF Solutions, Inc. (NasdaqGM: - ), the leading provider of yield improvement technologies and services for the integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process life cycle, today announced financial results for its first fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2009. Related Quotes. (Primezone Releases)
Magma's Talus supports Common Power Format Apr 28, 2009
Both formats enable better, faster, low-power integrated circuit (IC) implementation by allowing specifications to be captured just once and used consistently throughout the flow. By supporting both formats, Magma says it offers designers the flexibility to choose the low-power format that best suits their design while also providing advanced low-power design capabilities that minimize power consumption, maximize quality of results and reduce iterations. (EETimes)
Japan's Inamori Foundation to Announce 25th Annual Kyoto Prize Laureates June 19 Apr 28, 2009
Past laureates within this field have included the inventor of the Integrated Circuit (Jack St. Clair Kilby); the team that developed the worlds first microprocessor (Federico Faggin, Marcian Hoff, Stanley Mazor and Masatoshi Shima); researchers who created the first room-temperature semiconductor laser (Zhores Alferov, Izuo Hayashi and Morton Panish); and the inventor of the liquid-crystal display (George Heilmeier). The 2009 Kyoto Prize in the Basic Sciences category will be awarded... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Dafca licenses Stanford's chip anti-tampering IP Apr 14, 2009
The collaboration aims to to provide technology to secure the integrated circuit supply chain using location-based signatures inserted into ICs during manufacturing. The Stanford researchers developed the technology that enables the use of GPS to track semiconductor shipments. (EETimes)
CaseCruzer -- New Universal Hard Drive Shipping and Storage Case Softens Bumpy Road for Delicate Hard Drives Apr 14, 2009
88"H. That leaves plenty of room for interior protection. Sensitive digital files stored on hard drive will be safe from extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Remote locations and inclement conditions are no match for CaseCruzer. The Universal Hard Drive arrives with an integrated circuit of renowned traits: watertight, crushproof, dust proof and equipped with an automatic purge valve. The unconditional lifetime warranty is standard issue. The case comes in basic black... (PR Newswire)
Venture Capital Watch Apr 4, 2009
Audience in Mountain View, which makes an integrated circuit that's embedded in cell phones and lets people talk in a noisy environment, raised $15 million in a Series D round from existing investors. Ngmoco in San Francisco raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners to continue developing games for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
* Semiconductor sector may see recovery next quarter Mar 30, 2009
The executives of most integrated circuit (IC) chip design houses, wafer foundries and semiconductor testing and packaging companies said they believed they would see at least 20 percent growth in revenues in the second quarter. MediaTek Inc (po), Taiwans top handset chip designer; Realtek Semiconductor Corp (Rb), a networking chipmaker; and Weltrend Semiconductor Inc (ql), one of the worlds leading network and computer peripheral IC providers; have forecast 10 percent in... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Instant Control For Laser Welding Mar 16, 2009
31, 2007) For the first time physicists have shown that well structured chaos can be initiated in a photonic integrated circuit. Furthermore, this represents the first time scientists have been able to study. (Science Daily)
New Nanoporous Material Has Highest Surface Area Yet Mar 15, 2009
(May 2, 2008) In what should be good news for integrated circuit manufacturers, recent studies have helped resolve two important questions about an emerging microcircuit manufacturing technology called nanoimprint. (Mar. (Science Daily)
COMMENT: In The Name Of Science Mar 11, 2009
I realised that we had invented the biological equivalent of the integrated circuit ... This seemed like a universal tool with which we could automate and expand biology, just as the integrated circuit automated and expanded computation and mathematics. (India Times, India)
DALSA's Dr. Savvas Chamberlain Awarded Fellowship in the Engineering Institute of Canada Mar 10, 2009
DALSA's core competencies are in specialized integrated circuit and electronics technology, software, and highly engineered semiconductor wafer processing. Products and services include image sensor components (CCD and CMOS); electronic digital cameras; vision processors; image processing software; and semiconductor wafer foundry services for use in MEMS, high-voltage semiconductors, image sensors and mixed-signal CMOS chips. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
SATS to unveil mega Senai project in Q2 Mar 9, 2009
The high-tech park aims to attract investments in the avionics/aeronautics industry, information and communications technology industry including integrated circuit design, high-tech manufacturing, bio-medical and bio-technology, solar industry, food and agri-technology and environment including renewable energy. He said among the companies and investors targeted were those in the pharmaceutical industry from Austria, Germany and Switzerland; oil and gas, and solar energy sectors in the United... (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
STMicroelectronics test and packaging unit targeted by Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Mar 7, 2009
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering [ASE], the listed, Taiwan-headquartered integrated circuit [IC], packaging and test services provider, has expressed interest in the packaging and test unit of STMicroelectronics [STMicro], the Swiss-based chip maker, two industry sources close to ASE told mergermarket. When asked about the company, an ASE insider said, We have a close relationship with STMicro as a client, but refused to comment on whether STMicro is a potential target. (FT.com -- Markets)
Chandler's Microchip battles Asian firms over infringement Mar 4, 2009
Microchip filed its copyright suit against China-based Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Co. in 2007 ... It claims the manufacturer infringes copyrights Microchip holds for the "microcode" used in some of its older integrated circuits ... Microchip Technology Inc. filed a suit against China-based Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Co., a subsidiary of appliance maker Haier Group, accusing the company of infringing on copyrights pertaining to chips. (AZCentral -- Business)
Manpower Ministry launches new skills programme to help PMETs Feb 23, 2009
" Examples of programmes expected to be rolled out in the next few months include a Master of Science Programme in Integrated Circuit Design at NTU-TUM (Technical University of Munich) for integrated circuit design engineers and a Bachelor of Social Work at SIM University for social workers. More will be introduced progressively in coming months. Professionals in finance and engineering can also upgrade through specialised courses. They can specialise in risk management or product control at... (Channelnewsasia.com)
Practically pure Feb 19, 2009
Eventually my collaborators and I figured out how to make small chips that had thousands of miniature valves on them - and I realized that we had invented the biological equivalent of the integrated circuit ... This seemed like a universal tool with which we could automate and expand biology, just as the integrated circuit automated and expanded computation and mathematics. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
The Greatest Inventors You've Never Heard Of Feb 19, 2009
The Hall of Fame, which has inducted more than 300 men and women since its founding in 1974, decided this year to focus specifically on inventions connected with, or growing out of, the integrated circuit, which turns 50 this year ... The integrated circuit was born in 1959, when both Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments (nyse: - - ) and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor (nyse: - - ) filed for patents on versions of it ... --Robert Widlar, linear integrated circuits. (Forbes -- Technology)
Freescale circuit technology gets most out of solar energy Feb 16, 2009
Freescale's integrated circuit converts the limited amount of energy produced by solar cells into enough voltage to power products ... Using a special configuration that Freescale engineers designed, the integrated circuit takes the energy output from a solar cell and converts it to 5 volts, or enough energy to charge batteries inside a particular device ... The circuit relies on Freescale's signature processing technology called SMARTMOS, which the company uses in other integrated circuits. (AZCentral -- Business)
RFMD(R) Announces Industry's First Converged 3G/4G Cellular Front End Platform Capable of Nine-Band Coverage Feb 16, 2009
The RF6460 converged front end platform is comprised of the RF6260 multi-band, multimode power amplifier (PA) module, the RF6360 antenna switch module (ASM) and the RF6560 front end power management integrated circuit (IC). With the broadband, multimode characteristics of the RF6260 PA and the flexibility of the RF6560 power management IC, the RF6460 converged front end platform delivers a scalable front end solution that simultaneously supports the implementation of up to five WCDMA/HSPA+/LTE... (PR Newswire)
Fujitsu Launches WiMAX Baseband LSI for Mobile PCs Feb 16, 2009
Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited (FML) is a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) manufacturer that provides highly reliable, optimal solutions to meet the varying needs of its customers, through LSI offerings including ASIC/COT, ASSP and power management ICs, and flash microcontrollers. Along with building on its wide-range expertise focusing on imaging, wireless, and security LSI applications, FML also pursues initiatives for power efficiency and undertakes environmentally-conscious... (JCN Network, Japan)
* Science parks feeling the heat from financial crisis Feb 12, 2009
Of the six major industrial sectors in the parks, the integrated circuit industry had the highest turnover last year X NT$922 billion X accounting for 50. 06 percent of the total and representing an annual decline of 6. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
No More Lost Bags: The One-Step Solution Feb 12, 2009
Imagine a small, integrated circuit that stores data (a tiny little gizmo about the size of a sesame seed) that's surrounded by a small antenna. That's an RFID chip. (ABC News -- Business)
Test Tube Chemistry Inside A Carbon Nanotube Feb 12, 2009
Professor Ravi Silva, Director of the Advanced Technology Institute, stated: "Our results are world leading and will tell researchers and technologists working on the next generation of nanoelectronic devices some of the fundamental issues that must be taken into account in their design. We have shown that single atoms stuck on the surface of a carbon nanotube can have a tremendous effect on its electrical characteristics. The implications are widespread because these tubes are proposed to be... (Science Daily)
Siliconware Precision Industries Reports a 27.8% Quarter-over-Quarter Decline in Revenues Feb 11, 2009
SPIL is dedicated to meeting all of its customers' integrated circuit packaging and testing requirements, with turnkey solutions that range from design consultations, modeling and simulations, wafer bumping, wafer probe and sort, package assembly, final test, burn-in, to drop ship. Products include advanced leadframe and substrate packages, which are widely used in personal computers, communications, Internet appliances, cellular phones, digital cameras, cable modems, personal digital assistants... (PR Newswire)
Inventors Hall honors chip technology Feb 11, 2009
"We thought back then that eventually it would lead to flat panel TVs, but integrated circuit technology hadn't made enough progress then." ... The new class also honors early silicon chip designer Carver Mead; Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky, for the read-only programmable memory chip, and the late Jean Hoerni, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor, who is recognized for a manufacturing process key to modern integrated circuits. (NJ.com -- News)
National Inventors Hall of Fame Announces 2009 Inductees Feb 11, 2009
Innovators related to integrated circuit technology to be inducted ... In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit, this year's class represents advances related to or enabled by integrated circuit technology ... The 2009 group includes inventors such as Jean Hoerni, who developed the manufacturing process for modern integrated circuits; Alfred Cho, who achieved a process used in creating devices such as the lasers used in CD and DVD players and drives; and George Heilmeier,... (PR Newswire)
Esolo "MP4": Apple Nano clone adds some extras Feb 10, 2009
Henry Technology supplies the finished cell, which does incorporate a battery-protection circuit based around a CS213 integrated circuit, the first of many devices that defy ready identification. At least the design uses some form of charge control in a nod to safety. (EETimes)
Handheld 13.56MHz RFID reader designed for harsh environment Feb 8, 2009
DAILY RFID specialize in producing arguably the world's most extensive line of RFID Tag,RFID Label,Smart Card and RFID Reader, which are suitable for any vertical markets, and have obtained the National Integrated Circuit Card Register Certificate, IC Card Manufacture License and ISO9001 Quality Management System Certification. Also, we own a factory covering an area of 26,000 square meters. (Wi-Fi Planet)
USB RFID launches USB RFID reader/writer 13.56MHz Feb 7, 2009
DAILY RFID specialises in producing arguably the world s most extensive line of RFID tag, RFID label, smart card and RFID reader (including this USB RFID reader/writer), which are suitable for any vertical markets and have obtained the National Integrated Circuit Card Register Certificate, IC Card Manufacture License and ISO9001 Quality Management System Certification. Also, we own a factory covering an area of 26,000 square meters. (Merinews)
