Electronics trends for 2015

Chip designs that enable everything from a 6 Gbit/s smartphone interface to the world’s smallest SRAM cell will be described at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February 2015. Intel will describe a Xeon processor packing 5.56 billion transistors, and AMD will disclose an integrated processor sporting a new x86 core, according to a just-released preview of the event. The annual ISSCC covers the waterfront of chip designs that enable faster speeds, longer battery life, more performance, more memory, and interesting new capabilities. There will be many presentations on first designs made in 16 and 14 nm FinFET processes at IBM, Samsung, and TSMC.

There is push to go to even smaller processes, and it seems that next generation of lithography equipment are started to being used. Earlier expectation was for chipmakers to use traditional immersion lithography for production of 10 nm chip, but it seems that extreme ultraviolet (EUV) scanners that allows allow scaling to 10 nm or even smaller is being used. TSMC to Use EUV for 7nm, Says ASML. Intel and TSMC have been injecting money in ASML to push process technology.

2015 promises to see initial FPGA product releases and (no doubt) a deluge of marketing claims and counter-claims. One thing is certain: 2015 will not be boring. There will be FPGA products that use processes beyond 20nm, for example Altera and  Xilinx have committed to use the TSMC 16nm FinFET technology. There is  publicized (and rumored) race to get to production at 14nm has seen time frames for initial samples move into 2015. However, with both FPGA companies reporting gross margins of close to 70 percent, it would be possible for either company to take an initial hit on margin to gain key socket wins.

It seems that the hardware becomes hot again as Wearables make hardware the new software. Apple invest its time when it released the Apple Watch last quarter, going up against the likes of Google’s Android Wear and others in the burgeoning wearables area of design. Once Apple’s bitten into a market, it’s somewhat a given that there’s good growth ahead and that the market is, indeed, stable enough. As we turn to 2015 and beyond  wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity — one that is closely tied to both consumer and healthcare markets. It could pick up steam in the way software did during the smartphone app explosion.

There will be more start-up activity within hardware sector. For recent years, the software has been on the main focus on the start-ups, and the hardware sector activity has been lower. Hardware sector has seem some start-up activity with many easy to use open hardware platforms became available (make development of complex devices easier and reachable for smaller companies). The group financing (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc.) have made it possible to test of new hardware ideas are market-worthy and get finance to get them to production.

EEs embrace hackathons aand accelerators. Design 2.0 is bubbling up in the engineering community, injecting new energy into the profession. In many ways, it’s the new Moore’s Law. Easy to use open hardware development platforms have made it possible to design working hardware device prototypes within hackathons.

Silicon Startups Get Incubator article tells that there will be new IC start-up activity as semiconductor veterans announced plans for an incubator dedicated to helping chip startups design their first prototypes. Keysight, Synopsys, and TSMC have signed exclusive deals to provide tools and services to the incubator. Silicon Catalyst aims to select its first batch of about 10 chip startups before April.

1,206 Comments

1. February 2, 2015 at 8:48 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Tabula Set for March Shutdown
   FPGA startup raised more than $200M
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325499&

   Programmable logic company Tabula is rumored to close its doors on March 24. While Tabula has not commented on the closure, SemiWiki reported confirmation by several employees.

   Tabula garnered industry interest with a unique 12-level FPGA architecture that dramatically shortened interconnects. Based on its 3D Spacetime

   The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company was founded in 2008 and raised over $200 million in venture capital funds.

   Despite industry and investor interest, Tabula may have been subject to forces beyond control or speculation.

   “Tabula really hasn’t had a significant impact on the market. If they do shut down, it would just be another in a long line of tech start-ups with good technology that just didn’t make it into the market because of timing or the market dynamics,”

   Reply
2. February 2, 2015 at 8:51 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Sony Joins FDSOI Club
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325498&

   Sony Corp. revealed that the company’s next-generation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip will use 28-nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FDSOI) process.

   The test chip based on the FDSOI process marks a dramatic reduction in power consumption. A Sony engineer, who spoke at the SOI Industry Consortium in Tokyo, told the audience that Sony was able to cut power consumption in its GNSS chip from 10mW to 1mW.

   The Japanese company used STMicroelectronics’ 28nm FDSOI design kit, and manufactured its FDSOI samples at ST’s fab.

   An STMicroelectronics representative told EE Times, “FDSOI is no longer just an ST story anymore.” If the SOI Forum is any measure, the FDSOI ecosystem is coming together. Other presenters included Samsung, Verisilicon, Open Silicon, Synopsys and Cadence. They reported their own results and IP with FDSOI.

   Sony’s current-generation GPS chip, designated CXD5600GF, was announced in 2013, and was touted then as the world’s smallest (2.9mm x 3.0mm x 0.6mm) and the lowest in power consumption (at 10mW when continuously receiving signals).

   “While the CXD5600GF enabled us to bring GNSS functionality from car navigation systems to smartphones, the new chip at 1mW will open the door for GNSS to get integrated into wearable devices. That market, loaded with applications such as lifelog or babysitting, is huge.”

   To cut power consumption for the GNSS chip, Nakano set out to have everything from RF, logic and SRAM on the chip operating at 0.6V, instead of 1.1V.

   Reply
3. February 2, 2015 at 9:01 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Hardware Emulation: One Verification Tool, Unending Possibilities
   http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325497&

   Verification Consultant Lauro Rizzatti explains why hardware emulation really is the most versatile of verification tools.

   Today, hardware emulation has become an eminently popular verification tool.

   Two independent reasons concurred to this success:

   1. In the past few years, the emulation user community has expanded exponentially by the addition of software developers to the traditional base of hardware designers and verification engineers.

   2. At the same time, uses of hardware emulation have multiplied because of its versatility as a resource for debugging both the hardware and software of complex system-on-chip (SoC) designs. Hardware emulation is the only verification tool that can be deployed in more than one mode.

   hardware emulation can be used to achieve several verification objectives.

   Deployment modes vs. verification objectives
   Deployment modes are characterized by the type of stimulus applied to the design under test (DUT) mapped inside the emulator. These modes encompass the following:

   1. In-Circuit Emulation (ICE): This was considered to be the traditional method when hardware emulation was deployed.

   2. Transaction-Based Acceleration (TBX): Transaction-based emulation moves verification up a level of abstraction from the register transfer level (RTL), improving performance and debug productivity. It’s gaining popularity over the ICE mode because the physical target system is replaced by a virtual target system using a hardware verification language (HVL) such as SystemVerilog, SystemC, or C++.

   3. Simulation Testbench Acceleration: In this mode, an RTL testbench drives the DUT in the emulator via a programmable logic interface (PLI).

   4. Embedded Software Acceleration: In this mode, the software code is executed on the DUT processor mapped inside the emulator.

   Embedded Software Acceleration: In this mode, the software code is executed on the DUT processor mapped inside the emulator.

   The verification objectives include the following:

   Hardware Debugging: This is the foremost application and what hardware emulation is noted for.

   Hardware/Software Co-verification or Integration: Hardware emulation is the only verification tool able to ensure that embedded system software works as intended with the underling hardware

   Embedded Software Validation:

   System-Level Prototyping:

   Low-Power (Power Island) Verification: While hardware emulation can’t test analog behavior since it requires a digital representation of the design, it can perform low-power design verification.

   MBIST Logic and Scan Vectors Verification: Design-for-test (DFT) techniques

   Performance Characterization:

   Reply
4. February 2, 2015 at 9:02 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   ARM backs printed electronics startup
   http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/arm-backs-printed-electronics-startup.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222923635&vID=44&

   PragmatIC Printing Ltd. (Cambridge, England), a pioneer of printed electronics founded in 2010 as a continuation of the Manchester company Nano ePrint, has completed a funding round led by Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) with support from ARM Holdings plc.

   Reply
5. February 2, 2015 at 9:06 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   GaN Pumps Power Revolution
   Gallium nitride pioneer keynotes DesignCon
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325477&

   Those who say don’t bet against mainstream silicon CMOS technology haven’t heard what’s going on in gallium nitride.

   An emerging class of GaN power chips is finally knocking down the final cost barriers to their adoption. The chips will enable a wide range of applications form wireless charging to autonomous vehicles and more efficient cellular communications, said a DesignCon keynoter here.

   “The apps are so numerous I could list them for half an hour,” said Alex Lidow (below), chief executive and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC). “Many of our products today are already lower cost than [rival] silicon power MosFETs, and we are already moving quickly down the cost curve,” he said,

   Higher costs of epitaxial process makes EPCs largest products more expensive than rivals. However, that cost will get shaved by next year, he said, noting all EPC’s products will be lower cost than silicon rivals in 2016.

   The fast switch EPC gets on its proprietary GaN process allows significantly higher efficiency than today’s silicon parts.

   EPC plans to roll out higher power RF FETs and ICs up to 6 GHz as well as a fifth generation of its core power conversion chips

   The GaN chips will be key enablers of the Rezence version of wireless charging.

   The chips also speed fixes for lidar devices

   The chips will also play a role making cellular networks more efficient.

   The chips are also seeing use in a broad range of applications including power supplies for network gear and servers, Class-D audio systems, high res MRI systems, AC adapters and robots.

   The fast switching time may generate more electro-magnetic interference, one expert said. However, EPC has clearly past FCC tests on a variety of products to date

   Reply
6. February 2, 2015 at 11:10 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   10 Eye-Opening IC Insights
   http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325404&

   “Everyone is on edge about the declining oil price. If it isn’t a sign of broader economic collapse — something I think is unlikely — it will have a big positive effect on global economic growth. More money in consumers’ pockets means more spending, often on electronics. Maybe there is some upside to our forecast because of this.”

   Reply
7. February 2, 2015 at 2:04 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Cable Assemblies: Ignore Them and Be Sorry
   http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325387&

   It’s easy and simplistic to focus on active components, circuit design, and software, but the humble cable and connector can define the success and reliability of your project as much as the more glamorous components.

   the lowly cable and associated connectors sometimes seem to be nearly invisible, in both the prototyping and production cycles.

   It gets more challenging: as more design engineers work on projects that extend into the gigaHertz and higher range, they’ll have to learn to give more consideration to the cable assembly as a critical and even dynamic part of the design. If you look at RF/microwave-centric publications and web sites, about one-third of the ads and content are devoted to the subject. It’s a world where second- and third-order parameters such as phase matching between two nominally identical assemblies (such as used for phased-array radar) become critical; even the temperature coefficient of a cable’s specifications can be a concern. The assemblies are carefully engineered, modeled, tested, and fabricated energy waveguides with precise dimensions, special internal and external insulating materials, and more.

   Fortunately, cable assemblies are getting some attention from diverse perspectives

   We hear a lot about counterfeit components—mostly ICs and passives—but we don’t see much about the situation with cabling. Yet, it seems to be a serious problem, especially as the cable may work to some extent if not full spec.

   The thing about cable is that it is so easy to make a fake, and put almost any rating you want on it.

   Problems with RF/microwave cables in complex installations. I saw an ad (yes, a print ad!) from W.L. Gore stating that “a recent study for the aerospace industry showed that more than 29 percent of microwave cable assemblies fail during installation [due to stress of pulling and bending], and aircraft manufacturers have accepted the practice of simply replacing them.

   Finally, there’s the world beyond extending to 100 GHz, well beyond modest 1 to 10 GHz, where spectrum is available and new components make reachable. What sort of cables and connectors can you use there? It’s a brave new world of tiny, tinier, and tiniest, with hair-thin cables and corresponding matchhead-sized connectors.

   Cabling seems to be one of those things with which engineers have both love/hate and ignore/fear relationships, it often seems to me.

   While basic cable-assembly connectivity and continuity is very easy to verify with an ohmmeter, the actual performance to specifications of the assembly is not—especially for non-electrical parameters.

   Reply
8. February 2, 2015 at 10:06 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   This battery can twist like a stick of gum, and might power your next smartwatch
   http://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/prologium-flcb-and-li-metal-battery-news/

   ProLogium’s flexible, super thin gadget battery. It can be flexed, bent, twisted, or cut into pieces — and still function as normal.

   Called an FLCB battery, Prologium describes it as the world’s first bendable lithium battery. This incredibly thin cell has a wide range of uses, but due to its high degree of flexibility it’s ideal for wearable devices. How thin, and how flexible? It’s less than 2mm thick, and the first example we handled was a strip around 5-inches in length. It could be treated like a stick of gum, folded over and then straightened out again. It’s this complete flexibility that sets it apart from similar batteries promoted by LG and Samsung, and gives us hope that battery explosions are a thing of the past.

   ProLogium showed the battery inside the strap of a smartwatch, where its capacity could be as high as 1,000mAh. For comparison, the LG G Watch R’s internal battery is rated at 410mAh, and lasts for around two days. The same FLCB battery can be rolled up, or twisted into many other shapes, making it very versatile.

   The FLCB battery is a solid-state cell, with the two anodes completely isolated from each other.

   There’s no chance of explosion, leaks or fire, because there’s no flammable or liquid material inside.

   An early version of ProLogium’s super thin, non-flexible version of the LCB battery made its way into the Power Flip case for the HTC One Max, and it will be fascinating to see which company embraces the new flexible versions.

   ProLogium’s next major project will be properly revealed later this year, and it’s even more exciting. It’s a Li-Metal battery designed for use in smartphones. A Li-Metal battery promises to extend the standby time seen using a standard Li-ion battery by up to two times, all in a cell which is essentially the same size

   Reply
9. February 3, 2015 at 9:31 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Top design and test products recognized at DesignCon
   http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/designcon-central-/4438514/Top-design-and-test-products-recognized-at-DesignCon?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150202&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150202&elq=d6da6650558044d6a2b3b62a93e261df&elqCampaignId=21452

   Reply
10. February 4, 2015 at 8:49 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ina Fried / Re/code:
    ARM says next-generation A72 chip can triple the performance of today’s chips, or match performance while using 75% less power — ARM Says Next-Gen A72 Chip Paves Way for Thinner, More Power-Efficient Phones — ARM, the British company whose chip designs are at the core of nearly …

    ARM Says Next-Gen A72 Chip Paves Way for Thinner, More Power-Efficient Phones
    http://recode.net/2015/02/03/arm-says-next-gen-a72-chip-paves-way-for-thinner-more-power-efficient-phones/

    ARM, the British company whose chip designs are at the core of nearly all mobile phone processors, on Tuesday showed off a new processor core it says can deliver three times as much performance as designs using its A15 processor.

    Perhaps more importantly, ARM says the new A72 — due out in phones by next year — can use 75 percent less power while offering the same performance as those chips.

    Some of the power and performance gains come from changes to ARM’s chip design, while others bank on the fact that the new chip is expected to be manufactured in plants using a thinner 16-nanometer generation of transistors.

    In addition to the new processor core, ARM also updated its Mali graphics technology and the layer that connects the different parts of the processor together.

    ARM doesn’t make chips itself, but rather licenses its chip designs to nearly all mobile processor makers, including Qualcomm, Samsung, Apple and Nvidia. ARM says it has 10 licensees already for the new chip design, including mobile chipmakers Rockchip and Mediatek.

    Reply
11. February 4, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Sony to Ramp CMOS Image Sensor Production
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325549&

    Sony Corp., the world’s leading supplier of CMOS image sensors, has said it will invest 105 billion yen (about US$895 million) in the next financial year to increase its production capacity for stacked CMOS image sensors.

    Sony said it would take production across three production sites current level of approximately 60,000 wafers per month to approximately 80,000 wafers per month by the end of June 2016. Previously Sony had a mid-term target of 75,000 wafers per month but demand for sensors in smartphones has prompted Sony to accelerate its investment, the company said.

    Sony said it is increasing production capacity for stacked CMOS image sensors to reinforce its leading position in the image sensor market.

    Reply
12. February 4, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel Triples Tablet Application Processor Shipments
    Intel’s shipments of application processors for tablet computers more than tripled in 3Q14, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics.
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325524&

    Strategy Analytics estimates that Intel’s tablet application processor shipments more than tripled in Q3 2014 compared to Q3 2013, thanks to increased traction in Android-based tablets.

    The firm added that during 3Q14 low-cost Chinese and Taiwanese tablet AP companies including Actions Semiconductor, Allwinner, MediaTek, Spreadtrum, Rockchip and others increased their cumulative volume share to 36 percent compared to 29 percent in Q3 2013. Strategy Analytics forecasts continued momentum for these vendors in 2015 as well.

    Reply
13. February 4, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Who Gains the Most from ARM’s New IP?
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325545&

    Introducing new IP, ARM also forecasts tablet’s demise.

    A suite of new IP — ranging from ARM Cortex A72 processor to cache coherent interconnect and new Mali T880 GPU — announced by ARM Tuesday (Feb. 3) has exposed some of the leading processing-core company’s hopes and dreams for mobile phones in 2016.

    Next year’s mobiles, as envisioned by ARM, will go beyond mere phones to become “primary computing platforms,” said Ian Ferguson, vice president, segment marketing at ARM.

    The 2016 mobile phones will be able to see, hear and understand users much better, through a new set of interfaces (going beyond voice, including gestures).

    The growing CPU and GPU processing power enabled by ARM’s new IP cores also suggests that the next-generation phone will be up to the task of “creating content,” instead of just consuming it, Ferguson added.

    Sensor data will be captured, processed and analyzed more locally, instead of being sent to the cloud, according to ARM. Phones will cease to be just a “conduit,” said Ferguson.

    But really, who will gain most from ARM’s new IP?

    The answer is China. Most striking in ARM’s announcement is the undeniable rising power of Asian fablesses, foundries and consumers that ARM is poised to serve.

    I’m sure Apple, Samsung and Qualcomm all have plans to leverage ARM’s new IP, but their primary focus is more on developing their own custom CPU architecture.

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) also comes out as a big winner. ARM’s new physical IP suite is optimized for the TSMC 16nm FinFET+ process. Announcements on support for other foundries will probably come later

    Chip companies interested in enabling “All-Day Compute Devices” using ARM’s new cores in 2016 mobile phones are likely to resort to TSMC’s 16nm FinFET process, but not others.

    Asian consumers are also playing an important role in deciding the desired features and functions in 2016 mobile phones.

    Reply
14. February 4, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Rambus ReRAM Attracts First Commercial Customer
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325521&

    Tezzaron Semiconductor will be the first customer to incorporate Rambus oxide-resistive memory (ReRAM) technology in forthcoming devices through an architecture license that provides Tezzaron access to system IP, specifications and validation suites to design differentiated chips using ReRAM.

    ReRAM, sometimes known as RRAM, operates by changing the resistance of special dielectric material called a memresistor, whose resistance varies depending on the applied voltage. The main advantage of ReRAM over other non-volatile memories is its high switching speed. The thinness of the memresistors means it has potential for high storage density, greater read and write speeds, lower power usage, and cheaper cost than flash memory.

    Patti said ReRAM offers very high endurance for military and aerospace customers as well as radiation hardness. “It’s much more robust than standard flash.” He sees it having the potential to replace DRAM as it could scale better in the long term, perhaps as low as six nanometers.

    ReRAM fills the gap between what DRAM and flash can provide while being highly reliable and high speed, said Gary Bronner, VP of Rambus Labs. In addition to the aerospace and military applications that Tezzaron is eyeing for ReRAM use, he said Rambus sees an opportunity for Internet of Things devices, in part because of its low power qualities.

    Rambus has been working on ReRAM since acquiring the technology through its acquisition of Unity Semiconductor in early 2012. Unity was working on a metal oxide-based cross-point two-terminal non-volatile memory cell under the name CMOx, which Rambus renamed ReRAM.

    CMOx was intended as a NAND flash replacement, said Bronner, but since acquiring Unity, Rambus has focused on pivoting the technology and sees the immediate interest in ReRAM for embedded applications that require ultra-low power non-volatile memory.

    Jim Handy, principal analyst with Objective Analysis places ReRAM in category he calls “exotic memory,” which has three key characteristics: it’s non-volatile, high speed, and low power. These memories aren’t often cheap and tend to be niche. ReRAM could become a cheaper alternative in some niche applications, including those that require SRAM with battery power, something MRAM is doing.

    Reply
15. February 4, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Envelope Tracking Modulator with quad power IC and FPGA control
    http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4438513/Envelope-Tracking-Modulator-with-quad-power-IC-and-FPGA-control?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150203&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150203&elq=176d70d4d5b34626b98362fc0b27979b&elqCampaignId=21463

    Envelope tracking technology is a well-known method of improving the efficiency of RF amplifiers operating with rapidly varying signal amplitude. The voltage source in an envelope tracking system is modulated to keep the RF amplifier as close as possible to the compression, where the efficiency is at its maximum

    The envelope tracking technique was described by Bell Labs in 1937. The similar techniques of envelope elimination and restoration were described by L. Kahn in 1951. Yet despite its obvious advantages, practical implementations were very rare simply because of the very high requirements imposed on a modulator. It has to combine very high bandwidth (up to 100 MHz in some new systems) with high efficiency, small size, and low cost.

    modulator should consist of two parts: a switching regulator for low bandwidth and linear regulator for high bandwidth

    While the RF amplifier can now work with full efficiency, there is a price to be paid in the cost, complexity and reduced efficiency of the modulator itself.

    While commercially feasible, the switching-linear combination is most suitable for high-end applications. For widespread applications, eliminating the burden of the linear regulator seems necessary. However, the switching frequency, which according to the rule of thumb has to be at least 10 times higher than the bandwidth, seems impossible.

    The conflict between switching frequency and bandwidth can be resolved by using a multilevel converter, which can achieve a small signal bandwidth higher than the average switching frequency.

    A custom controller was developed in an Altera Cyclone FPGA. The initial design, similar to the one used in common multilevel converters, was based on 16 equally phase-shifted digital sawtooth waveforms and comparators.

    Despite identical PWM patterns for each subconverter, the combined multilevel pattern may differ very significantly because of the differences in the control-to-output delay of individual subconverters.

    The technology of the 100 MHz regulation bandwidth voltage modulator described in this article has been patented and is available for licensing.

    Reply
16. February 4, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Small USB board provides analog waveform output
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4438531/Small-USB-board-provides-analog-waveform-output?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150203&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150203&elq=176d70d4d5b34626b98362fc0b27979b&elqCampaignId=21463

    Designed for use in rugged industrial environments, yet small enough to fit on a desktop or testing station, the USB-AO-ARB1 from Acces I/O Products is an 8-MHz, 16-bit analog waveform output board with a USB Type B connector to ensure a strong, high-retention interface to any computer with a USB 2.0 port. The 3.550×3.775-in. board is suitable for a wide range of embedded applications, including stimulus-response, test, simulation, industrial equipment control, waveform/audio synthesis, medical imaging, manufacturing test, and security systems.

    Virtually any waveform can be created with the software tools provided by Access, as well as with third-party software, such as LabView.

    Reply
17. February 4, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser Marketplace 2015: Lasers surround us in the Year of Light
    http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/print/volume-51/issue-01/features/laser-marketplace-2015-lasers-surround-us-in-the-year-of-light.html

    And while laser manufacturers may be happy with the mid-single-digit growth sales performance of the past few years, there is more cause for celebration. Lasers—once an inside secret (or more tritely, a solution looking for a problem)—literally surround us in our everyday lives and are finally being recognized globally and politically: first through the 50th Anniversary of the Laser events in 2010 and now through numerous global initiatives such as the United-Nations-decreed International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies (IYL) in 2015.

    “Today, thanks to increased user confidence and proven economic feasibility, lasers are widely accepted as industrial ‘tools of the trade’ in high-volume automotive sheet metal applications and are now spreading out to other transportation sectors,” adds Forrest. “I believe that if laser manufacturers continue to expend energy in growing social, industrial, and governmental awareness of laser technology, they will continue to grow and prosper.”

    Reply
18. February 4, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Your Next Analog Output Design Is ReadyYour Next Analog Output Design Is Ready
    http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/all-products/campaigns/solutions/analog-output.html?utm_source=Feb%20epostcard&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=eeWeb&utm_campaign=Q215AOSolutions

    Signal conditioner. DAC. Voltage reference. Isolator. Your PLC analog output can be compromised if even one of these components isn’t carefully designed and integrated—but that can take months.

    Fortunately, our experts have already created an optimized, proven, and flexible multi-channel analog output. Digital, analog, power—every angle has been cross-checked.

    MAXREFDES24EVSYS Design Accelerator Kit
    What’s Inside

    4-Channel, 16-Bit, Isolated Analog-Output Reference Board
    USB-to-Pmod™ Adapter
    2-Channel Capture Board for Voltage/Current
    24V DC Supply with International Plugs
    Wire Clips and USB Cables
    USB Stick with Software GUI and Documentation Files

    System Board 5839
    Alameda (MAXREFDES24#): 4-Channel Analog Output
    http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/design/reference-design-center/system-board/5839.html/tb_tab1/gp_maxrefdes24evsys-description

    Reply
19. February 5, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Analog Devices’ integrated transceiver for next-generation software defined radio (SDR)
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4424048/Analog-Devices–integrated-transceiver-for-next-generation-software-defined-radio–SDR-

    Reply
20. February 6, 2015 at 10:34 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    P Subsystems: The Next Frontier for IP Integration
    http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-ip-subsystems-ip-integration-2015q1.aspx?elq_mid=6272&elq_cid=303473&elq=f49b7b96d6f7487ebfb5557a6ab53eec&elqCampaignId=134

    Designers are increasingly incorporating third-party standards-based IP in their designs, but are facing several challenges. With the increasing number of IP included in the design and with each of the IP becoming more and more complex, the effort to integrate all of the IP is taking much longer. Companies are spending as much on their overall integration effort as they are on their IP purchases. Of course, all this complexity must be dealt with while dealing with the pressures brought on by project schedules which are getting shorter and shorter.

    What are the challenges facing the designer in using third-party IP? In this article we are going to take a look at the following challenges while using third-party IP in your SoC:

    Lost protocol expertise
    Connecting the PHY and controller

    Configuration to meet the SoC requirements
    Handling multiple protocols

    Issues around:

    Clock and reset
    DMA architecture
    Power management
    Debug and testability

    Verification and implementation
    Integration into the SoC

    Many designers incorporating IP are not experts in the protocol they are integrating. In the early days of IP, the protocol expert at a given company would know the intimate details of the protocol, making the configuration and integration of the IP into the SoC fairly straightforward. Now, many of the people integrating the PHY and controller together are not experts in the protocol, and in many cases are not part of the SoC team integrating this “IP subsystem” into the SoC.

    But how hard could this be? Isn’t the promise of IP that it is building blocks that just snap together and anyone can do it? Unfortunately, no! With today’s complex IP, especially around protocols like DDR, USB and PCIe, the IP usually contains several parameters which allow the IP to be configured to support a given usage of the IP within the context of the SoC. This is where the knowledge of the protocol comes in handy.

    For example, the designer must review and set well over a 1,000 parameters in a controller.
    - See more at: http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-ip-subsystems-ip-integration-2015q1.aspx?elq_mid=6272&elq_cid=303473&elq=f49b7b96d6f7487ebfb5557a6ab53eec&elqCampaignId=134#sthash.GNOn1F8Y.dpuf

    Reply
21. February 6, 2015 at 10:44 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Is a FinFET Process the Right Choice for Your Next SoC? – See more at: http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-finfet-process-soc-2015q1.aspx?elq_mid=6272&elq_cid=303473&elq=f49b7b96d6f7487ebfb5557a6ab53eec&elqCampaignId=134#sthash.9EirndoH.dpuf

    Reply
22. February 6, 2015 at 10:49 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Closing eye panel highlights PAM4
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/rowe-s-and-columns/4438540/Closing-eye-panel-highlights-PAM4?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&elq=85156694d4bf41f896e62d171c512dc1&elqCampaignId=21506

    Chris Loberg opened the panel saying that “Network data keeps growing. Video and now HD video are driving demand for ever more network bandwidth.”

    Ransom Stephens then described the history of the panel. “We started when we realized that jitter measurements among test equipment didn’t match. This year, we are going to discuss a new type of signal: PAM4.”

    “We can’t just turn up the frequencies anymore,” said Stephens, “so we came up with better equalization. You people in the audience are way too clever to think that a technology has gone as far as it can go. FEC (forward-error correction) helped. Now we’re going to PAM4.” Stephens explained that PAM4 has four amplitude levels and thus three eyes.

    Pavel Zivny asked “What do we really need to measure? We can measure linearity, time and level, and eye center deviation, but you have to tell us what you want us to deliver.”

    Cathy Liu of Avago spoke next. She developed a simulated PAM4-based 56 Gbit/s system using IBIS. “The PAM4 eye is less than 1/3 that of NRZ,” she said. “PAM4 operates at half the Nyquist frequency of NRZ, but eye separation is the cost. We will need better equalization with PAM4.”

    Showing her 56 Gbit/s PAM4 simulation
    She also noted the use of FEC (forward-error correction) coding with PAM4. The error correction means that raw BER (bit-error-ratio) at the PHY can be as low as 1E-6 BER before adding FEC.

    After all, many of these high-speed signals end up on fiber. “Size is shrinking and power is dropping,” he said. “That lets line cards carry more bandwidth per box. We want to get to 4×100 Gbits/s, which will let us achieve 400 Gbit/s speeds. Marlett concluded by noting that from an optical perspective, PAM4 is the preferred modulation.

    Next, Altera’s Mike Peng Li discussed ultra-short, extra short, medium, and long reach PHYs basedon OIF standards. “PAM4 is one modulation that can cover all lengths,” he said, “but, NRZ needs different types to cover different lengths. PAM4 can have an open eye but not NRZ because of PAM4′s smaller bandwidth.”

    “PAM4 has the promise of 56G and the next generation 112G. PAM4 will do it.”

    PAM4 has 12 different transitions as opposed to two for NRZ and it can have different frequency of occurrences for different eyes.

    “How will we implement DFE (decision-feedback equalization) and FFE (feed-forward equalization)?” Plus, PAM4′s four amplitude levels will result in more measurements than NRZ.

    Reply
23. February 6, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    When to worry about trace corners: Rule of Thumb #24
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/all-aboard-/4438573/When-to-worry-about-trace-corners–Rule-of-Thumb–24?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&elq=85156694d4bf41f896e62d171c512dc1&elqCampaignId=21506

    In this rule of thumb, we’re going to look at answering the question: When do corners affect signals? Hint: it has nothing to do with electrons accelerating around the bend. Its root cause is much more mundane.

    Of course, some fab houses recommend to not use 90° corners on traces but to make all bends 45°, not for signal integrity reasons, but for reliability. They will say that the inside bend of a 90 degree corner will collect some hard-to-clean-out acid used in etching the lines, which will be a source of contamination which will corrode the trace when left on the shelf in a humid environment. If your fab vendor tells you this, find another fab vendor.

    To understand the electrical impact from a corner, consider a rounded bend which keeps a constant line width as the signal turns the corner. Since the line width is fixed, there is no impedance change and the signal has no idea it is turning a corner.

    Now, make the bend 90 degrees. The line width is no longer constant. It is wider at the bend, which means, since the dielectric thickness is fixed, the impedance will be lower. The bend acts as an extra, small, discrete capacitor on the otherwise uniform line width.

    In a 50Ω transmission line, the capacitance per length is about 3.3pF/in. This is independent of the line width or any other feature, other than it is a 50Ω line and made with FR

    If the line is wider, to keep the 50Ω impedance, the dielectric thickness also has to increase.

    Clearly a corner causes reflections.

    Rule of Thumb #23 said: If the capacitance, in femtofarads, is greater than 10× the signal rise time in picoseconds, worry about the capacitance. This translates to worry about the impact from corners when:

    2fF/mil × w[mils] > 10 × RT[ps], or, w[mils] > 5 × RT[ps]

    If your rise time is 10ps, don’t worry about corners unless your 50Ω line widths are wider than 50mils.

    Reply
24. February 6, 2015 at 11:05 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Electromagnetic Conformance Testing
    http://aa-pcbassembly.com/industry_trends/electromagnetic-conformance-testing-full-article/

    Over the last century, the use of the electromagnetic spectrum has undergone a monumental change. What was, at the end of the 1800s, an unregulated, sparsely populated band of electromagnetic waves has today become a highly regulated, extremely saturated region. All wireless communications today need to fit into their appropriated portion of the spectrum, whether it is for television, cell phones, military communications, or amateurs.

    You may sometimes hear the terms EMC and EMI used interchangeably; however, they are distinctly different. Electromagnetic interference is an occurrence that describes the radiation of electromagnetic waves and the effect on the recipients of those waves. This interference can be purposely generated by man-made objects, such as radios or wi-fi, or as an unwanted byproduct, such as spark generators in cars, or by natural phenomena, such as lightning or solar wind. EMI, at its most basic, is the result of voltage or current changing quickly and, as a result, creating spikes of radio energy. EMC, on the other hand, is simply a reference to whether or not a product acts appropriately when dealing with EMI.

    EMC can be broken down into two separate categories – emissions and immunity. A product needs to demonstrate that it will not emit EMI above the required threshold and that it is immune to receiving certain amounts of interference without affecting operation. In this regard, the FCC only requires testing on emissions, however, CE marking for the European market requires both emissions and immunity testing. While immunity testing is not required for the FCC, the statement found on every FCC certified product addresses both:

    This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

    (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and

    (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

    There are a series of tests which confirm that the emissions are within limits as well as separate tests to confirm the operation of the device under extremely harsh electromagnetic conditions.

    When testing emissions, either in an anechoic chamber or an OATS, the DUT is placed on a table and set up in the least optimal conditions. The intent is to create the greatest amount of electromagnetic interference that the DUT is capable of, which depends greatly on the product.

    For testing immunity, the DUT is remotely operated while being subjected to large amounts of EMI. Typical values are from 3 volts per meter to 10 volts per meter from a minimum of 3 meters away. This minimum is set to ensure the DUT is in the far-field of the antenna’s radiated field.

    According to the FCC, every device that has electrical oscillations above 9kHz needs to be tested to verify conformance. This includes any traces on a circuit board or even a microcontroller that oscillates above 9kHz but doesn’t have high frequency traces.

    Reply
25. February 6, 2015 at 12:46 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Rugged IO-Link Solutions
    http://cds.linear.com/docs/en/lt-journal/LTJournal-V24N3-00-df-LTC2874_LT3669-KevinWrenner.pdf

    Industrial automation systems are growing more interconnected
    and intelligent to accommodate demands for centralized control,
    optimized production and reduced cost. IO-Link®
    is becoming an increasingly popular interface to smart sensors and actuators,
    combining signaling with power-over-cable technology. The interface
    electronics must be rugged, power efficient and compact.

    IO-LINK: POWER AND COMMUNICATION FOR SMART DEVICES

    Combining a power feed and a data link inside a cable
    assembly isn’t new, but its presence in the world of industrial automation is.

    IO-Link emerged in 2009 as a communication interface between automation control systems (masters) and intelligent sensors and actuators (devices).

    In 2013 it evolved into an international standard for programmable controllers, IEC 61131-9 single-drop digital communication interface for small sensors and actuators (SDCI), whose purpose “extends the traditional digital input and digital output interfaces as defined in IEC 61131-2 towards a point-to-point communication link [enabling] the transfer of parameters to Devices and the delivery of diagnostic information from the Devices to the automation system.”

    This technology allows a distributed control system linked by fieldbus networks to operate actuators such as valve terminals; to operate, monitor and collect data from sensors; and to dynamically reconfigure their settings.

    While IO-Link is fully described by a protocol stack that includes data link and application layers, it’s built upon physical layer interfaces, or PHYs (Figure 1), normally connected by 3-wire cables up to
    20m long and terminated by standard M5, M8 or M12 connectors.

    Two wires (L+ and L−) supply 200 mA at 24V DC from master to device, and a third wire is a point-to-point, half-duplex data line (CQ) that operates at up to 230.4 kb/s and shares the L− return.

    Optionally, a fourth wire can serve as a 24V digital line.
    In specialized configurations, this wire, along with a fifth, supply additional power for actuators.

    IO-Link tolerates unshielded connections

    IO-Link devices can operate without an IO-Link master in a legacy digital
    switching mode called Standard I/O (SIO).

    Likewise, IO-Link masters can operate legacy devices using SIO.

    Once operating in communication mode, a master and device exchange data asynchronously in frames consisting of 11 bits (=start + data octet + parity + stop)
    Most of these UART frames are organized into larger units called M-sequences

    RUGGED INTERFACES TOLERATE ABUSE

    Any cable interface risks exposing sensitive electronics to uncontrolled harsh
    conditions. IO-Link requirements compound the problem, demanding a combination of operating voltage (up to 30 V) and guaranteed current (200 mA for each L+ output, 100mA DC for each CQ
    driver output, and 500 mA for wake-up request pulses)

    IO-Link drivers normally see capacitive loading of at most 4nF when connected by cable to another IO-Link PHY

    Reply
26. February 6, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Understanding the safety certification of Digital Isolators
    http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4438582/Understanding-the-safety-certification-of-Digital-Isolators?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150205&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150205&elq=f6f743ba0d254113a85ffb1e4e767b1a&elqCampaignId=21502

    Digital isolators provide signal isolation and the level shifting required for the correct operation of many circuits. Equally important, they insulate the user from electric shock. With basic human safety considerations so pertinent here, these isolators must undergo extensive testing and certification to ensure user safety. This article briefly summarizes the international safety standards and certifications that apply to digital isolators.

    Component-Level Certifications

    It will be useful now to take a quick look at the specifications that directly impact the manufacture of digital isolators.

    The UL1577 specification is for optical isolators, but is also used to qualify capacitive and inductive isolators. The rating is based strictly on the voltage breakdown and does not include any requirements on clearance or creepage. To be certified under this standard, a device must withstand the isolation voltage, VISO (specified by each manufacturer, usually 2.5kVRMS or 5KVRMS), for 1 minute. In addition, the specification allows a production test of 120% of the isolation voltage for 1 second. Devices passing these requirements (plus the 150% of Viso Overload Test and the Thermal Aging Test) are certified with a single protection rating. A double protection rating requires survivability to a 20kV discharge test (applied 50 times) and a 1-second production test of the rated isolation RMS voltage or 2.5kVRMS, whichever is greater.

    IEC60747-5 and VDE0884-10

    The IEC is working on a capacitive and magnetic isolator specific spec (IEC60747-17), which is still in draft mode at the time of this composition. For now, the IEC60747-5 and the German VDE0884-10 standards are used to certify digital isolators.

    These standards are based on a partial discharge test rather than voltage breakdown, and on the isolation withstand voltage.
    To be granted a Reinforced Insulation certification, the VDE0884-10 includes an additional 10kV surge voltage requirement.

    System-Level Certifications

    The IEC also has a series of standards which provides certifications at the system level. The system-level standards most used for applications requiring isolation are:

    IEC60950-1: information technology equipment
    IEC61010-1: measurement, control and lab equipment
    IEC60601-1: medical equipment

    Applying the Data to an Application

    The minimum creepage/clearance for digital isolators certified by one of the standards noted above must be listed in their datasheet.

    Conclusion

    Signal isolation is a necessity in today’s circuits not only for functionality, but equally important, to provide the user with the required protection from electric shock. The designer is aided—or confused—today by the slew of international and regional standards and certifications that are available. While a digital isolator is not specifically mentioned in IEC standards today, the UL1577, IEC60747-5, VDE0884-10 standards are the key component-level certifications required for digital isolators. Additionally, certification under the IEC60950-1, IEC61010-1 and IEC60601-1 standards may be required, depending on the end application.

    Reply
27. February 6, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bringing Advanced Sensors to Consumer, Embedded and Industrial Applications
    http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/rohm/bringing-advanced-sensors-to-consumer-embedded-and-industrial-applicat

    The modernization of electronics is played vitally by the sensors. The electronic device is more functional when sensors are made more responsive to their surroundings. An innovation known as Sensor Fusion Technology allows the combination of different sensors to develop advanced features of the electronics. Some applications need not only a single sensor, but a number of sensors to gather better information for a more intelligent reaction.

    Sensors are popping up everywhere. A wide range of consumer electronics devices make extensive use of sensors, including smartphones, tablets, and gaming equipment.

    The benefits of embedding sensors are apparent, but designing in sensors presents multiple challenges to OEMs. Some sensors must be continuously monitored, putting a load on the system’s main applications processor. Data processing algorithms are often compute-intensive as well. Developers must minimize device size and power consumption. Finally, sensor design and algorithm development requires expertise an OEM may not have readily available in-house.

    For many applications, a dedicated sensor hub provides a compact way to integrate sensor monitoring and analysis capabilities in a cost-effective manner that minimizes power consumption. As its name states, a sensor hub has the ability to accept inputs from multiple sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and pressure sensors.
    It also has an integrated MCU to handle real-time algorithm processing.

    When the device isn’t being actively used, it is valuable to power down the applications processor for intervals to save power. However, in order to detect use or measure movement (e.g. when someone picks up the device from a table or during use as a pedometer), the accelerometer needs to be continuously monitored. Here the sensor hub can manage the sensor data at an optimized low power rate while letting the main applications processor sleep.

    One of the primary benefits of using a sensor hub is the ability to perform what is known as sensor fusion.

    Reply
28. February 6, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dark Silicon — Are the Dark Days Coming?
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325577&

    Although traditional dimensional scaling looks ever darker, the emerging monolithic 3D technology is poised to bring back the light.

    The term “dark silicon” refers to those portions of a device that need to be shut down in order to avoid overheating.

    dark silicon was projected to account for “about one-third of total area in the 20nm technology node (including 16/14nm FinFETs), increasing to as much as 80% by the 5nm node,”

    it is now getting harder to thin the gate dielectric without causing extreme rise in device leakage, and “as a result, while feature sizes have continued to shrink, threshold voltage has not.”

    This dark outlook seems even darker once the cost of this silicon is taken into account.

    This paints a very dark future for the industry. We would need to invest exponentially more in order to develop designs that use more expensive transistors, of which we would need to keep dark an increasing proportion. It seems that the Broadcom CEO’s conclusion — “major changes for the semiconductor industry moving forward” — is unavoidable.

    And at IEDM 2014 we could see multiple papers on monolithic 3D technologies and memories such as RRAM being formed as part of the back-end-of-line (BEOL) on top of the logic, effectively forming monolithic 3D circuits. It should be pointed out that — in the general case of monolithic 3D — the upper transistor layers are naturally SOI

    the emerging precise bonders — e.g., from EVG or Nikon — enable a Game Changer for Monolithic 3D; i.e., “…true monolithic 3D IC without the need for a new recipe for transistor formation. The process could be adapted by any current fab providing very competitive costs for a range of product enhancements and offer a long term road map for better offerings by scaling up.”

    The end result is that, although traditional dimensional scaling looks ever darker, the emerging monolithic 3D technology is poised to bring back the light.

    Exponentially Rising Costs Will Bring Changes
    http://semimd.com/petes-posts/2015/01/26/exponentially-rising-costs-will-bring-changes/

    Scott McGregor, President and CEO of Broadcom, sees some major changes for the semiconductor industry moving forward, brought about by rising design and manufacturing costs.

    Speaking at the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) in January, McGregor said the cost per transistor was rising after the 28nm, which he described as “one of the most significant challenges we as an industry have faced.”

    He said that in the past, it was a “no brainer” for a design company to move its entire set of products always forward to the next generation. “Every generation would be better than the previous one. It would be faster, it would be lower power, it would be more cost effective,” he said.

    “We think we’re now seeing this come to a bottom.” The reason for increasing transistor cost is the complexity of the devices, and the cost of the equipment required to produce them. McGregor said these costs are going up exponentially.

    Chip design cost is also increasing exponentially.

    McGregor also pointed out that the semiconductor industry as a whole is maturing. He said we have moved from a new market phase with double digit growth into an evolving market with high single digit growth to now a stabilizing market with mid-single digit growth year-on-year.

    Although mature, the industry will still see some volatility, although less than in the past. “supply is easily overridden and it takes a long time to build some of these devices like scanners so that’s going to create volatility,” he said.

    He also predicted that SoCs would become even more pervasive.

    Reply
29. February 6, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Silicon Labs Deploys M&A to Crack IoT
    Acquistion of Bluegiga, a wireless module co.
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325563&

    Silicon Labs (Austin, Texas) has acquired a privately-held Finnish wireless module vendor Bluegiga Technologies at $61.5 million in an all-cash deal.

    With the acquisition of Bluegiga, Silicon Labs is picking up the last missing link for its Internet of Things (IoT) play. Silicon Labs’ other IoT-related mergers include the acquisition of low-power microcontroller startup Energy Micro AS (Oslo, Norway) in 2013, and Ember, Boston-based wireless mesh networking technology firm in 2012.

    Reply
30. February 6, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Siglent Easy Pulse Technology
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzTRBaxwfZU

    Siglent’s pulse generator technology is called EasyPulse. It has the capability to generate a pulse signal with a fast rising and falling edge, a very small duty cycle, and low jitter compared to other similar generators.

    http://www.siglent.com/ENs/generator/SDG800

    The SDG800 series function/arbitrary waveform generator family output frequencies up to 5MHz (pulse), 10MHz (square), 30MHz (sine) and have a sampling rate of 125MSa/s. They use the SIGLENT EasyPulse technology which produces low jitter, fast rising/falling edges without being affected by frequency, even at low duty cycle settings, allowing the user a wide range of pulse widths and transition times. This results in a much more versatile generator than other similar DDS designs.

    Reply
31. February 9, 2015 at 8:50 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Corning fires up new super scratch-resistant glass
    http://www.cnet.com/news/corning-working-on-super-scratch-resistant-glass/

    The glassmaker reveals Project Phire, a new Gorilla Glass-like material that’s both extremely sturdy and hard to scratch.

    Corning, whose Gorilla Glass display covers front Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, is developing a new material that combines the toughness of Gorilla with a scratch-resistance that comes close to sapphire.

    The developmental Gorilla Glass-like composite, currently dubbed Project Phire, was announced Friday at a New York investor meeting

    Corning makes most of its money from glass for TV displays and fiber-optics, but Gorilla Glass has been an important growth area for the company. The material is now the dominant player in hardened glass for mobile devices, fronting about 3 billion electronics, including Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4.

    But the Gorilla Glass business was under pressure for much of last year amid concerns that Apple — its most important customer — would flip from using Gorilla to synthetic sapphire, an extremely hard material that is incredibly difficult to scratch. In the end, after Apple poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a sapphire maker, that supplier — GT Advanced Technologies — unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy protection late last year and severed ties with Apple in a public disagreement.

    While Corning avoided what could have become a big hit to Gorilla’s reputation, the episode exposed a weakness in the material — although it may not break, it scratches much more easily. So Corning secretly worked on a display cover that’s both highly damage-resistant and scratch-resistant, potentially bringing together the strengths of both products.

    Also, Project Phire could help Corning snag more of the smartwatch market, where Gorilla is already used in several Samsung products and the Motorola Moto 360.

    Corning in November unveiled Gorilla Glass 4, which offers about twice the toughness as its predecessor, Gorilla Glass 3.

    Reply
32. February 9, 2015 at 9:16 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ground Plane Issue
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/living-analog/4437932/Ground-Plane-Issue-

    Several signal carrying lines had been routed right under the gate array’s package and although there was a metal package lid, that lid was electrically floating. We had EMI getting transferred from those signal lines to the chip inside the package.

    This rerouting of the signal lines to the other side of the ground plane quieted things down just fine.

    Reply
33. February 9, 2015 at 10:54 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    1.5 nm Metrology Extends Moore’s Law
    Advanced node requires nanoscale rulers
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325587&

    As continued progress of Moore’s Law approaches the next two semiconductor technology nodes, 11 nanometers and 7 nanometers, new metrology instruments — a kind of fine-scaled ruler — is needed to succeed. Since these rulers need to be as much as 10 times more fine than the semiconductors they are measuring the current rulers could have nixed Moore’s Law continued progress.

    The previous finest scale rulers today were spaced at four nanometers

    For the new standard, extending Moore’s Law to seven nanometers, Argonne National Laboratory pitched in with aBeam and LBNL to create the finest metrology tool in the world, at 1.5 nanometers.

    Researchers at aBeam Technologies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a technology to fabricate test patterns with a minimum line width down to 1.5 nm. The fabricated nanostructures appear to be random, but nevertheless enable nanometrological instruments to be characterized over their entire dynamic range resulting in the modulation transfer function, the most comprehensive characteristic of any chip.

    “Metrology is critical to the semiconductor industry, because it provides feedback to the fabrication processes,” Babin told us. “The modulation transfer function is widely used in optics, and has allowed optical systems to be perfected down to their diffraction limit. The absence of natural samples with known spatial frequencies was a common problem in nanometrology. Our fabrication technology closes this gap. Using the fabricated pseudo-random test patterns with nanometer-sized lines, nano-metrology systems can be accurately characterized.”

    Reply
34. February 9, 2015 at 11:12 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Introduction to Preemphasis and Equalization in Maxim GMSL SerDes Devices
    http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/maxim/introduction-to-preemphasis-and-equalization-in-maxim-gmsl-serdes-devices

    Recent advances in video applications, along with the exponential expansion of data traffic volume, have raised the demand for higher data rates. As a result, low-cost twisted-pair (TP) cables have gained special interest. However, frequency-dependent attenuation over long runs of these TP cables is a major limiting factor to their optimal use. This frequency-dependent attenuation causes significant intersymbol interference (ISI) in the received signal, which, in turn, creates difficulty for clock and data recovery and causes a higher bit-error rate (BER)

    The high-speed 3.125Gbps transceivers in Maxim GMSL parts provide a robust link, by allowing the system designer to dynamically program the equalization level for a specific cable. The transmitter and receiver both have equalization adjustments that can be programmed either separately or together to extend the transmission distance. This flexible equalization adjustment allows the use of a wide range of low-cost lossy cables.

    The GMSL link employs transmitter preemphasis and receiver equalization to compensate the losses of the transmission.

    The cable has a lowpass transfer function due to the conductor and dielectric losses

    Effective use of this equalization technique will affect three main system design parameters:

    Cable length
    Cable type
    Maximum system data rate

    For instance, the totally closed eye at the end of a 10m cable can be reasonably opened by 6dB preemphasis

    utilize both the transmitter and receiver equalizers

    Reply
35. February 9, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Samsung turns off lights on LEDs worldwide – except in South Korea
    Not the bright future Sammy was imagining
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/27/samsung_scales_back_leds_to_korea/

    Samsung has decided to stop pushing its light emitting diode business outside of South Korea, despite reckoning it would be a growth area a few years ago.

    Like Philips, Sammy has realised that LED is not, after all, where it’s at, and it will be shutting the unit down overseas.

    Reply
36. February 10, 2015 at 8:50 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Silent Switcher with high efficiency and low EMI/EMC
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4438581/Silent-Switcher-with-high-efficiency-and-low-EMI-EMC-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150209&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150209&elq=f8074b14b2ca4e60a2d63162a311e6c5&elqCampaignId=21566

    The latest automotive electronics boom has added many new features to engine control, entertainment, safety systems and more. In this very harsh environment that an automobile will experience, there are stringent features that need to be a part of any electronics devices is the system.

    At a minimum, any IC needs to see robust operation in a wide range of voltages while handling transients of more than 36V in many cases. electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions need to be minimized and high efficiency in this tough thermal environment. The automotive battery has a huge drain on it with added electronics features so low power and high efficiency are critical in these designs.

    System solutions need to be small with high power density as well as 2 MHz or higher switching speeds in order not to interfere with AM radio performance as well as keeping active components small that surround the power devices.

    Finally, very low quiescent current below 10 uA is necessary to enable always-on systems for security, infotainment and environmental systems to be aware and ready without a drain on the battery when the engine is off.

    From my industry observations Linear Technology has kept these issues at the forefront of their Silent Switcher series for usage in automotive applications. I

    Linear Technology Corporation just announced another in its series of power management ICs for automotive usage, the LT8640, a 5A, 42V input capable synchronous step-down switching regulator. A unique Silent Switcher™ architecture, combined with spread spectrum frequency modulation, reduces EMI/EMC emissions by more than 25dB even with switching frequencies in excess of 2MHz, enabling it to easily pass the automotive CISPR25, Class 5 peak limits.

    By using synchronous rectification, the design delivers efficiency as high as 95% with a switching frequency of 2MHz. Its 3.4V to 42V input voltage range makes it ideal for automotive and industrial applications.

    Reply
37. February 10, 2015 at 8:59 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    512 kByte devices extends mixed-signal MCU family
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4438570/512-kByte-devices-extends-mixed-signal-MCU-family?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150209&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150209&elq=9f825caf37894e78be95fad0e48b3ef1&elqCampaignId=21556

    STMicroelectronics has extended its STM32F3 microcontroller series for applications that require high performance and innovative features at affordable cost. The new devices add larger memory densities up to 512 kByte Flash and 80 kB SRAM, as well as richer peripherals for high-speed control and off-chip storage.

    The STM32F3 series is ST’s entry point to its ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller portfolio. The M4 core with DSP and floating-point unit, running up to 72 MHz, executes deterministic routines such as motor-control loops up to 43% faster with the unique ST “Routine Booster” based on core-coupled memory (CCM-SRAM).

    The STM32F302 with 512 kByte Flash is priced at $3.38 (10,000) in the LQFP64 package.

    These new devices can be evaluated on two different hardware boards: NUCLEO-F303RE featuring a 64-pin device for fast prototyping and sampling, and STM32303E-EVAL featuring a 100-pin device for evaluation.

    Reply
38. February 10, 2015 at 9:38 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    China has ruled against the American chip maker Qualcomm 975 million dollar fine abusing a monopoly.

    The company says that he is disappointed with the decision, but agrees to pay the fine and to change their business practices. Chinese authorities have been investigating Qualcomm competition law infringements and the fear that it over charged China based equipment manufacturers.

    Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips are used in many smartphones. The company’s wireless technology is also licensed in most 3G, 4G and LTE modem.

    The company separated from the 3G and 4G license from the rest of the business and, in some cases significantly reduce the royalties. Certain contracts are negotiated entirely new. The company will also establish a $ 150 million fund for the benefit of local manufacturers.

    Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/2015-02-10/Amerikkalainen-siruvalmistaja-pulassa—j%C3%A4ttisakot-ja-pakotteita-Parasta-vain-maksaa-ja-jatkaa-3215491.html

    Reply
39. February 10, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Application-specific processors (ASIPs) are the solution of choice when design teams determine that standard processors do not meet performance /power requirements, and fixed hardware does not provide enough flexibility. While each ASIP is software-programmable, its architecture is optimized for the set of functions that it has to implement, with some margin for algorithmic evolution. Obviously, architectural exploration is at the heart of an efficient ASIP design flow

    Source: http://webinar.techonline.com/19364?elq_mid=6270&elq_cid=303473&elq=8adff65a04554a519128ac5c44a3bc72&elqCampaignId=143

    Reply
40. February 10, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    TSMC Plans to Invest $16 Billion More in Taiwan Site
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325607&

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest chip foundry, said in a press statement that it plans to invest an additional NT$500 billion ($15.9 billion) as part of an expansion on the site of an existing fab in Taiwan.

    The company provided no more specific timeframe for the expansion other than to say the investment would be over several years, with the amount in each year based on expected demand for capacity.

    Reply
41. February 10, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Open-Silicon: ‘No Software Runs Without Hardware’
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325595&

    As the valuation of high-tech companies goes increasingly lopsided — disproportionately favoring the software business — the obvious question is: Who nowadays is willing to get their hands dirty designing high-cost, low-margin hardware?

    The question has become a decade-long pet peeve among chip vendors in Silicon Valley.

    Open-Silicon president Taher Madraswala’s answer is to seize the moment and create an opportunity. “No software runs without hardware,” Madraswala said in a recent interview with EE Times. “System-optimized ASIC” is a clear business focus of Open-Silicon. The company offers semiconductor suppliers design services.

    Reply
42. February 10, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Embedded Engineers: 10 Skills You Need Now
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325557&

    From getting familiar with open source software to developing apps, industry professionals are urging embedded engineers to get out of their comfort zone and acquire new skills to stay relevant.

    Then, as embedded systems became bigger and more complex—millions of lines of code now ship with devices–embedded skill sets became partitioned by discipline: hardware developer, firmware developer, software developer.

    In many big companies that is still the case. But the pendulum appears to be swinging back, as more and more companies are consolidating engineering roles, looking for developers who are fluent in both hardware and software, and trying to accomplish more with less. Certainly a bigger percent of engineers say they work on both hardware software, as compared to the group that only does one or the other.

    Given that it’s not possible to keep up with everything embedded, how do you make sure that the new skills you acquire are the most relevant?

    1. Learn the technologies that make the Internet possible.
    2. You’ve got a search engine. Know how to use it.
    3. Learn something new outside of your comfort zone.
    4. Become experienced with a real time operating system.
    5. Diversify your skills and move up the stack.
    6. Know your software well but always tinker with the newest processors.
    7. Get comfortable with open source software.
    8. Develop a systems engineering mindset.
    9. Become skilled at expressing yourself (both in words and graphics).
    10. Learn wireless connectivity.

    Reply
43. February 10, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Glucolight’ Monitors Blood Sugar through Skin Contact
    http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/1104-mdb/news/21549

    A new sensor gauges blood sugar through skin contact. The “Glucolight” is initially to be used in premature babies to avoid hypoglycemia and subsequent brain damage.

    The Glucolight, developed by Empa, Laboratory for Protection and Physiology, and the University of Zurich, Switzerland, spares premature babies blood samples and enables the blood sugar level to be monitored permanently. The sensor’s novel measuring technology includes several parts: a microdialysis measuring head, a “smart” membrane, light sources, a pump, and a microfluidics chip with a fluorometer.

    The smart membrane contains special dye molecules, known as spiropyrans. If UV light is beamed onto these spiropyran molecules, they alter their chemical structure and become charged (polar).

    A new sensor gauges blood sugar through skin contact. The “Glucolight” is initially to be used in premature babies to avoid hypoglycemia and subsequent brain damage.

    The Glucolight, developed by Empa, Laboratory for Protection and Physiology, and the University of Zurich, Switzerland, spares premature babies blood samples and enables the blood sugar level to be monitored permanently. The sensor’s novel measuring technology includes several parts: a microdialysis measuring head, a “smart” membrane, light sources, a pump, and a microfluidics chip with a fluorometer.

    The smart membrane contains special dye molecules, known as spiropyrans. If UV light is beamed onto these spiropyran molecules, they alter their chemical structure and become charged (polar).

    The measurement involves sticking the measuring head, which is around three centimeters in size, to the baby’s skin and irradiating it with visible light

    During the reaction, a fluorescence appears, which the fluorometer measures, and the computer uses the reading to calculate the glucose concentration.

    Reply
44. February 11, 2015 at 8:02 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Desktop Pick-&-Place Machine DIY Kit
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325638&

    Here’s a low-cost, machine-vision-based, entry-level desktop pick-and-place machine for prototype builders, hobbyists, developers, and development groups.

    Well, blow me down, because just after reading this comment I found an email message from Juha in my Inbox saying: “Please let me introduce myself: My name is Juha Kuusama, an entrepreneur and inventor. I think your readers might be interested to learn about an entry-level desktop pick-and-place machine I introduced last week.”

    Juha — who is based in Finland — went on to say: “Although not very suitable for production (it does not have feeders), it is ideal for prototype assembly. The machine uses vision in calibration and operation. This is aimed for prototype builders, hobbyists, developers, and development groups. The machine breaks new ground in availability of P&P machines — the DIY kit is priced at only $1349!”

    I just bounced over to Juha’s liteplacer.com site to root through the building instructions and software source code

    LitePlacer – The Prototyping Pick and Place Machine
    http://www.liteplacer.com/

    The Story
    http://www.liteplacer.com/about/the-story/

    Reply
45. February 11, 2015 at 8:05 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    1st MEMS Spectrometer Debuts
    See Handheld Analysis at Photonics West
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325630&

    The world’s first microelectromechanical system (MEMS) spectrometer on-a-chip was shown today at at Photonics West (San Francisco, February 10-12) by Si-Ware Systems (SWS, Cairo, Egypt with offices in La Canada, Calif.) Instead of transporting materials across sometimes great distances to be analyzed with a normal bench-top spectrometer, Si-Ware’s MEMS-powered spectrometer fits in the palm of your hand and thus can be taken to the material to be analyzed.

    The MEMS-powered spectrometer is not only smaller than a bench sized units, but is also much lower in cost.

    “Typical prices are upwards of $10,000 for a high-quality bench-sized spectrometer, but our MEMS spectrometer is just $2000 for quantities of 1-to-100 and only $500 for 100,000 unit orders,” Smyser told us.

    Reply
46. February 11, 2015 at 8:08 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    What the Apple Watch Means for the Industry
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325628&

    Is the smartphone rendering dedicated fitness trackers obsolete?

    The introduction of the Apple Watch engendered a lot of industry talk. Now that some time has passed, it’s time to look at whether this new product introduction signaled the entry of wearables into the mainstream and a boon for electronics designers.

    Last September, Apple created waves when it announced it would start selling a smart watch in the spring of 2015.

    What does this mean for electronic engineers? For the rest of the supply chain? For the electronics industry?

    Recent polls reveal a divided state of affairs for wearable technology: while nearly half of Americans claim to want more wearable devices, a third of those who have owned a wearable device stopped using it within the first six months. How can this contradiction be explained? One clue lies in the evolution and decline of one of the most popular categories of wearable technology: dedicated fitness trackers.

    With their promise of making it fun to get in shape, dedicated devices from Fitbit, Jawbone, and Nike FuelBand achieved significant success over the past two years, but signs now point to a decline in future growth. A major factor is the role of smart phone convergence: what need is there for a dedicated fitness device when there’s already an app for that which will run right on your phone? Just as the inclusion of GPS in smart phones killed the market for dedicated GPS devices, the expanding feature set of contemporary smart phones is now rendering dedicated fitness trackers obsolete.

    Reply
47. February 11, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    LitePlacer – a low cost Pick and Place machine
    http://hackaday.io/project/1755-liteplacer-a-low-cost-pick-and-place-machine

    the LitePlacer is a Pick and Place machine optimized for prototype assembly. It has optical alignment and calibration with two cameras.

    Reply
48. February 12, 2015 at 11:30 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    China Deal Squeezes Royalty Cuts from Qualcomm
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325631&

    Qualcomm Monday (Feb. 9) put an end to a nearly two-year patent fight in China by paying a $975 million fine to Beijing authorities.

    Qualcomm’s Chinese settlement calls for a 5% royalty rate on multimode 3G/4G devices (including multimode 3G/4G devices) and a 3.5% rate on other 4G hardware (including 3-mode LTD-TDD devices). The key change is that now rates will be derived from a royalty base of 65% of a device’s net selling price, instead of an OEM’s full sales price. Qualcomm’s royalty rates are typically based on 100 percent of the net selling price of a handset.

    The 5% royalty when multiplied by .65 equals an effective royalty rate of 3.25% for 3G. The 4G royalty is 3.5% of the net selling price of the device, which results in a net royalty rate of 2.275%.

    Qualcomm simply asserts that the resolution “requires no licensing changes outside China.”

    Qualcomm’s assumption is that regulators in the US and the EU, where Qualcomm is under investigation for monopolistic practices, won’t interfere with pricing.

    Curiously (or not so curiously), one company benefitting mightily from the Qualcomm-NDRC settlement is China’s largest foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in Shanghai. As part of the settlement, Qualcomm has agreed to expand its partnership with SMIC. Qualcomm struck a deal with SMIC last summer covering the production of 28nm Snapdragon processors.

    Reply
49. February 12, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Reuters:
    Qualcomm faces antitrust probe from South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission following similar investigations from the US, EU, and China

    South Korea antitrust body investigating Qualcomm: source
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/12/us-qualcomm-southkorea-idUSKBN0LG02120150212

    (Reuters) – South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission is investigating Qualcomm Inc, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday, adding to antitrust woes for the U.S. chipmaker following a record fine it agreed to pay in China.

    Reply
50. February 12, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Thermocouples: Simple but misunderstood
    http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4423409/Simple–but-misunderstood

    The lowly thermocouple is probably the most widely used type of sensor, yet so many people don’t understand how it works.

    That’s because many descriptions out there get it wrong and that misinformation keeps circulating.

    There is no voltage generated at the junction where the two metals meet. What actually happens is a result of the Seebeck Effect

    Thermal blocks used in digital thermometers have another temperature sensor, preferably embedded in the thermal block. Often, that’s an integrated IC sensor whose output is linearly proportional to temperature or it may even be a smart sensor with a digital output. With one known temperature, a digital thermometer can calculate the unknown voltage through software based on VT and the type of thermocouple being used.

    Reply