Here are my collection of trends and predictions for electronics industry for 2015:
The computer market, once the IC growth driver per se, apparently is approaching saturation status. Communications industry is still growing (6.8%.). Automotive V2X, LED lighting and smart domestic objects are set to drive semiconductor market growth through the year 2020, according to market analysis firm Gartner.
Car electronics will be hot in 2015. New cars will have more security features, smart infotainment and connectivity in them. It is an are where smart phone companies are pushing to. Automotive Industry Drives Chip Demand article says that until 2018, the IC demand from automotive customers is expected to exhibit the strongest average annual growth — 10.8% on average. This is significantly higher than the communications industry, at second place with 6.8%. Demand drivers include safety features that increasingly are becoming mandatory, such as backup cameras or eCall. But driver-assistance systems are also becoming ubiquitous. Future drivers will include connectivity, such as vehicle-to-vehicle communications, as well as sensors and controllers necessary for various degrees of autonomous driving.
Power electronics is a $90 billion-per-year market. The market for discrete power electronics is predicted to grow to $23 billion by 2024 from $13 billion today. Silicon rules power electronics industry, but new materials are pushing to headlines quickly. In the power electronics community, compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) are drawing more attention as they try to displace silicon based power devices, which have been doing the heavy lifting for the past 30 years or so. While silicon-based devices are predicted to remain predominant with an 87% share of the market, it is expected that SiC- and GaN-based components to grow at annual rates of 30% and 32%, respectively. There’s no denying the cost advantages that silicon possesses.
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.
MEMS mics are taking over. Almost every mobile device has ditched its old-fashioned electret microphone invented way back in 1962 at Bell Labs. Expect new piezoelectric MEMS microphones, which promise unheard of signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of up to 80 dB (versus 65 dB in the best current capacitive microphones) in 2015. MEMS microphones are growing like gangbusters.Also engineers have found a whole bunch of applications that can use MEMS microphone as a substitute for more specialized sensors starting in 2015.
There will be advancements in eco-design. There will be activity within Europe’s Ecodesign directive. The EC’s Ecodesign Working Plan for 2015-2017 is currently in its final study stages – the plan is expected to be completed by January 2015. The chargers will be designed for lower zero load power consumption in 2015, as on February 2016, after the 5-watt chargers are no longer at no load connected consume more than 0.1 watts of power. Socket for power supplies values are defined in the new Energy Star standard VI.
LED light market growing in 2015. Strategies Unlimited estimates that in 2014 the LED lamps were sold $ 7 billion, or about 5.7 billion euros. In 2019 the LED lamps will already sold just over 12 billion euros. LED technology will replace other lighting technologies quickly. For those who do not go to the LED Strategies Unlimited permission difficult times – all other lamp technologies, the market will shrink 14 percent per year. The current lighting market growth is based on LED proliferation of all the different application areas.
IoT market is growing fast in 2015. Gartner is predicting a 30 percent compound annual growth rate for the IoT chip market for the period 2013 to 2020. The move to create billions of smart, autonomously communicating objects known as the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the need for low-power sensors, processors and communications chips. Gartner expects chips for IoT market to grow 36% in 2015 (IoT IC marker value in 2014 was from $3.9 billion to $9 billion depending how you calculate it). The sales generated by the connectivity and sensor subsystems to enabled this IoT will amount $48.3 billion in 2014 and grow 19 percent in 2015 to $57.7 billion. IC Insights forecasts that web-connected things will account for 85 percent of 29.5 billion Internet connections worldwide by 2020.
With the increased use of IoT, the security is becoming more and more important to embedded systems and chip designers. Embedded systems face ongoing threats of penetration by persistent individuals and organizations armed with increasingly sophisticated tools. There is push for IC makers to add on-chip security features to serve as fundamental enablers for secure systems, but it is just one part of the IoT security puzzle. The trend toward enterprise-level security lifecycle management emerges as the most promising solution for hardened security in embedded systems underlying the explosive growth of interconnected applications. The trend continues in 2015 for inclusion of even more comprehensive hardware support for security: More and more MCUs and specialized processors now include on-chip hardware accelerators for crypto operations.
Electronics is getting smaller and smaller. Component manufacturers are continually developing new and smaller packages for components that are mere fractions of a millimeter and have board to component clearances of less than a mil. Components are placed extremely close together. No-lead solder is a relatively recent legislated fact of life that necessitated new solder, new fluxes, higher temperatures, and new solder processing equipment. Tin whisker problems also increased dramatically. You should Improve device reliability via PCB cleanliness, especially if you are designing something that should last more then few years.
Photonics will get to the circuit board levels. Progress in computer technology (and the continuation of Moore’s Law) is becoming increasingly dependent on faster data transfer between and within microchips. We keep hearing that copper has reached its speed limit, and that optics will replace copper for high-speed signals. Photonics now can run through cables, ICs, backplanes, and circuit boards. Silicon chips can now have some optical components in them using silicon photonics technologies. For more than 10 years, “silicon photonics” has attracted significant research efforts due to the potential benefits of optoelectronics integration. Using silicon as an optical medium and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor fabrication processing technology, silicon photonics allows tighter monolithic integration of many optical functions within a single device.
Enter electro-optical printed circuits, which combine copper and optical paths on the same board. Electro-optical PCBs use copper for distributing power and low-speed data, and optical paths for high-speed signals. Optical backplane connectors have been developed, as well as a technique to align the small waveguides to transceivers on the board. The next challenge is to develop waveguides on to boards where the tight bends don’t degrade performance to unacceptable levels.
3D printing will bring structural electronics. With 3D printing hot in the news, and conformable, flexible, or even printed electronics fitting any shape, it is only a matter of time before electronic circuits can be laid-out as part of the 3D-printing process, the electronic framework becoming an integral supporting part of any object’s mechanical structure. For example “structural batteries” have already been implemented in electric cars, in racing-car aerofoils, and in the Tesla pure electric car.
Superconductors are heating up again. Superconductivity will be talked again in 2015 as there were some advancements in the end of 2014. A group of international scientists working with the National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif., have discovered lasers that can create conditions for superconductivity at temperatures as high at 140°F. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has discovered a law governing thin-film superconductors, eliminating much of the trial and error for companies that manufacture superconducting photodetector. With MIT’s new mathematical law, new superconducting chips can be designed with the correct parameters determined ahead of time.
Frost and Sullivan forecast that “PXI to disrupt automated test” between 2015 and 2018. They predict PXI to achieve $1.75B in annual sales by 2020, up from $563M in 2013. That’s an aggregate growth rate of over 17%. Not bad for an industry that has an overall secular growth rate of 3 percent.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Liquid Metal Changes Shape to Tune Antenna
http://hackaday.com/2015/08/31/liquid-metal-changes-shape-to-tune-antenna/
Antennas can range from a few squiggles on a PCB to a gigantic Yagi on a tower. The basic laws of physics must be obeyed, though, and whatever form the antenna takes it all boils down to a conductor whose length resonates at a specific frequency. What works at one frequency is suboptimal at another, so an adjustable antenna would be a key component of a multi-band device. And a shape-shifting liquid metal antenna is just plain cool.
Shape-shifting Liquid-Metal Antennas
Researchers devise antennas that can be lengthened—or shortened—to adjust their frequency
http://spectrum.ieee.org/video/telecom/wireless/shapeshifting-liquidmetal-antennas
Tomi Engdahl says:
65 per cent of Europe’s electronic waste is stolen or mismanaged
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28114-65-per-cent-of-europes-electronic-waste-is-stolen-or-mismanaged/
Something stinks about Europe’s trash. A two-year investigation into Europe’s electronic waste found that most of it is stolen, mismanaged, illegally traded, or just plain thrown away.
The European Union has guidelines on how to correctly dispose of unwanted electronics, like IT equipment, household appliances, or medical devices. But, according to a report published Sunday by the United Nations University and INTERPOL, only 35 per cent of electronic waste was disposed of correctly in 2012.
Meanwhile, criminals absconded out of Europe with 1.3 million tonnes of undocumented equipment, such as laptops, circuit boards, or refrigerators. The loss of functional components or the precious metals inside cost the European Union up to 1.7 billion euros each year, say the researchers.
An additional 4.7 million tonnes of electronics were mismanaged or illegally traded inside Europe. That means that toxic materials that can be harmful to the environment or to people’s health, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, are not being disposed of in a safe way.
Tomi Engdahl says:
SiC/GaN Poised for Power
Yole Predicts New Substrates to Dominate
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327577&
Today Yole Development predicted that power transistors would radically shift from silicon wafers to silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) substrates—to achieve higher power in smaller spaces, according to its GaN and SiC Devices for Power Electronics Applications report.
One of the big drivers behind the shift is the electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) industries, which Yole predicts will be majorly pushing the SiC technology to minimize the size of the power electronics using them.
Wide-band-gap (WBG) materials like SiC and GaN have been slower to adopt than Yole previously predicted, but the new report claims that the companies developing them are on the fast-track to overcoming the few remaining obstacles to mass adoption. Besides hybrid- and full-electric vehicles Yole predicts SiC dominance in both low- (600) and high-voltage (up to 3,300), applications such as power factor correction (PFC), photovoltaics, diodes, wind, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and motor drives.
The SiC overall market for power devices has grown from $133 million in 2014 and is predicted to more than triple to $436 million by 2020. Power diodes (80 percent of which are SiC worldwide) will remain the biggest market segment followed by power factor correction, photovoltaic (PV) inverters, wind, uninterruptible power supplies and motor drives.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chip Firms Target Smaller Customers
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327576&
Chip firms are increasing efforts to target small customers and startups, which cumulatively buy nearly $80 billion in semiconductors each year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hybrid Emulation: It’s about time!
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327563&
Given the critical importance of software as a differentiator in SoC-based products, doesn’t the software team deserve the best tools available?
What’s this article about?
This article scrutinizes the long-foretold ability for virtual platforms to be linked to emulation hardware in order to co-verify the software and hardware components of an SoC. We explore how this has evolved from a neat idea to become Hybrid Emulation — a practical solution for today’s SoC hardware and software teams.
Tomi Engdahl says:
They slice. They dice. Is there anything modular instruments can’t do?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/test-cafe/4440040/They-slice–They-dice–Is-there-anything-modular-instruments-can-t-do-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150901&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150901&elq=bad9feb5d41d4f228e10d545791ff304&elqCampaignId=24586&elqaid=27842&elqat=1&elqTrackId=d5f961c99ac443ab9d4fceb5555515ea
My recent column Prediction: Microwave coming to PXI – big time! has caused the most essential engineering question to be asked of me, “Are there any measurement limits to modular instruments, such as those in PXI or AXIe?” Or, put another way, is there some frequency too high or signal too small that a modular instrument can’t make the measurement?
A frequency too high? No. A signal too small? No.
We’ve seen this play out in the test community before. In the 1980s, when Microsoft Windows was taking off, there was a lot of talk that Windows could never be a decent engineering platform.
Today, as I mentioned in a previous column, we test professionals are addicted to Windows.
We’ve seen the same thing play out in modular instrumentation. “Sure, modular instruments are OK for low frequency data acquisition”, I’ve heard many times in the past, “but try to do precision RF with it.” Well, today we have powerful RF PXI products like the National Instruments VST (Vector Signal Transceiver, which is actually four instruments in one module) or the Keysight Technologies PXI VNA that is a 26GHz 2-port Vector Signal Analyzer in a single PXI slot. What happened?
Engineering happened, that’s what.
Engineers love a challenge. You should never tell an engineer “that’s impossible”, unless you have some basic law of physics that will be violated. Even then I would be hesitant. “That’s impossible” is an asymmetric statement that can always be proven false by example, but rarely proven correct.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Slideshow
Connect Any Bus to GPIB
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327566&
Tomi Engdahl says:
China Server Upstart Hits Spotlight
Unknown startup behind ambitious ARM SoC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327572&
Phytium Technology Co. Ltd. went from being an unknown to the equivalent of a rock star in the microprocessor world last week. That’s when the China-based company disclosed details at the annual Hot Chips event of its Mars design, one of the most aggressive ARM-based server SoCs to date.
After the event, EE Times spoke by phone with Charles Zhang, the director of research of Phytium, to find about more about this little-known company that maintains a skeletal Web site.
It turns out Phytium is a startup inside the belly of a giant — China Electronics Corp., one of China’s oldest and largest state-run enterprises in the industry. The conglomerate employs 70,000 people and develops everything from military and space electronics to consumer appliances and education software.
Amid many efforts to ramp up China’s chip design and production, CEC invested several hundred million renminbi in Phytium and provided most of the about 300 engineers in its processor design team. Since Phytium’s founding in 2012 in Guangzhou, a few processor designers have joined who have worked at well-known chip design companies in China including HiSilicon, Longsoon and Spreadtrum.
Indeed, Phytium is focused on finding sockets for its Mars chip in a new class of systems it hopes China’s server makers will sell in the indigenous market.
http://www.phytium.com.cn/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who Plans for Planned Obsolescence?
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327582&
Electronics seem to be aging at a strangely alarming rate, says an executive from a design software and services company.
The public’s concept of planned obsolescence is a phantom that has haunted industrial production for decades. The idea that manufacturers build products with an intended lifespan in mind, that businesses profit from making products that will break within a predetermined period and require consumers to replace them, seems an intuitive reality to some people. While such practices may have been true in isolated instances, closer analysis indicates that those who draft the obsolescence plan are just as likely to be the buyers as the sellers.
Concern over planned obsolescence has arisen again, especially in Europe, over concerns about the impact on the environment of waste from obsolete electronic devices, unnecessary overuse of resources, as well as their impact on consumer budgets. Studies have failed to uncover purposeful obsolescence targets for manufacturers. These reports have found, however, that often products are replaced not because they have broken but because they have fallen out of style, overrun by innovation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Does a Chinese Bid for GloFo Make Sense?
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327587&
After Micron and OmniVision, should China’s next big acquisition be leading foundry Globalfoundries Inc?
In recent months China has moved on multiple fronts as it seeks to use its considerable financial resources to improve its position in the global semiconductor industry.
Could a next step be the acquisition of leading foundry Globalfoundries Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.)? And could China find a bid pushing at an open door.
China’s Tsinghua Unigroup bid $23 billion to buy US memory chip company Micron Technology Inc. and how a consortium led by China’s Hua Capital Management Co. Ltd. has had a $1.9 billion bid for image sensor vendor OmniVision Technologies Inc. accepted.
Both deals are subject to regulatory consideration and while the first is widely thought to be a non-starter the second seems more likely to go through. And clearly both bids are part of a broader strategy that may produce many more such bids.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NIST Charts Course to Fault-Free Manufacturing
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327603&
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a report outlining a series of research projects and industry activities intended to lead US manufacturing toward fault-free operation. The ultimate target is at-capacity production with 100% up-time and zero scrap. The report presents action plans for 13 key research and development projects that can help in incorporating prognostics and health management (PHM) into smart manufacturing.
Prognostics is the science of estimating a machine or systems remaining operational life. Health management methods aim to ensure that machines and systems operate at maximum productivity without breakdown. Together they help ensure that manufacturing systems do not suffer from breakdowns or work out of tolerances. “Overall, the objective of PHM is to provide timely actionable information to enable intelligent decision making for improved performance, safety, reliability and maintainability,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cree Divests RF, Power Business
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327602&
LED manufacturer Cree (Durham, N.C.) announced that the company’s power and RF division has been re-branded as Wolfspeed. The company announced in May that it would separate Wolfspeed into a standalone company.
Wolfspeed has a very different set of customers and needed to distingusish itself from lighting company Cree, Wolfspeed Executive Vice President Frank Plastina told News & Observer. The power company accounted for 8% of Cree’s total revenue for the fiscal year that ended in June, but generated $123.9 million in revenue – a 15% increase year-over-year.
Cree touted Wolfspeed’s “fully commercialized, broad portfolio of the most field-tested [silicon carbide] and [gallium nitride] power and wireless technologies and products.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
LED Displays Get Wearable
Imec’s fabric glows with pixels
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327599&
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM Solves PCM Problems with Projections
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327596&
Projection PCM rethinks the design of PCM device structures and demonstrates the ability to isolate from the read process the effect of undesirable changes in parameters of the active region of a MLC-PCM in its amorphous state
The Multi-Level Cell / Phase Change Memory (MLC-PCM) team at IBM in Zurich have just released the details of a its latest work which offers in a single structure the potential to eliminate a number of MLC-PCM performance problems and represents yet another significant waypoint on its roadmap towards the possible future commercial success of MLC-PCM.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Design for Regulatory Approval
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327583&
A consultant reviews what engineers need to consider about getting products through regulatory approvals.
To get regulatory approval it helps to understand how regulators think and what’s important to them. Here are some key points engineers need to consider at the earliest possible stage of the design process.
Regulators view products in terms of the potential and actual risks they pose to users, patients, other persons and the environment. In general, the higher the risks associated with the product, the more regulatory requirements need to be fulfilled, and the higher the burden of proof on the designer and manufacturer.
Any risks identified in the design phase should be documented and reduced as far as possible prior to product launch. Users (and patients if applicable) need to be informed of any residual product risks by product labels and/or accompanying documents. Any new risks identified after the product has been placed on the market need to be addressed and mitigated. Product safety must be paramount in the design thought process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using ESD Diodes as Voltage Clamps
http://www.edn.com/design/power-management/4440245/Using-ESD-Diodes-as-Voltage-Clamps?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150903&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150903&&elq=58f65a70bbe94ce98c0344f09c7bd6b7&elqCampaignId=24640&elqaid=27917&elqat=1&elqTrackId=70de473d427146d4969a1502c4ce111d
In many applications where the input is not under system control but rather connects to the outside world, such as test equipment, instrumentation, and some sensing equipment, it is possible for input voltages to exceed the maximum rated voltage of a front end amplifier. In these applications, protection schemes must be implemented to preserve the survival range and robustness of the design.
Sponsor video, mouseover for sound
The front end amplifier’s internal ESD diodes are sometimes used for clamping overvoltage conditions, but many factors need to be considered to ensure these clamps will provide sufficient and robust protection. Understanding the various ESD diode architectures that are inside of front end amplifiers, along with understanding the thermal and electromigration implications of a given protection circuit, can help a designer avoid problems with their protection circuits and improve the longevity of their applications in the field.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Larry Dignan / ZDNet:
Intel will invest $50M in quantum computing research in Delft University of Technology and Dutch Organisation for Applied Research
Intel invests $50 million in quantum computing effort
http://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-invests-50-million-in-quantum-computing-effort/
Intel is the latest technology giant to invest in quantum computing research. Quantum computing, years away from commercialization, is supposed to be a huge leap forward.
Intel said Thursday that it will invest $50 million and provide engineering resources to the Delft University of Technology and TNO, the Dutch Organisation for Applied Research, in an effort to advance quantum computing.
Quantum computing promises multiple breakthrough and the possibility of new applications. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can exist in multiple states and operate in parallel. Quantum computers are expected to replace the ones powered by transistors and binary digits today.
Intel’s investment could popularize the notion of quantum computing, which is years from going commercial. IBM has been among the largest tech players in the quantum computer space. IBM is investing billions of dollars in research on developing processors that could power quantum computers. See: IBM claims another step toward quantum computing | IBM to invest $3 billion in next-gen, ’7nm and beyond’ chips
Other entities ranging from Google to NASA are also chasing quantum computing.
The chip giant said it can contribute manufacturing and architecture knowhow to quantum computing research.
For Intel, the bet on quantum computer is a way to participate in the future and keep the company relevant.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Assembling High Current Heavy Copper PCBs
http://aa-pcbassembly.com/design-insights/assembling-high-current-heavy-copper-pcbs/?utm_source=Promotion&utm_medium=Digital%20Magazine&utm_content=Heavy%20Copper%20PCBs&utm_campaign=Aspen%20Core
Many designers and assemblers do not know what is readily available in high current heavy copper PCB. Heavy copper boards can contain three ounces to twenty ounces of copper conductors. Quite surprisingly, a heavy copper PCB (ten ounces) can also have very fine features.
There are many variations of the heavy copper technology, including buried heavy copper, multiple levels of copper, and multilayer heavy copper. The simplest form of heavy copper is the single or double-sided PCB, containing three- to twenty-ounce thickness of copper. By starting with a heavy copper base, such as eight-ounce foil on FR4, imaging and etching the circuit, single and double-sided PCBs have the lowest cost. On all heavy copper boards, the designer has the choice of starting copper
thickness and the amount plated in the holes. The current required to be passed in the vias will determine the amount of copper plated in the hole. To plate ten ounces of copper in the holes of a twelve ounce thick PCB, the
manufacturer will start with two ounces of copper and plate up to ten ounces in the holes and on the traces.
Resolution will be quite good as the manufacturer is only etching two ounces of copper foil. To plate that thick, multiple layers of dry film will be sequentially layered on three to ten times and then imaged and developed, creating very deep dry film trenches to plate copper up. The plating of ten ounces of copper is quite slow, taking forty-five minutes per ounce, so the PCB will be expensive but can carry hundreds of amps.
Multilayer heavy copper can have four to eight layers, up to fifteen ounces of copper per layer and interconnected with heavy copper in the vias. In both multilayer and double-sided PCBs, the use of large thermal reliefs is of utmost importance for assembly. The heavy copper conducts so much heat that you would never be able to solder the components.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Knowm’s memristors alive & shipping
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440270/Knowm-s-memristors-alive—shipping?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150903&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150903&elq=4cd050c7de53407e88898d167ca043e8&elqCampaignId=24632&elqaid=27909&elqat=1&elqTrackId=040eff6cd892448384e12f146fed2659
The name memristor is formed from memory + resistor. The fundamental component it labels behaves like a resistor, but one whose value changes based on the integral of the current passing through it, hence, the memory aspect. Innovative company Knowm is making parts and services available, with a strong focus on machine learning.
BS-AF-W Memristors
http://knowm.org/product/bs-af-w-memristors/
$ 220.00
Eight (8) discrete memristors in 16-pin ceramic DIP package straight from the lab of memristor pioneer Dr. Kris Campbell at Boise State University. These devices were developed specifically for neuromemristive applications such as AHaH Computing and can be applied to your custom CMOS circuits via our CMOS BEOL Service.
Tomi Engdahl says:
America’s crackdown on open-source Wi-Fi router firmware – THE TRUTH
El Reg looks at why and what the FCC wants to do. Plus: How you can get stuck in
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/05/fcc_software_updates/
America’s broadband watchdog is suffering a backlash over plans to control software updates to Wi-Fi routers, smartphones, and even laptops.
In a proposed update [PDF] to the regulator’s rules over radiofrequency equipment, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would oblige manufacturers to “specify which parties will be authorized to make software changes.”
In addition, it proposes that “modifications by third parties should not be permitted unless the third party receives its own certification.”
While the intent is to make the FCC’s certification of the next generation of wireless equipment faster and more flexible, open source advocates were quick to notice that the rules would effectively force manufacturers to lock down their equipment and so remove the ability to modify software without formal approval from the US government. Such an approach goes directly against the open source ethos.
As a result, many are unhappy about the plans.
Earlier this week, however, the FCC approved a one-month extension to the deadline and an additional 15-day reply period after consumer groups and equipment manufacturers made it clear that they needed more time to look at what was being proposed.
The current rules were put in place 15 years ago, long before the explosion of smart phones and laptops and widespread use of Wi-Fi.
Every product approved gets its own FCC ID, which the manufacturer is then obliged to stick on the product itself (something that the FCC acknowledges is getting harder as the devices get smaller).
In recent years however, this system has become impossible to manage effectively. Smaller and cheaper chipsets have led to huge numbers of new devices and a shift to the wireless world. Today’s phones, for example, can operate at several different radio frequency bands and include 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC (near-field communications).
In order to handle the jump in requests, the FCC changed its rules to allow for some self-certifying by companies, and some third-party certification. But it now feels this approach is also outdated, thanks to the fact that the latest devices often allow changes to wireless frequencies through software updates, as opposed to hardware/firmware.
The regulator notes that the shift to software updates has proven extremely useful, since “it allows manufacturers to obtain approval of products with an initially limited set of capabilities and then enable new frequency bands, functions, and transmission formats to be added to already-approved equipment.” However, it is concerned about things getting out of control, especially if it opens up its certification processes to allow more devices on the market.
And the solution?
And so, to the FCC’s mind, the answer is simple: put control requirements back onto the manufacturers themselves.
In order to make sure that a new product doesn’t appear on the market that enables people to instantly use, for example, emergency police channels to communicate, require the manufacturers to only allow updates from authorized companies, i.e., those with something to lose from breaking the rules.
At the same time, it also proposes that this update process be locked down so others can’t easily access and make their own changes to new devices. If companies do this, then the FCC argues it can open up its rules and “make it easier for manufacturers to implement software changes.”
The logic is seductive but it leads to the situation where all devices with radio transmission capability – i.e., your phone, computer, home router and many others – need to be locked down. That won’t bother the vast majority of consumers, who simply buy a product and let the company do what it will with it (even when that is incredibly frustrating – we’re looking at you, Apple).
In a sign that the plan may be going down the rabbit hole, it then proposes a “personal use” exemption where the rules would not apply to people entering the country with devices not approved within the United States.
Under the current rules, there is a personal use exemption of three devices. But if the new rules came into effect, US border police may effectively be obliged to stop and search everyone entering the country to make sure they didn’t have more than three non-approved devices on them. That is clearly an unworkable situation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Escatecin solution LEDs are soldered directly to a copper substrate having a thermal conductivity of up to 10 times better than existing structures. This structure of the Cool Running named allows the LEDs can be driven up to power 10 watts / square centimeter with passive cooling.
Escatecin according to a new structure was developed in the Futurelab center based on customer feedback. The structure can be used to invest in, say, five hundred amperes LEDs next to each other. In practice can be a thousand-watt light output to a variety of destinations without separate cooling solutions.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3289:ledin-jaahdytykseen-nerokas-ratkaisu&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Global Chip Sales Dip on Soft Demand
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327624&
Softening demand has caused the three-month average of global chip sales for July to decline in comparison with the same month a year ago, according to numbers from World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS).
The growth of year-to-date global chip sales is still positive at 2.7 percent but given softening demand going into the third quarter — historically the strongest quarter — the indications are that 2015 could turn into a no-growth year for chip markets, or even one of decline.
The three-month average of worldwide sales of semiconductors in July was $27.88 billion, a decrease of 0.9 percent from July 2014. Global sales from July 2015 were 0.4 percent lower than the June 2015 total of $27.99 billion.
Regionally, year-to-year sales increased in China, Asia Pacific and in the Americas region but decreased strongly in Europe (-12.5 percent) and Japan (-13.3 percent), in part due to currency devaluation. This has been a persistent factor over the last year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 Flash Memory Products Not to Miss
Solid state drives dominates memory products last month
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327611&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amplifier enables precise current-shunt measurement
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440291/Amplifier-enables-precise-current-shunt-measurement?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150907&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150907&elq=8045dc9a1afa4fea9b9d8a2e20e4ebd4&elqCampaignId=24669&elqaid=27946&elqat=1&elqTrackId=b003163060c64dbf9fecb6cc7bd799ab
Along with robust isolation, the Si8920 analog amplifier from Silicon Labs provides a high signal bandwidth of up to 750 kHz and low signal delay of just 0.75 µs across the isolation barrier. The amplifier’s exceptional signal bandwidth ensures rapid, precise current-shunt measurement and representation of the primary signal and harmonics, while its minimal signal delay allows control systems to respond quickly to transient load conditions.
This galvanically isolated amplifier can be used in power control systems operating in harsh environments, including industrial motor drives, solar inverters, and electric/hybrid-electric vehicle systems. The part’s CMOS-based isolation meets stringent UL, VDE, CQC, and CSA standards and supports a withstand voltage of up to 5 kV. It also offers offset drift of only 1 µV/°C and gain drift of 60 ppm°C.
The Si8920 is available with ±100-mV and ±200-mV differential input options.
Prices start at $2.39 each in lots of 10,000 units. An evaluation kit, the Si8920ISO-KIT, costs $29.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embedded Job Market Expands, But Boomers Feel the Squeeze
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325881&
“Urgent Need…Principal Embedded Software Engineer Job Details … 10-15% Bonus, 401k Match, Tuition, 3 Weeks PTO.”
By almost any measure, the job market appears to be looking very good right now for embedded engineers.
The economy is getting stronger. In February, the U.S. Labor Department touted news of a net employment gain in 2014 of 2.9 million jobs. Moreover, some recruiters say that demand for embedded engineers is up around 15% compared to 2013, possibly a reason for the panicky wording in some job postings like the online listing above.
“As the economy stabilizes, companies are feeling an urgency to hire engineers to jump-start projects that were previously postponed,” said Henry Wintz, Solutions Manager for the Embedded Industry Practice at Randstad Technologies, an engineering and employment hiring services firm.
Most sought after candidates? Engineers with both software and hardware experience. There’s also a strong call for engineers with embedded Linux experience, and Wintz said that every engineer should have an object oriented language–embedded C, C++, Java, or the like–in his or her back pocket.
According to the global outplacement and career transition firm’s 2014 Tech Cut Report, large tech companies earned many of the top spots: Microsoft laid off 18,000 workers in 2014; Hewlett Packard shed 16,000. The Canadian aerospace company Bombardier handed out 3,500 pink slips in 2014. It announced in January that it would lay off another 1,000 workers in 2015. TI, Intel, and IBM all have had layoffs in the past year.
“I don’t think that the layoffs are targeting engineers specifically, although certainly it has affected them,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Measuring Power-Supply Efficiency: Easy, Except it’s Not
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327634&
Supply efficiency is a parameter which is at the top of everyone’s list, but subtleties in test arrangement can make getting a reliable value more difficult than it may seem.
Power-supply efficiency is a “hot” topic these days, whether it’s an AC/DC or DC/DC unit (sorry about that unavoidable pun). Everyone is concerned about it for reasons related to issues of one or more factors of run time, thermal load, operating cost, or regulatory mandates.
Of course, talking about it is one thing, but measuring it and doing it properly is another. In the “old days” when efficiencies were in the range of 40 to 80%, a measurement error of a few percentage points might not be a serious problem. As efficiencies are, however, now in the 85% to 90%+ zone and every percentage point increase is judged as critical, any inadvertent or unintentional errors in the test set-up or execution can be a major concern.
A recent blog post by Josh Mandelcorn at Texas Instruments’ Power House site clearly showed how easy it is to allow apparently inconsequential or overlooked issues to seriously affect the validity of the results.
http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/powerhouse/archive/2015/06/15/measuring-power-supply-efficiency
Tomi Engdahl says:
Post-Silicon Tech Compared
SRC funds next-gen benchmarking
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327650&
The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) has already funded the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) and the Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research Network (STARnet), which are developing post-silicon next-generation technologies to be shared by IBM, Intel, Micron, and Texas Instruments. Now SRC has added a 2-1/2 year effort that combines and extends benchmarks at both NRI and STARnet to measure progress and compare the advantages and disadvantages of all the alternative approaches. The benchmark suite effort will be led by the Georgia Institute of Technology’s professor Azad Naeemi.
“We are looking at all alternative emerging devices that augment and complement complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) and field-effect transistors (FETs),” Naeemi told EE Times. “Silicon has reached its scaling limit, therefore a global search is ongoing for alternative computing elements to complement the existing silicon infrastructure. Our research will compare all these options, their advantages, limitations and bottlenecks. And in fact, it may not be a single technology that dominates the future, but different device types might work well in different applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Investment turnaround?
We have discussed in the past how classical US venture capital firms had largely moved on from the semiconductor domain on the grounds that investment was too risky, too slow and exits offered poor returns. The VC preference moved to the sunnier climes of software and internet commerce investments. As a result electronics and semiconductor funding had largely fallen on the shoulders of so-called strategic investors, the likes of Intel Capital, Qualcomm Ventures and other technology companies with investment groups. These are also often system companies that have additional reasons for wishing to see technological progress besides the simple desire to make money.
However, there are some indications that venture capital may be swinging back to semiconductors but in a more focused and system-oriented way. And of course capital will flow to seek any advantage it can, so that where government subsidy is available the leverage of that capital is improved.
The average age of startups in the Silicon 60 is about 5 years with 33 formed in that year or earlier and 27 founded in 2011 or later.
Source: http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327639&page_number=2
Slideshow
EE Times Silicon 60: 2015′s Startups to Watch
Version 16.1 of Silicon 60
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327633&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ensure closure with proper latch constraints
http://www.edn.com/design/integrated-circuit-design/4440286/Ensure-closure-with-proper-latch-constraints?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150908&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150908&elq=3e2894a10e914a628916ec431f15c72e&elqCampaignId=24673&elqaid=27950&elqat=1&elqTrackId=7ab5ffa9b1ad4a318dc988060e2a5ccd
Latches constitute an important part of present-day SoCs consisting of a number of clock domains with different functional sources. With the widespread use of latches as lockup elements, it has been possible to stitch together all these clock domains in a single scan-shift setup for testing purposes. Lockup elements help us get rid of timing problems arising due to either uncontrolled clock skew, uncommon clock paths, or both. In addition, latches are also used functionally for speed enhancement in architectures such as processors and memory wrappers when there is uneven data distribution between consecutive sequential elements of the design.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exponential Growth In Linear Time: The End Of Moore’s Law
http://hackaday.com/2015/09/09/exponential-growth-in-linear-time-the-end-of-moores-law/
Moore’s Law states the number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double about every two years. This law, coined by Intel and Fairchild founder [Gordon Moore] has been a truism since it’s introduction in 1965. Since the introduction of the Intel 4004 in 1971, to the Pentiums of 1993, and the Skylake processors introduced last month, the law has mostly held true.
The law, however, promises exponential growth in linear time. This is a promise that is ultimately unsustainable.
In 2011, the Committee on Sustaining Growth in Computing Performance of the National Research Council released the report, The Future of Computing Performance: Game Over or Next Level? This report provides an overview of computing performance from the first microprocessors to the latest processors of the day.
Although Moore’s Law applies only to transistors on a chip, this measure aligns very well with other measures of the performance of integrated circuits. Introduced in 1971, Intel’s 4004 has a maximum clock frequency of about 700 kilohertz.
Motorola 6800 processors, introduced in 1974, ran at 1MHz. In 1976, RCA introduced the 1802, capable of 5MHz. In 1979, the Motorola 68000 was introduced, with speed grades of 4, 6, and 8MHz. Shortly after Intel released the 286 in 1982, the speed was quickly scaled to 12.5 MHz.
There was never any question Moore’s Law would end. No one now, or when the law was first penned in 1965, would assume exponential growth could last forever. Whether this exponential growth would apply to transistors, or in [Kurzweil] and other futurists’ interpretation of general computing power was never a question; exponential growth can not continue indefinitely in linear time.
Even before 2011, when The Future of Computing Performance was published, the high-performance semiconductor companies started gearing up for the end of Moore’s Law. It’s no coincidence that the first multi-core chips made an appearance around the same time TDP, performance, and clock speed took the hard turn to the right seen in the graphs above.
A slowing of Moore’s Law would also be seen in the semiconductor business
While the future of Moore’s Law will see the introduction of exotic substrates such as indium gallium arsenide replacing silicon, this much is clear: Moore’s Law is broken, and it has been for a decade. It’s no longer possible for transistor densities to double every two years, and the products of these increased densities – performance and clock speed – will remain relatively stagnant compared to their exponential rise in the 80s and 90s.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe Hangs On To Lead In Auto Chip Buying
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327643&
The Asia Pacific region excluding Japan will dominate chip buying in all the major application sectors in 2015 with two exceptions, automotive and defense, according to IC Insights.
Europe will remain to the largest automotive chip buyer in 2015 but Asia Pacific is catching up fast, according to the market researcher. The Americas region will spend more than twice as much on chips for government and military applications as any other region, IC Insights forecasts.
IC Insights expects the Asia-Pacific region to overtake Europe in that segment in 2016 as China continues to account for a large and growing portion of car production.
Asia-Pacific’s grip as the dominant market for IC sales is forecast to strengthen in 2015 with the region expected to account for 58.9% of a $295.0 billion IC market in 2015. This represents a 0.5 percentage point increase over 2014.
Over the period 2012 to 2018 it will be the industrial and communication segments that will display the highest growth with CAGRs of 9.1% and 8.2% respectively. The automotive IC market is forecast to a CAGR of 6.1 percent over the same time period.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dual supply packs boost and inverting charge pumps
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440295/Dual-supply-packs-boost-and-inverting-charge-pumps?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150909&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150909&elq=d19ab76f8ebb4296853ab580093321c6&elqCampaignId=24702&elqaid=27993&elqat=1&elqTrackId=aee63fe466d34a5aa33c7bcbcfe7fd5f
The LTC3265 dual-output supply IC from Linear Technology is intended for applications that require low-noise bipolar supplies from a single high-voltage input, such as industrial/instrumentation low-noise bias generators, portable medical equipment, and automotive infotainment systems. Housed in TSSOP and DFN packages, the IC integrates a boost doubling charge pump, an inverting charge pump, and two low-noise positive and negative LDO post regulators. Each LDO regulator provides up to 50 mA of output current.
The boost charge pump has a wide 4.5-V to 16-V input range and powers the positive LDO post regulator from its output.
Both the positive and negative LDO regulators source up to 50 mA with 100 µVRMS of output noise. Their output voltages can be independently adjusted from ±1.2 V to ±32 V using external resistor dividers to generate symmetric or asymmetric output supply rails.
Tomi Engdahl says:
PCB laminates influence high-speed data rates
http://www.edn.com/design/systems-design/4440303/PCB-laminates-influence-high-speed-data-rates?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150909&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150909&elq=d19ab76f8ebb4296853ab580093321c6&elqCampaignId=24702&elqaid=27993&elqat=1&elqTrackId=264161d70754438d9c04dd391157c60f
The good news is that the latest versions of ICs make it possible to send data over differential pairs in PCBs at rates as high as 32Gb/S (and higher). The bad news or, perhaps more accurately, the gauntlet that has been thrown down to the industry is that at these speeds, very small variations in the laminates used to fabricate PCBs can destroy a data path if care is not taken in how these paths are designed and manufactured. And, one of the variations that destroys data links in a path is skew.
Starting with the basics of the problem, skew is the misalignment of the two signal edges of a differential pair as they arrive at the terminals of the differential receiver. The outcome of skew is pretty straight forward. When the aforementioned misalignment is bad enough, the links in the data paths may no longer work.
In both instances, the contributors to skew are a result of the glass weaves used in PCB laminates. Specifically:
Differences in path lengths as large as 37 pS have been measured over a 14 inch path created by the lack of uniformity of the glass weaves in laminates. (This is more than one bit period at 28Gb/S.)
Differences in the velocity of differential signaling pairs occur when one side of the pair travels over the resin while the other side travels over glass in a PCB laminate. The side that travels over the resin will travel much faster.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gordon Mah Ung / PCWorld:
AMD separates CPU and GPU units, restructures its graphics division as Radeon Technologies Group led by Raja Koduri
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2981813/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 IoT-Based Myths about Analog Electronics
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327657&
http://www.planetanalog.com/author.asp?section_id=3065&doc_id=564039&&hootPostID=eb63d949093bfa2f625200534d7bc254
Look to the right of you. Now look to the left. Only 4 percent of current IoT proposals will actually be of use once they come to fruition.
The hype surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT) has been nothing short of monumental. The reality is that, by some estimates, only 4 percent of current IoT proposals will actually be of use once they come to fruition. Despite this disparity, the electronics industry is excited about those few products that will succeed and in turn be profitable.
The corollary concept of the IoT and what will make it successful, however, is still deeply rooted in a host of misinformation that has many believing certain design applications are on their way out the door. One such application is analog.
A common understanding among many enthusiasts is that everything under the IoT will be dominated by digitally interconnected devices that thrive on both local and group intelligence. For this reason, most believe the future of the IoT will be binary and not analog, and some have even called into question the capabilities of the latter. The fact of the matter is analog is ideally positioned to help accelerate the number of successful IoT devices beyond 4 percent.
Below are three IoT-based myths about analog, dispelled:
Myth 1: All IoT sensors will transmit their information directly as digital data
We live in the real world, not a digital simulation of it. At the most basic level, all electronics are analog; digital is just a faster version of analog.
So long as there is a need for analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog interfaces, there will always be a need for analog electronics and data.
Myth 2: Any analog signals will be filtered by digital signal processors (DSPs)
Microprocessors with on-board operational amplifiers, pulse-width modulation (PWM) generators and mixed-signal electronics are actually experiencing a sharp growth curve, contrary to this commonly-accepted myth. There still exists a significant trust barrier among engineers when it comes to digital power suppliers. Many do not feel comfortable working on designs that resist empirical analysis.
Electronics engineers want to be able to look at a circuit schematic and determine how it’s supposed to work using performance specifications within the accompanying datasheet. If the circuit doesn’t work, they want to be able to troubleshoot it. As soon as digital processing or control enters the mix, the logical link between input and output is lost, hidden in some cryptic part of the coding that can otherwise be avoided with analog.
Myth 3: Analog power suppliers will be exchanged for digital power supplies that can adapt to loads
This is perhaps the most widely accepted analog myth of the three. Certainly, digitally-controlled power modules may be an effective strategy for higher power units with higher expectations for efficiency, and in situations where non-digital control cannot achieve a high power factor or fast response rate for dynamic loads. All power suppliers have performance requirements that stem from analog-based interactions – be it cabling inductance, unwanted cross coupling between components, stray leakage capacitances or even complex, layered EMC interference signals that many digital simulations do not or cannot take into consideration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How do I know if my simulation correlates to reality?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/eye-on-standards/4440296/How-do-I-know-if-my-simulation-correlates-to-reality-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150910&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150910&elq=8db044d5f5e34b4d8843a425d9f4b043&elqCampaignId=24728&elqaid=28024&elqat=1&elqTrackId=19259febfb8a494d91947409c4df5d8f
The attention the major test and measurement companies paid to comparison of simulation and measurement caught my attention at this year’s PCI-SIG (Peripheral Component Interface-Special Interest Group) DevCon. Both Keysight and Tektronix focused their entire press briefings on the topic.
So I asked around.
As simulation has become recognized as the better, cheaper, faster way to design PCBs and circuits, its accuracy has become an ever more important question. The question is usually phrased: “How do I know if my simulation correlates to reality?”
Never one to mince words, Al Neves, Chief Technologist at Wild River Technology, suggests, “Don’t trust the EDA [electronic design automation] tool, all of them have issues and user problems.”
A measurement-simulation comparison should put the simulation on trial, not the test setup and not the analysis implementation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Introducing the world’s first 28nm semiconductor for space
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/out-of-this-world-design/4440307/Introducing-the-world-s-first-28nm-semiconductor-for-space?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150910&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150910&elq=8db044d5f5e34b4d8843a425d9f4b043&elqCampaignId=24728&elqaid=28024&elqat=1&elqTrackId=7c6917794a5b4743bfb130beddb0187d
Altera’s plan to offer a 28 nm COTS FPGA for space applications will be a ‘giant leap’ for our industry. The 5SGXMA7H2F35C2 device from the Stratix V family will offer satellite and spacecraft manufacturers the highest levels of performance together with low power consumption at an affordable price.
The specification of the 5SGXMA7H2F35C2, its range of logic resources and innovative fabric design, exceeds by several generations the speed, bandwidth, and power advantages of current space-grade ASIC technology. For the first time, space users will be able to avail of ultra-deep-submicron performance without having to pay large, up-front NRE costs.
The specification of the 5SGXMA7H2F35C2 will allow operators to offer many new types of satellite services enabling tomorrow’s space-based economy. Its 14.1 Gbps serial links will directly interface to the next generation of high-speed JESD204B ADCs/DACs offering larger instantaneous bandwidths and greater throughputs of data. This capability will enable more recent applications for space such as VPX, RapidIO, SpaceFibre, and improved TT&C. The FPGA offers 622k logic elements, 939k registers, 50 Mb of internal storage, and sub-GHz I/O speeds.
The 5SGXMA7H2F35C2 will enable the next generation of missions for the space industry, supporting the development of large- and small-satellite technology, payloads, platforms, spacecraft avionics, launchers, and scientific instruments.
Compared to current space-grade FPGAs, the 5SGXMA7H2F35C2 offers the highest levels of performance in terms of bandwidth and processing throughput, the most extensive range of logic resources, low static, and dynamic power consumption, fully-representative prototyping, intrinsic total-dose and latch-up immunity, robust SEE mitigation of configuration and user memories, SEU fault injection and a SEFI characterization capability to achieve the lowest, soft-error rates for the highest-reliability missions.
Continued CMOS scaling has resulted in lower core voltages that have dramatically reduced the dynamic power consumption of commercial, ultra deep-submicron FPGAs. Advances by Altera at the process level, as well as architectural innovations within the fabric, have prevented corresponding increases in static power. The 5SGXMA7H2F35C2 requires a core voltage of 0.85V, which has significantly lowered dissipation (α V2) as well as leakage currents (α V3).
Tomi Engdahl says:
As industrial system complexity increases, FPGAs offer the ability to integrate an entire system on a chip (SoC), at a lower cost compared to discrete MCU, DSP, ASSP, or ASIC solutions. This paper describes using an Altera industrial-grade FPGA as a coprocessor or SoC to bring flexibility to industrial applications. Providing a single, highly integrated platform for multiple industrial product
Source: http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4213464/Five-Ways-to-Build-Flexibility-into-Industrial-Apps
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSMC Reports August Sales Drop
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327673&
TSMC has reported that its net revenues for August 2015 were down both sequentially and on a year-on-year basis.
Leading semiconductor foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Hsinchu, Taiwan) has reported that its net revenues for August 2015 were approximately NT$67.04 billion (about $2.06 billion), a decrease of 17.2 percent from July 2015 and a decline of 3.2 percent compared with August 2014.
United Microelectronics Corp. (Hsinchu, Taiwan), a smaller foundry, reported August sales up year-on-year by 6.8 percent to NT$12.19 billion (about $375 million).
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Most Under-rated FPGA Design Tool Ever
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327664&
There is a design tool that is being quietly adopted by FPGA engineers because, in many cases, it produces results that are better than hand-coded counterparts.
FPGAs keep getting larger, the designs more complex, and the need for high level design (HLD) flows never seems to go away. C-based design for FPGAs has been promoted for over two decades and several such tools are currently on the market. Model-based design has also been around for a long time from multiple vendors. OpenCL for FPGAs has been getting lots of press in the last couple of years. Yet, despite all of this, 90+% of FPGA designs continue to be built using traditional Verilog or VHDL.
No one can deny the need for HLD. New FPGAs contain over 1 million logic elements, with thousands of hardened DSP and memory blocks. Some vendor’s devices can even support floating-point as efficiently as fixed-point arithmetic. Data convertor and interface protocols routinely run at multiple GSPS (giga samples per second), requiring highly parallel or vectorized processing. Timing closure, simulation, and verification become ever-more time-consuming as design sizes grow. But HLD adoption still lags, and FPGAs are primarily programmed by hardware-centric engineers using traditional hardware description languages (HDLs).
The primary reason for this is quality of results (QoR). All high-level design tools have two key challenges to overcome. One is to translate the designer’s intent into implementation when the design is described in a high-level format. This is especially difficult when software programming languages are used (C++, MATLAB, or others), which are inherently serial in nature. It is then up to the compiler to decide by how much and where to parallelize the hardware implementation. This can be aided by adding special intrinsics into the design language, but this defeats the purpose. OpenCL addresses this by having the programmer describe serial dependencies in the datapath, which is why OpenCL is often used for programming GPUs. It is then up to the OpenCL compiler to decide how to balance parallelism against throughput in the implementation. However, OpenCL programming is not exactly a common skillset in the industry.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Inks Monitor Glucose
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327666&
Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) are working toward a holy grail of sensor technology – non-invasive glucose testing. A team at the university’s Jacobs School of Engineering developed bio-compatible inks that react with several chemicals, including glucose, to create temporary sensors.
Glucose monitoring has become a favorite project among sensor and biotech researchers as the number of Type 2 diabetes diagnoses doubled between 1980 and 2011. San Francisco NPR affiliate KQED reported that the glucose self-monitoring market is currently worth $8 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
US military funds Mission Impossible ‘vanishing’ tech
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26082700
The US military is funding a project to develop electronics that can self-destruct like the secret messages in the Mission Impossible TV show.
Darpa, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has awarded computing giant IBM a $3.5m (£2.1m) contract to work on its Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) project.
It is looking to develop a class of “transient” electronics that can be destroyed by remote control.
The kit could be used in combat zones.
IBM’s proposal involves the use of a radio frequency trigger that could shatter a glass coating on a silicon chip and turn it into powder.
“A trigger, such as a fuse or a reactive metal layer will be used to initiate shattering, in at least one location, on the glass substrate,” the US government said in its grant award notice.
Darpa wants to develop large distributed networks of sensors that can collect and transmit data for a limited period and then be destroyed instantly to prevent them falling into enemy hands.
VAPR tech could also have applications in medical diagnosis and treatment, Darpa believes, if sensors can be developed that the body can reabsorb.
Why we should design a computer chips to self-destruct
http://www.themarketbusiness.com/2015-09-13-why-we-should-design-a-computer-chips-to-self-destruct
Xerox Parc’s new chip isn’t quite on store shelves yet. It doesn’t really even do much. But as a proof of DARPA-funded concept, it has one gigantic advantage that could help security-minded computer users and paranoid Mr. Robot fans: it can self destruct.
Made out of materials similar to smartphone display glass, modified to already have minute stress fractures. A circuit was laid throughout the surface, and a laser activated transistor placed at the bottom. Once the laser was shined, it created a cascading effect, including pieces that continued to shatter into smaller pieces until all that was left was irrecoverable fragments.
It could be used as a storage method for security fobs, encrypted passwords, and more. In the event of a data breach, storage fabricated on the chip could be destroyed within seconds, making the data physically irretrievable. Conversely, it could make for a great hackathon for people to figure out how to break into a system and shatter the chips (supposing a triggering element is installed internally) in order to either further strengthen the security, or just to be a butthead.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Each smart phone has a camera, but it is not enough. Soon, every new vehicle is equipped with multiple cameras. This bodes well for a camera module manufacturers. In 2020, the cameras are sold globally to 51 billion dollars.
Yole Développement, the modules market will grow 2.5-fold over the next five years. In 2020, for example, cameras, lenses sold 7.5 billion dollars, a CMOS-based image sensors 15.5 billion and prepared modules of 22.5 billion dollars.
According to Yole the automotive industry over the next year will be the second largest beneficiary of the cameras after the mobile phone manufacturers.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3317:kameroita-51-miljardilla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
4K Video Drives Up LPDDR4 Densities
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327677&
Samsung is now producing what the company said is the industry’s first 12Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM using its 20-nm process technology.
“It’s interesting that Samsung used the LPDDR4 to introduce the next density,” observed Objective Analysis principal analyst Jim Handy in an email interview with EE Times. “Companies usually start with a higher-density standard DRAM, then chop it down to make one of these ‘between sizes’ of LPDDR. This time Samsung reversed that approach.”
He said a higher-density chip also means devices can reduce their chip count, and that means that the battery will last longer. “That should make this chip pretty popular.”
There are a few reasons Samsung opted to go the LPDDR4 route first with this density, and although extending battery power is important, it’s not at the top of the list
He said the flagship smartphones that are launching today are now processing 4K video, which is demanding more powerful memory. At the same time, users are expecting a slimmer phones with long battery life. “With PCs and servers you have a lot more room to play with,” he said. “High density die is more important in mobile.”
Most video today is 30 frames-per-second, noted Lum, in the near future we could see 60fps, which would put additional pressure on memory.
LPDDR4 does make sense for a great deal of other devices because of its low power consumption but not all of them need the density of Samsung’s latest chip. Lum said smartwatches don’t require it yet, but their needs will increase as they become even smarter. Similarly, LPDDR4 makes a lot of sense for Internet of Things devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Freescale Buys CogniVue
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327663&
Freescale Semiconductor announced Thursday (Sept. 10) the acquisition of CogniVue Corp., an image cognition IP developer based in Ottawa, Canada.
CogniVue over the last four years has played a critical role in Freescale’s advanced driver assistance system SoC solutions as a key vision IP partner.
By bringing CogniVue’s IP and its development team in-house, Freescale hopes to lead the safety-critical ADAS and eventually autonomous car market with its own IP — developed from the very start as “automotive qualified.”
The company also stressed that the CogniVue acquisition isn’t about investing in revenue but rather investing in R&D.
Changing vision IP requirements
Among many players working on computer vision solutions — everyone from Nvidia and Intel to Google, Texas Instruments and Freescale, Jim McGregor, principal at Tirias Research, told EE Times that Mobileye is the most established and well entrenched company. “It’s because they offer a complete solution from the silicon to the system to the database of information.”
Asked about the difference, McGregor said, “Mobileye has the most extensive database in the industry for ADAS applications.” But he said, “The CogniVue platform, according to Freescale, is more open because it is developed using OpenCL.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Software Regulates Voltage in Everyday APUs
Could make embedded systems cheaper
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327678&
Researchers from North Carolina State University (NCSU, Raleigh) say they have created software that manages all voltage regulation in an embedded system solely on the applications processor unit (APU), without resorting to expensive smart switch-mode power supplies (SMPSes) with their own microcontroller or application processors with higher-speeds than necessary just to ensure proper performance.
Today embedded systems use a dedicated microcontroller—or an excessively fast applications processor—to guarantee that supply voltage changes properly for under- and over-clocking. Using an interrupt-driven software on the APU, the researchers claim to have increased reliability at a reduced bill-of-materials (BOM) along with lower power consumption—90 to 95 percent efficiency with component costs of under 50 cents—according to professors Alexander Dean and Subhashish Bhattacharya at the North Carolina State University (NCSU, Raleigh) and Avik Juneja, now a power management architect at Intel Corp. (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSMC Wins All Apple’s A10 Chip Business, Report Says
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327681&
TSMC will make all of the microprocessors for the iPhone 7 that is due to debut in 2016 using its 16nm FinFET manufacturing process, according to a Chinese language report.
Taiwan’s Commercial Times referenced unnamed people in Apple’s supply chain as sources for the story.
This would represent a rejection for Samsung and Globalfoundries – its partner in 14nm FinFET manufacturing. Samsung is thought to have a 50 percent share of production of the current processor, the A9 which is shipping in the recently launched iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It would also be a bounce back into Apple’s favor for TSMC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Protecting Your Electronic Product from Copying
http://www.eeweb.com/blog/eeweb/protecting-your-electronic-product-from-copying1
We have all heard about pirated copies of electronic products. One company started to notice a larger number of returns on a particular Internet router. Upon further investigation, it found the returns were a poor copy of its product but still they kept coming in; same box, same product and same literature. Even though the company took the blame from unsatisfied customers and initiated a serial number return policy, the damage to its reputation was done. The question is: how can a company protect itself from those who attempt to copy products?
One strategy is to use available technologies to make a product hard to copy. Most pirates do not want to spend the money to redesign a product if it costs too much. They want to make quick money by doing an easy reverse engineering job and then make a few hundred thousand cheap knockoffs. By making it difficult to copy a design you can increase the thieves’ cost and reduce their potential to make money. Time is their enemy.
The first step in slowing down the possible theft of your product, is to customize the printed circuit board (PCB).
On the board assembly side, it may be possible to slow down pirates by adding a tamper-proof coating to both sides of the most important chip areas. A good tamper-proof coating will be dense enough to stop x-ray examination, i.e. contain tungsten carbide ceramic nano-particles. It should also be hard enough to deter easily picking it away and be opaque enough to stop easy tracing of the PCB tracks.
To add additional speed bumps to the pirates’ progress, further techniques can be used. For example, you can have a series of resistors and capacitors made that display the wrong value. These have been used on special protected government products
This same remarking can be done to chips and other big parts. Remove the original marking by rubbing it with sandpaper and re-mark with a different common part number but with an extra 1 or 2 after the part number. That way, your internal parts system will recognize it as the correct part but the thief does not. If your design uses a common chip, remove the manufactures marking and re-stamp it with an uncommon chip number. This is easy to do with a white ink pad small rubber stamp.
Many companies can make PCBs with embedded components such as resistors and even capacitors. There are companies who will either embed 0201 components inside the multilayer or put them in film resistors.
One military agency used many tricks when an extremely secure product was required. It would have taken someone years to reverse engineer the circuit boards. The circuit boards had fake traces, hidden micro-sized wire bond wires over the chip and then tamper-proof coatings. When someone would grind off the coating, they cut the near invisible 10 micron wires, which added difficulty in tracing the signal direction. They had mislabeled parts and even had fake chips, which did nothing but add to the confusion. The PCBs sometimes featured an on-board battery that kept the memory of the chip active, with more of the very fine wire bonding wires over embedded memory chips. If you cut into or damaged the tamper-proof coating, it erased the chip program memory.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intersil Buys Great Wall Semi to Boost Power MOSFET Expertise
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327685&
Intersil, based in Milpitas, California, is to acquire Great Wall Semiconductor (GWS, Tempe, Arizona), a private technology company developing state-of-the-art power MOSFET technology for cloud computing, space and consumer applications. Lateral power MOSFET expertise and IP is particularly cited.
Intersil comments that GWS’s design team brings valuable experience in advanced design and process technology to enable power efficiency gains and footprint reduction in complex power systems. GWS’s existing and emerging FET products in combination with Intersil’s power controller portfolio, are expected to expand Intersil’s addressable market and provide compelling integration opportunities to accelerate innovation in the development of next generation power stages.
“This small but experienced team will be a great asset as we continue to expand our power management capabilities,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Silicon 60 v16.1: A Tale of Two Cs
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327639&
This year’s Silicon 60 list proves there’s no shortage of entrepreneurs and university graduates with bright ideas.
The number of startup companies that have appeared on the EE Times Silicon 60 list of emerging technology companies during its existence since 2004 has risen to more than 370. That includes the 30 startups brought on to the latest iteration — version 16.1.