Chip Market Brightens in 2017. The semiconductor industry may yet have been flat in 2016, but expects it is expected that the electronics industry rebounds in 2017, probably in the first half. Wall Streeter predicts return to 5% growth. Total IC business growth is expected to be around five percents for few years to come.There seems to several promises to this direction, especially in memory business. Chips Execs See Maturing Industry article says that pessimism about immediate revenue and R&D growth is a sign of a maturing industry.
Thanks to both rising prices and volume sales, the memory sector is expected to lead overall semiconductor sales growth. Sales of memory chips will increase 10% next year to a new record high of $85.3 billion, according to the latest report from IC Insights. NAND flash will grow almost as fast at 10% next year. The average annual growth rate for the memory market is forecast to be 7.3% from 2016-2021. Every year we need 5.6% more bits than previous year, and the unit prices are increasing on both DRAM and Flash.
There will be also other growth sectors. The data center will be the fastest growth segment next year, rising 10%, followed by automotive at 9% and communications at 7%. Consumer and industrial markets growing at about 4% in line with the overall industry. PCs will be the big drag on 2017, declining 2%.
China Dominates Planned Chip Fabs as more than 40% of front end semiconductor fabs scheduled to begin operation between 2017 and 2020 are in China, a clear indication that China’s long-stated ambition to build a significant domestic semiconductor industry is taking shape.
Trump Win Could Mean Big Questions for Manufacturing as while Trump vowed to keep American manufacturing jobs, he offered little in the way of stated policy other than the promise to punish companies that sent manufacturing job outside the US. Questions about trade also could directly affect US manufacturing. How that plays out is a big unknown.
Europe will try to advance chip manufacturing, but not much results in 2017 as currently there is almost no leading-edge digital chip manufacturing left in Europe as the local companies have embraced outsourcing of digital semiconductor manufacturing to foundries. The European Commission intends to reconvene a high-level group of European CEOs and executives to exchange views on Europe’s 10/100/20 nanoelectronics and chip manufacturing project and make adjustments as necessary for a wave of European Union investment supposedly starting in 2020. The two most advanced wafer fab locations left in Europe in terms of deep sub-micron miniaturization belong to Intel in Leixlip, Ireland and Globalfoundries in Dresden, Germany.
Smaller geometries are to be taken into use and researched in 2017. Several chipmakers ramp up their 10nm finFET processes, with 7nm just around the corner. As TSMC, GF/Samsung Battle at 7nm the net result is in the course of 18 months chip designers will see at least three variants of 7nm — separate immersion variants from TSMC and Globalfoundries and the EUV version from GF/Samsung. Intel has yet to detail its 7nm node.
At the same time R&D has begun for 5nm and beyond, but Uncertainty Grows For 5nm, 3nm as costs are skyrocketing. Both 5nm and 3nm present a multitude of unknowns and challenges. To put this in perspective, there are roughly two silicon atoms in 1nm of line width in a chip. Etching Technology Advances as atomic layer etch (ALE) moves to the forefront of chip-making technology—finally. TSMC recently announced plans to build a new fab in Taiwan at a cost of $15.7 billion targeted for TSMC’s 5nm and 3nm processes, which are due out in 2020 and 2022.
Moore’s Law continues to slow as process complexities and costs escalate at each node. Moore’s Law is dead, just not in the way everyone thinks. SiFive believes open source hardware is the way forward for the semiconductor industry. Technological advances keep allowing chips to scale, but the economics are another story – particularly for smaller companies that can’t afford chips in the volumes. The solution, according to San Francisco-based startup, SiFive, is open-source hardware, specifically an architecture developed by the company’s founders called RISC-V (pronounced “risk-five”). Done right SiFive, which was awarded Startup of the Year at the 2016 Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards, believes that RISC-V will do for the hardware industry what Linux has done for software. For example 5th RISC-V Workshop Points to Growing Interest in the RISC-V Platform.
Sensors are hot in 2017. These tiny, powerful solutions are creating the interface between the analog and the digital world. Data is everywhere, and sensors are at the very heart of that. While no one really knows what technology’s next “killer application” will be, we are confident that any killer app will rely on sensors.Appliance autonomy promises to make life simpler, but this field has still lots of to improve even after year 2017.
Interface ICs will continue to help simplify high-bandwidth designs while making them more robust and reliable. Application areas that will benefit include automotive, communications, and industrial. Both wired and wireless interface solutions have plenty of applications.
Analog’s status is rising as more sensors and actuators are added into electronic devices, pressure is growing to more seamlessly move data seamlessly back and forth between analog and digital circuitry. IoT pushes up demand for analog content and need for communication between these two worlds will continue to grow. Analog and digital always have fit rather uncomfortably together, and that discomfort has grown as SoCs are built using smaller feature sizes. The demand for analog silicon has always existed in the embedded space, but the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) is increasing the demand for connected mixed-signal content. At 28nm and 16/14nm, standard “analog” IP includes a fair amount of digital content.
It seems that hardware designer is a disappearing resource and software is the king in 2017. It is becoming less and less relevant in what format the device is used in many applications. Card computers are standard products and are found in many different card formats that can be used in very many applications. Embedded development is changing to more and more coding. More software designers that understand some hardware are needed, but it is not easy to leap to move to the hardware to software.
The power electronics market is moving at very fast pace. Besides traditional industrial, renewable, and traction sectors, new applications such as energy-storage systems, micro-grids, and dc chargers are emerging. As the automotive world moves to electric vehicles, this creates challenges for IGBT and SiC-MOSFET ICs, and their associated gate drivers. New packages for high-voltage IGBTs and high-voltage SiC-MOSFETs are introduced.
More custom power distribution and higher voltages on data center computer systems in 2017. OpenRack and OpenCompute projects are increasing the distribution voltage inside the server itself. This approach, plus transitioning to new materials such as gallium nitride in the power-conversion systems, can reduce overall power consumption by 20% and increase server densities by 30-40%.”
Power Modules and Reference Designs will be looked at in 2017 even more than earlier in power electronics. The semiconductor and packaging technologies used in power modules have advanced considerably, and the industry is developing modules today that are denser, less expensive, and easier to use. Designers want to rely on power modules to speed up designs and optimize space using smaller, easy-to-use power modules. Module manufacturers hope that engineers will increasingly choose a module over a discrete design in many applications.
The bi-directional DC/DC converter has been around for a while, but new applications are quickly emerging which necessitate the use of this architecture in so many more systems. Battery back-up systems need bi-directional DC/DC converters. Applications today require better energy efficiency and such systems as green power with solar or wind generation, need storage so that when there is no wind or sun available the electricity flow is not interrupted.
Power supplies need to become more efficient. Both European Union’s (EU) Code of Conduct (CoC) Tier 1 and CoC Tier 2 efficiency standards are to be taken into use. The European Union’s CoC Tier 1 effectively harmonizes the EU with US DoE Level VI and became effective as a voluntary requirement from January 2014, two years ahead of Level VI. Its adoption as an EU Ecodesign rule is currently under review to become law with an implementation date of January 2017. The key difference between the CoC requirements and Level VI is the new 10% load measure, which imposes efficiency requirements under a low-load condition where historically most types of power supplies have been notoriously inefficient. CoC Tier 2 further tightens the no-load and active mode power consumption limits.
During 2016, wireless-power applications started to pick up across many fields in the semiconductor industry, and it will continue to do so. Wireless power will continue to gain traction with increased consumer demand. Hewlett Packard, Dell, jjPlus, and Witricity have already announced products based on Airfuel standards. And, products based upon the Qi standard will continue to grow at a rapid pace.
Other prediction articles:
In Power & Analog 2017 Forecast: What Experts Are Saying article representatives from major players in the semiconductor industry share their predictions for 2017 regarding power modules, wireless power, data converters, wireless sensing, and more.
Looking Ahead to 2017 article tells on to what SIA is focused on working with. “U.S. semiconductor technology should be viewed as a strategic national asset, and the Administration should take a holistic approach in adopting policies to strengthen this vital sector,” the letter says
Hot technologies: Looking ahead to 2017 article collection has EDN and EE Times editors explore some of the hot technologies in 2017 that will shape next year’s technology trends and beyond.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
How Trump’s Manufacturing Jobs Council Fell Apart
https://www.designnews.com/governmentdefense/how-trumps-manufacturing-jobs-council-fell-apart/106141356557317?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170817.tst004t
The President’s efforts to promote job growth in the US manufacturing sector are being undermined by his controversial political stances and statements.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DRAM Supply Improves Amid Record Sales
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332170&
Global DRAM sales set an all-time record of more than $16.5 billion in the second quarter even as the DRAM shortage that has gripped the electronics supply chain slackened somewhat, according to a market watcher.
DRAMeXchange, which tracks memory chip prices, said the DRAM shortage was not as severe in the second quarter as it was in the first quarter. Downstream OEM customers were able to gradually extend their DRAM inventories, according to the firm.
Still, DRAM revenue grew by nearly 17 percent and average selling prices (ASPs) for PC and server DRAM each increased by more than 10 percent sequentially during the second quarter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Runs MCU on 5 MicroW
Hot Chips to see demo of 0.25V IoT SoC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332169
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Runs MCU on 5 MicroW
Hot Chips to see demo of 0.25V IoT SoC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332169
A startup will demo at Hot Chips next week an ARM Cortex-M3 SoC doing useful work while consuming five microwatts. The Dial architecture from Eta Compute represents a new low for the annual event traditionally focused on high-performance processors.
Eta claims it can enable significantly lower power microcontrollers than are currently available using asynchronous circuits that can operate down to 0.25V. “We think we can make a dent in the way embedded systems are built,” said Paul Washkewicz, one of three co-founders and the vice president of marketing and sales at Eta.
Eta’s 90nm chip can multiplex between an A/D converter, DSP and Cortex-M3 cores while dissipating less than 50 microwatts. It has a lower power version working in silicon built in a 55nm process.
The designs aim to enable simple nodes on the Internet of Things such as Bluetooth beacons and LoRa end points running off energy harvesters such as small solar panels. The 90nm design runs the M3 core at a data rate of up to 200 kHz, powered by a solar cell with fluorescent lighting. Washkewicz argues getting rid of batteries will be useful for many kinds of IoT deployments.
Their Dial architecture uses a novel handshake to wake up circuits resting at power levels below 0.3V. It quickly turns on devices without the set up and wait times associated with synchronous circuits.
Plenty of microcontrollers support data rates as low as 100 kHz. Only a few such as startup Ambiq can support circuits running as low as 0.9V. Washkewicz claims Eta’s 0.25V technology enables a five-fold improvement in MIPS/Watt compared to today’s MCUs
Tomi Engdahl says:
Trump, Truth and American Manufacturing
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=40&doc_id=1332168&
The President’s strained credibility and controversial stance on the ugly incident in Charlottesville has imperiled potential opportunities to revitalize high-tech manufacturing in the U.S.
Donald Trump is in hot water. Again.
Trump’s hesitancy to denounce white supremacist hate groups and his steadfast refusal to squarely pin the blame squarely on them for the ugly and deadly incident in Charlottesville has drawn the ire of opponents and drawn criticism across the spectrum of society, including from close allies and supporters.
In recent days, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and several other chief executives quit the president’s manufacturing council in response to Trump’s comments on the Charlottesville incident.
Generally speaking, regardless of their personal political viewpoint, it’s in the best interest of CEOs to remain chummy with politicians in power in order to curry favor on issues of import to their firms such as tax reform and the R&D tax credit. In this case, while there is every reason to believe that Krzanich and the other CEOs who quit the council were motivated by personal revulsion to Trump’s comments, from a pragmatic perspective, The Donald left them little choice. No brand can afford to be associated with bigotry or intolerance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ruthenium Liners Give Way To Ruthenium Lines
Materials to replace copper at 5nm and beyond are starting to come into focus.
https://semiengineering.com/ruthenium-liners-give-way-to-ruthenium-lines/
For several years now, integrated circuit manufacturers have been investigating alternative barrier layer materials for copper interconnects. As interconnect dimensions shrink, the barrier accounts for an increasing fraction of the total line volume. As previously reported, both cobalt and ruthenium have drawn substantial interest because they can serve as both barrier and seed layers, minimizing the amount of high resistance material required.
As linewidths shrink below 15 nm, though, even a 1 or 2 nanometer barrier layer may be too much. As line volume shrinks, the resistance of copper rises sharply due to electron scattering from sidewalls and grain boundaries. Increasing resistance adds to overall circuit delays and also contributes to electromigration. Below 15nm, the assumption that copper is the best available conductor may no longer be true.
Imec reports significant progress in integration of ruthenium into their sub-5nm node process flows.
Deposition of cobalt, ruthenium, or any other material into sub-15nm features is extremely challenging, and has forced the industry to make extensive use of conformal deposition methods like ALD and CVD.
At this point, both the transistor and interconnect processes for the 5nm node are just beginning to emerge. It does seem likely, though, that ruthenium will be part of the way forward as the industry confronts copper’s limitations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Fabs Worry About Tool Parts
How a single O ring can affect yield, and what to do about it.
https://semiengineering.com/why-fabs-worry-about-tool-parts/
Achieving high yields with acceptable costs is becoming much more difficult as chipmakers migrate to next-generation 3D NAND and finFET devices—but not just because of rising complexity or lithography issues.
To fabricate an advanced logic chip, for example, a wafer moves from one piece of equipment to another in what amounts to 1,000 process steps or more in a fab. Any glitch with the equipment or a process step can cause defects, thereby impacting yield. The culprit may be a malfunction in seemingly insignificant parts or sub-systems in the equipment itself.
Simply put, defects introduced by process-critical components in fab equipment can impact wafer yields, according to members from SEMI’s Semiconductor Components, Instruments, and Subsystems (SCIS) Special Interest Group, an organization that represents suppliers of components and sub-systems. The issues have been known for some time, but they are expected to become more problematic as chipmakers move to 10nm/7nm and beyond, according to SCIS. The group’s members include GlobalFoundries, IM Flash, Intel, Micron, TI and Samsung as well as major fab tool and component suppliers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Growth continues in distribution
Semi-semiconductor component distributors had a good time in the spring. According to the DMASS (Distributors ‘and Manufacturers’ Association of Semiconductor Specialists), the turnover of European distributors increased again to a new record.
In April-June, distributors sold semiconductors by EUR 2.19 billion, which is 17.3 percent more than a year earlier. Sales of the first half of the year rose to EUR 4.3 billion, up 14% from last year’s level.
According to the organization, the semiconductor sales show this year to reach EUR 8 billion if it is a new record in the era of the DMASS quotation. At present, growth can be enjoyed by all market areas. In Eastern Europe, the market grew by as much as 28.3 per cent in the second quarter.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6688-kasvu-jatkuu-jakelussa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Debian is 24 years old
This is where the birthday of many platforms is celebrated this week. After the 20th anniversary of the GNOME desktop, the Debian celebrated 24 years ago. The 1993 project launched today is, for example, the basis for Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
The Linux user is estimated to be around 90-100 million in the world. Debian has always been among the most popular versions.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6687-debian-tayttaa-24-vuotta
Tomi Engdahl says:
De-Risking Design: Reducing Snafu’s When Creating Products
You can reduce design risk with sound up-front procedures that anticipate and solve potential problems.
https://www.designnews.com/design-hardware-software/de-risking-design-reducing-snafu-s-when-creating-products/31600514357039
With growing time-to-market pressures and increasingly complex systems within products, the design process has become risky. These risks show up during the process of bringing a product concept into reality. Whether it’s sole-source components that might cause supply chain issues or untested connectivity added at the end to meet competitive pressure, much can go wrong with design. You face the added risk once the product is out in the field and the market reacts to it.
Throughout the product development and design journey, day-to-day risk decisions get made: Should we add a last-minute feature at launch? Should we use multiple sources for each component? “You have to look at design the way an investor looks at a portfolio, deciding where you want to be on the risk compendium,” Jeff Hebert, VP of engineering at product development firm, Synapse, told Design News .
Many companies accept a wide range of risks along the way, pushing for shorter timelines and reduced costs. But, Murphy’s Law has a way of catching up. A last-minute feature could delay the launch or expose a bug. A single-source component could experience supply chain woes, threatening a holiday launch. “If you have all the time and money, you can be confident you will get the net results, but it will take a long time and many iterations,” said Hebert. “The question is how do you balance risk and additional cost? Hopefully you can do it in such a way there are no hard trade-offs.”
Building De-Risk into the Design Process
Avoiding the hard trade-offs and reducing the likelihood of problems due to untested technology or supply issues is a matter of implementing procedures that identify risk and mitigate as much of it as possible. Hebert calls it de-risking design. He describes it as a combination of up-front analysis and strategic testing. He noted that up-front analysis and test/validation can be done on different aspects of the product simultaneously, avoiding the time-consuming process of doing one consideration at a time. “It’s front loading — a stitch in time saves nine,” said Hebert. “You can do things in parallel. If you have two or three things that have never been tested, you can focus on them in isolation.”
Gain the Knowledge of the Product’s Technology
Do you want to add IoT connectivity to your product? Do you want to make sure that connectivity is secure? Then you need to become
“It’s not just de-risking the system but also understanding it. It’s called knowledge-based product development,” said Hebert. “This involves learning as much as you can about the technology in the product. When the technology changes, you’ll understand the space you’re playing in, so you’ll know how the design needs to be changed.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spintronic Logic Circuit Can Operate 1000x Faster Than CMOS
An engineering breakthrough at the University of Texas at Dallas could lead to computing devices that can operate as much as 1000 times faster than current processors.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/spintronic-logic-circuit-can-operate-1000x-faster-cmos/180074591957198?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170801.tst004t
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: Design
Qualcomm buys ML startup; automotive IC growth; Synopsys’ results.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-design-93/
Qualcomm expanded its AI portfolio, acquiring machine learning startup Scyfer B.V., a spinoff of the University of Amsterdam. Founded in 2013, Scyfer has consulted on object classification, defect inspection, and traffic prediction projects across a range of industries. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Automotive ICs are one of the main forces driving semiconductor growth, says market research firm IC Insights, which predicts a 48% growth in Automotive Special Purpose Logic ICs and 18% growth for Automotive Application Specific Analog ICs this year. Alongside memory, the Industrial/Other Special Purpose Logic segment is also predicted to grow faster than the overall IC market this year, at 32%. Overall, the firm predicts 16% growth for the IC market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: Manufacturing
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-manufacturing-168/
aiwan on Tuesday suffered a blackout after an accident occurred at a gas-fired plant, according to a report from Bloomberg. The outage, which lasted from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., impacted more than 6 million homes and disrupted some IC production on the island, according to the report. Taiwan’s president was criticized for the event, as the government plans to shutter the island’s nuclear plants and cut the use of coal.
Global DRAM revenue reached a new historical high in the second quarter of 2017, reports DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce. “Compared with the first quarter, the undersupply situation was not as severe, and OEM clients in the downstream were able to gradually extend their inventories,” according to the firm.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spintronic Logic Circuit Can Operate 1000x Faster Than CMOS
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/spintronic-logic-circuit-can-operate-1000x-faster-cmos/180074591957198?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170801.tst004t
An engineering breakthrough at the University of Texas at Dallas could lead to computing devices that can operate as much as 1000 times faster than current processors.
An engineering breakthrough at the University of Texas at Dallas could lead to computing devices that can operate as much as 1000 times faster than current processors. Assistant Professor Joseph S. Friedman (photo) came up with the idea, which is based on the quantum mechanical phenomena underlying spintronics, where electron spin is manipulated in addition to electron charge.
Friedman’s proposal exploits a relatively obscure property of graphene – its magnetoresistance. Friedman likens his device, in a sense, to a standard potentiometer, with the difference being that instead of moving a needle to effect a change in resistance, you simply vary a magnetic field applied to it. Among other things, this allows for electrical control without electrical connectivity.
Friedman has proposed a new type of switching device, comprised of a two-dimensional graphene nanoribbon, which is produced by slitting a carbon nanotube along a section of its length, and then running carbon nanotubes alongside it, on either side.
There are a number of differences between a device like this and more traditional CMOS logic. For starters, this device works with an input current rather than a voltage.
The central innovation here is the use of the carbon nanotubes as control wires to manipulate the graphene nanoribbon resistivity, as well as the interconnection scheme that uses the output of one device to directly drive another. Incorporating the technique of slitting the nanotubes to produce nanoribbons along their length is an exciting application of recent technological developments.
Another consideration is the fact that graphene is not an ideal transistor due to
the absence of a band gap. The proposed carbon spin logic devices get around this shortfall by taking advantage of the magnetoresistance of graphene nanoribbons.
This is exactly where the huge advantage comes in. Said Friedman, “because all the switching is based on currents rather than voltages, interacting as we’ve described, the speeds could potentially be much higher. Normally, we have to wait to charge up the resistance and capacitance (the so-called RC delay), but here it’s all electromagnetic wave propagation. We’re predicting potential Terahertz operation.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simple Signal Injector Aids Control-Loop Analysis
http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-electronics-systems/simple-signal-injector-aids-control-loop-analysis
A signal-injection circuit for control-loop analysis is flat from dc to 200 kHz, isolated from chassis ground and easily constructed with a readily available instrumentation amplifier
Network analysis is a powerful and well-established method of characterizing and optimizing a control system.[1] Unfortunately, making a successful measurement can be difficult and frustrating without the proper instrumentation. Having a good network analyzer is not enough. There must be a means for injecting a test signal into a closed loop over the frequency range of interest.
A common method of signal injection is to insert a 100-W resistor in the control loop, typically between the error amp and the plant, which is everything between the control output and the feedback input. For example, a buck converter plant consists of the sawtooth generator and comparator, the power transistor, the catch diode and the LC filter. The injection point must be between a low-impedance output and a high-impedance input. A transformer is then used to generate an ac test signal across the resistor. The reference signal is then measured at the plant input and the response is measured at the error-amplifier output.
It is very difficult to design a transformer that will provide a flat signal both at very low frequencies (< 1 Hz) and at higher frequencies (200 kHz).
Electronic injection circuits exist but are expensive, around $1000. At least one open-source design exists according to published literature[3], but it suffers from chassis grounding issues.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Look To Materials To Improve Micro-Grid Renewable Energy Storage
Liquids, molten metal elements, salt water, and chemicals are being studied as sources for new batteries.
http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-management/researchers-look-materials-improve-micro-grid-renewable-energy-storage?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20170821_ED-003_809&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12558&utm_medium=email&elq2=10c745d0a8244aadaf1f1b330b981bb7
Researchers are hard at work looking to come up with a battery technology that meets the economic and consumer needs of a rapidly growing demand for renewable energy storage of the micro-grid. Energy would come from the sun, wind, batteries, and other sources. They’re examining promising results from batteries using liquid, molten metal elements, salt-water, iron flow, zinc, lithium-air, and other chemistries to satisfy the needs of the electrical grid, according to information from Grist (www.grist.org) and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (https://energy.gov/).
High cost is a big problem, according to Eric Rohlfing, deputy director of technology for ARPA-E, a division of the Department of Energy that identifies and funds leading-edge R&D. Since it was established by former President Obama in 2009, ARPA-E has funded $85 million toward developing new batteries that can meet that goal.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microchip’s next-gen in-circuit debugger is twice as fast as its predecessor
With its speedy processor and increased RAM, the improved tool claims to be exceptionally fast and flexible
https://www.eeweb.com/blog/nicole_digiose/microchips-next-gen-in-circuit-debugger-is-twice-as-fast-as-its-predecessor
Microchip Technology just announced the MPLAB ICD 4, an in-circuit programming and debugging development tool for its PIC MCU and dsPIC digital signal controller portfolios. While it includes all the features from its predecessor, the MPLAB ICD 3 tool, the new model increases speed through a quicker processor and increased RAM.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flex Electronics Approach an Inflection
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332167&
The next five years in flexible electronics can be the most exciting we have witnessed if we can seize a bounty of opportunities and overcome remaining challenges.
Flexible electronics are made by adding layers of suitable materials onto flexible substrates. In contrast to silicon chip processing, fewer steps are needed and the temperatures are much lower
The main promise is that flexible electronics will be many times cheaper than today’s electronics. Also, we’ll be able to integrate applications directly in any material and with any form factor.
If we succeed, we will herald a new revolution, one in which we can make every object smart. From what I see in the labs, things are evolving fast and in the right direction.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DRAM Supply Improves Amid Record Sales
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332170&
Global DRAM sales set an all-time record of more than $16.5 billion in the second quarter even as the DRAM shortage that has gripped the electronics supply chain slackened somewhat, according to a market watcher.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NAND Prices Expected to Continue Rising
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332179&
Average selling prices (ASPs) for NAND flash memory chips rose b 3 to 10 percent in the second quarter and are projected to continue rising through the third quarter, according to DRAMeXchange, a market research firm that tracks memory chip pricing.
DRAMeXchange, which is a unit of Taiwan-based TrendForce, said it expects NAND suppliers to post excellent third quarter financial results thanks to slight increases in contract pricing for mobile products like universal flash storage (UFS) and eMMC and solid state drives.
A tight supply of memory chips, particularly NAND and DRAM, is lifting the broader semiconductor industry to what is expected to be the best growth year since the recession recovery year of 2010, when chip sales grew by more than 30 percent. Market research firm IC Insights Inc. forecasts that NAND sales will rise 35 percent this year compared with 2016.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WSTS Revises Chip Growth Forecast to 17%
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332177&
The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), a semiconductor firm member organization that tracks chip sales, has revised its forecast for 2017 semiconductor sales, saying it now expects growth of 17 percent compared with 2016.
WSTS joins a host of other market watchers that have revised forecasts upward as 2017 has unfolder. Thanks largely to skyrocketing prices for memory chips amidst capacity undersupply, the semiconductor industry is on pace to enjoy its largest single year growth since the recession recovery year of 2010.
WSTS bases its forecasts and sales reports on data provided by more than 50 semiconductor company members. Analysts and other market watchers generally uses WSTS data as the basis for their own forecasts.
https://www.wsts.org/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Semiconductor sales grew in the Nordic countries
Semiconductor distribution in Europe is double-digit. The Nordic market grew by 14.1 percent to EUR 184 million, says the DMASS organization in the field of semiconductor distribution.
European semiconductor sales ended at EUR 2.19 billion in the second quarter of 2017. The semiconductor industry has more signs of growth than slowdown. Growth was 17.3 percent compared with the same quarter last year.
During the first half-year dmass announced a consolidated basis of more than EUR 4.3 billion in semiconductor sales, which were 14 per cent more than in the first half of 2016.
Sales growth has come from almost every industrial sector, as the use of electronics seems to grow strongly in virtually all sectors.
Sales grew in all product groups, but the highest growth was due to memory chips (27.9 per cent) and programmable logic (27.1 per cent).
Analog circuits of the largest product group increased by 16.7 per cent. Growth was slightly slower in power electronics (13.1 percent) and optoelectronics (10.2 percent).
The Nordic market grew by 14.1 percent to EUR 184 million. Finland’s growth rate was not disclosed.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2017/08/22/puolijohdemyynti-kasvoi-pohjoismaissa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Polymer Tantalum Capacitors Toughen Up to Meet Automotive Demands
http://www.electronicdesign.com/automotive/polymer-tantalum-capacitors-toughen-meet-automotive-demands?NL=ED-004&Issue=ED-004_20170822_ED-004_677&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12573&utm_medium=email&elq2=b1c337afad0442e19e9e5816b8fd3231
New materials and manufacturing processes enable polymer tantalum capacitors to pass automotive AEC-Q200 stress tests as well as electrical tests specified by individual car manufacturers.
Today’s cars increasingly depend on electronic equipment such as infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to meet important safety standards and customer demands. Although more electronic modules are needed on-board, little, if any, extra space is available to house them, so smaller and more space-efficient modules are always sought after.
As far as ICs are concerned, Moore’s law reductions in process geometry and the evolution of application-specific devices assist miniaturization by reducing the size and number of components on circuit boards. On the other hand, miniaturizing the many passive components, such as the capacitors needed on power-supply lines or at dc-dc converter inputs/outputs, is a tougher challenge.
Polymer Tantalum vs. Aluminum Electrolytics
Traditionally, ceramic or aluminum-electrolytic capacitors have been used for tasks like decoupling and power-supply filtering. Tantalum-electrolytic capacitors are known to have higher volumetric efficiency, and could enable the circuitry to be made smaller. Of the types that are available, polymer tantalum capacitors built with a tantalum anode, tantalum-pentoxide (Ta2O5) dielectric, and a cathode made from a conductive polymer hold several advantages over traditional tantalum capacitors featuring a manganese-dioxide (MnO2) cathode.
The automotive industry has not been able to take advantage of polymer tantalum’s capabilities—until now. Research by KEMET led to the development of its T598 series of polymer tantalum devices, which are designed to meet the strict needs of the automotive market
The advantages of polymer tantalum capacitors include a benign short-circuit failure mode and lower equivalent series resistance (ESR).
Addressing Automotive AEC-Q200 Environmental Tests
Polymer tantalum capacitors have become popular compact and efficient solutions for circuits such as high-performance dc converters in laptops and tablets, or power supplies in telecom switches and server rooms. However, several factors have prevented their use in attempts to miniaturize automotive power converters. When subjected to tests specified by the AEC-Q200 automotive quality standard, polymer tantalum capacitors are unable to pass the high-temperature exposure, humidity, and operational-life tests.
Regarding the high-temperature tests at 125°C, prior knowledge of conductive-polymer behavior when exposed to air at elevated temperatures suggests that degradation is due to diffusion of oxygen through the capacitor’s epoxy encapsulation and at the interfaces between the leadframe and the epoxy. The resulting oxidation reduces the conductivity of the polymer layer, increasing the capacitor’s ESR and dissipation factor (DF).
The humidity tests are performed at 85°C/85% RH (relative humidity) with dc bias applied up to the rated voltage for 1000 hours. It’s worth noting that other industries such as telecommunications are also starting to request 85°C/85% RH qualification
The humidity test led to increased leakage current, mainly because of moisture adsorption in the capacitor’s encapsulation and cathode layers. Water adsorption is known to occur in polymeric materials at high levels of humidity, and elevated temperatures accelerate the process.
KEMET leveraged its expertise in tantalum-capacitor technology to develop a polymer capacitor capable of passing AEC-Q200 qualification tests
The key advance is a new moisture protection layer that exploits patented, proprietary technologies.
Passing Manufacturer’s Electrical Tests
In addition to the AEC-Q200 tests, capacitors must also pass electrical tests, such as load-dump tests, to be approved for use in automotive modules. Load-dump tests simulate the overvoltage transients that can occur after sudden disconnection of the vehicle battery while the alternator is generating charging current and other loads are connected to the alternator circuit. Sudden battery disconnect may be caused by a loose connection, corrosion, or deliberate removal of the battery.
Individual car manufacturers have established their own specifications for the test pulse. Many are based on the test pulse defined in ISO 7637,
While the ISO 7637 pulse specifies a peak (unsuppressed) voltage of up to 87 V, manufacturers are known to specify various levels of suppression. Some of the limits are as low as 27 V, while other manufacturers tolerate a larger peak pulse voltage in the region of 45 V.
The actual 35- to 50-V polymer tantalum capacitor offerings don’t guarantee sufficiently high voltage rating to guarantee survival when exposed to the unsuppressed ISO 7637 overvoltage transient. At lower peak pulse voltages, component survival rates rise statistically. KEMET’s K598 KO-CAP polymer tantalum capacitors have demonstrated 100% survival of 55-V pulses, and extended voltage ratings are planned.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet the Challenge of Designing Electrically Small Antennas
http://www.mwrf.com/components/meet-challenge-designing-electrically-small-antennas?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20170822_MWRF-001_892&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12586&utm_medium=email&elq2=46de0742b87d49c09c361c7daf367592
Antenna Q diminishes with shrinking antenna size, although it is still possible to achieve acceptable Q performance even as antenna designs become electrically small.
Antennas are vital for communications devices, although the continuing miniaturization of communications products has forced antenna designers to follow suit. However, due to the fundamental limitations in size and performance (Chu’s limit), achieving miniaturization with good antenna performance is challenging. Electrically small antennas (ESAs) are limited in bandwidth and radiating efficiency.
By understanding the effects of antenna size reduction on quality factor (Q), bandwidth, efficiency, and gain, it is possible to design a miniature antenna without drastically compromising performance. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, an ESA was designed and developed for GPS (1.575 GHz) at one-tenth the operating wavelength.
Attempting to miniaturize an antenna by having radiating element(s) very close to the ground plane results in low radiation resistance, high reactance, narrow bandwidth, and poor radiation efficiency. The bandwidth capacity of a small antenna is approximately inversely related to the radiation quality factor (Q). Hence, antenna miniaturization is quite challenging. Metamaterials have been quite popular as far as antenna miniaturization is concerned.
These artificial structures can be engineered to support negative and zeroth-order modes which were not available in traditional microstrip antennas.
However, metamaterial-based structures inherently have high Q and narrow bandwidth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Some Engineering Jobs Will See Double-Digit Growth Over Next 7 Years
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/some-engineering-jobs-will-see-double-digit-growth-over-next-7-years?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170822.tst004t
Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 5 percent through 2024, while some other engineering focuses will see higher employment growth and some will see lower or no growth, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Recent projections from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate engineering jobs will grow 3% over the coming seven years. While some disciplines such as aerospace engineering will experience a small decline, jobs for most engineering disciplines are on the rise.
The median annual wage for engineering jobs is currently $77,900.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Accelerating the speed of innovation
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331942&
Being first to market with a new product or feature is a critical differentiator in many industries. Being first often means capturing greater market share or establishing leadership and dominance in a new market. It also leads to faster return on investment and greater overall profitability.
From a design standpoint, the difference between being the innovation leader and having a late-to-market “me-too” product might be just a matter of a few weeks. The more a development team can reduce its design cycle, the greater its chance of taking the lead in the market.
Innovation, however, takes time. Development teams need to be able to explore new ideas and test different options. This is often an iterative process — the team implements a design, tests it, improves it and then begins the cycle again. The faster a team can iterate, the faster it can complete a design that is ready for market.
Time-to-market, then, is impacted significantly by how quickly a development team can iterate designs. A team that can iterate a design cycle in a few hours can innovative several times faster than a team that takes a week per cycle. The ability to iterate faster gives OEMs greater flexibility.
Accelerating the speed of innovation for your own development team begins by identifying unnecessary delays in your design process. For example, working with a new technology often comes with a learning curve.
Slow shipping is another major source of delay for design cycles. The longer it takes to source and then ship a component, the more your iterative process will be delayed.
Given the high cost in terms of time-to-market, shipping delays simply don’t make sense.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hot Chips Spotlights Chip Stacks
Chiplets seen as the future of IP blocks
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332186
A U.S. research effort aims to nurture an ecosystem for designing semiconductors from plug-and-play chiplets. It arrives at a time when rivals such as Intel and Xilinx are using proprietary packaging techniques to differentiate competing FPGAs.
Over the next eight months, the Common Heterogeneous Integration and IP Reuse Strategies (CHIPS) program under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aims to define and test open chip interfaces. Within three years it hopes multiple companies will use the links to connect a wide range of die to form sophisticated components.
Several executives from Xilinx, which pioneered the cache coherent serial interconnect (CCIX) have expressed interest in the DARPA program. The company announced its fourth-generation FPGAs using the proprietary CoWoS 2.5-D packaging technology from TSMC.
TSMC pioneered a form of wafer-level fan out used to link package applications processors and their memory in Apple’s latest iPhones. The technique offers greater density than MCMs but not enough to handle wired processors.
High-end AMD and Nvidia GPUs have joined Xilinx FPGAs in using 2.5-D techniques such as CoWoS to link processors and memory stacks. However, to date they are too expensive for consumer products, said a senior Microsoft engineer who rejected the approach for the Xbox.
Like Microsoft, AMD took a pass on the relatively expensive 2.5D stacks for its Epyc server processor built from four die on an organic substrate. The more traditional MCM “is well known technology and lower cost…there were some [performance] trade-offs, but we think they were appropriate,” said Kevin Lepak, who described the chip here.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Magnetoelectric RAM Slashes Energy
Demo MELRAM combats heat waste, ups efficiency
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332184&
A team of Russian and French researchers bonded a piezoelectric material to magneto-elastic magnetoelastic layers of a terbium-cobalt alloy (TbCo2) and an alloy of iron and cobalt (FeCo) to create a nonvolatile memory architecture that could decrease the required read/write energy of traditional memories by a factor of 10,000 or more.
The key to achieving the ultralow-power magnetoelectric RAM (MELRAM), according to the researchers, was to abandon giant magnetoresistive stacks and magnetic tunnel junctions. The demonstration architecture instead relies on magnetoelectric interactions for readout of the information coded in the magnetic subsystem when an electric field is applied, accomplished via a composite multiferroic heterostructure using piezoelectrically stress-mediated magnetoelectronics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taking Lithium-Ion Batteries to the Extreme
http://www.electronicdesign.com/power/taking-lithium-ion-batteries-extreme?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20170823_ED-003_52&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12605&utm_medium=email&elq2=e502b50c33c447f4860366e39e2de854
With lithium-ion batteries finding their way into more applications and products, Rice University scientists went on a mission to discover ways to extend the battery’s life in extreme temperatures.
Though not fully mature as of yet, demand for lithium-ion battery technologies is higher than ever. In particular, the demand for harsh-environment-graded batteries is on the rise. For example, we’re seeing greater use of them in military and space applications, which typically have temperature ranges of between −40 to 80°C. Electric vehicles represent another popular application—battery systems must be able to perform well in both cold and hot conditions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Optimizing flash memory selection for automotive & other uses
http://www.edn.com/design/automotive/4458728/Optimizing-flash-memory-selection-for-automotive—other-uses
Over the past few years, there has been an increasing demand for NOR Flash memory for use in automotive applications. Initial uses included applications such as infotainment and engine control. However, as advancements in automotive computerization continue to progress, NOR Flash memory is seeing use in a wider range of various automotive applications. In particular, there has been rapid growth in demand for NOR Flash memory for use in Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), digital instruments clusters, and infotainment systems.
ADAS has seen rapid market growth. Currently, many ADAS applications utilize cameras – typically back up cameras – to assist drivers in identifying nearby hazards
The sensing camera market is expected to continue to expand as cars become increasingly autonomous. Given that sensing cameras need even more complex processing than viewing cameras, highly-efficient SoCs will be required to support this advanced technology (Figure 2). Demand for NOR Flash memory that is both high density and high performance will continue to grow in conjunction with this increase in program size.
The size of embedded displays has also been expanding as digital instrument clusters today often have 12-inch or larger full HD displays. As a result, these larger displays increase the amount of content that needs processing. This in turn means that the embedded Flash memory on controlling MCUs alone cannot handle the load. External high-density NOR Flash memory is needed to support today’s cutting-edge digital instrument clusters, further increasing the NOR Flash memory market demand
Traditionally, infotainment systems have used NOR Flash memory to store boot code, application programs, and the real-time OS. The widespread use of the Linux OS (for Android) within infotainment systems has drastically increased the memory required for the OS. As a result of this increase in memory, the OS can no longer be stored within NOR Flash memory alone. To support the storage bandwidth needed for the OS and applications, e.MMC or SD cards are increasing in popularity for use in infotainment systems. However, engineers need to keep in mind that e.MMC and SD cards cannot fully meet the needs of high-speed operations alone, so boot code and other functions that require high speed operation still need to be stored in NOR Flash memory.
These three automotive applications – ADAS, Digital Instruments Clusters, and Infotainment systems – encompass the majority of demand for NOR Flash memory.
Tomi Engdahl says:
High-voltage relays target electric vehicles
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458701/High-voltage-relays-target-electric-vehicles
Fujitsu’s FTR-E1 series of DC switching relays offers 13% higher voltage switching, 77% less power consumption, and a package size that is 40% smaller than similar relays. Intended for the electric vehicle market, these board-mount single-pole relays come with 12 VDC or 24 VDC coils.
The FTR-E1 relays furnish contact ratings of up to 30 A at 450 VDC (40 A maximum/1 hour) resistive and consume just 900 mW at the rated coil voltage. Their compact package is 43.6×28.3×36.8 mm and weighs approximately 75 g, nearly 60% lighter than competitive relays, according to the manufacturer. In addition, the parts achieve an electrical life of 10,000 operations at 20 A, 450 VDC resistive.
Devices provide a dielectric strength of 5000 VAC (1 minute) between coil and contacts and 2500 VDC (1 minute) between open contacts.
Prices for the FTR-E1 series relays start at $29.85 each for 1 to 99 units.
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/pdut/detail/1184935/relays/FTR-E1-A
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Grow Your own Heatsink!
https://www.mentor.com/products/mechanical/engineering-edge/volume4/issue1/grow-heatsink?contactid=1&PC=L&c=2017_08_23_mad_ec_xt_fried_egg_ee_article
Established heatsink manufacturing processes such as extrusion and casting, impose constraints on the methods used to design the heatsink. These affect both allowable geometry topologies and absolute sizes. The advent of 3D printing (additive manufacture) may remove many of these constraints, forcing us to reconsider the approach taken during design.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chip Capex Expected to Soar 20%
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332187&
Semiconductor industry capital spending will soar by 20 percent this year, largely driven by Samsung, according to market watcher IC Insights.
The forecast for the industry is in line with an earlier estimation by semiconductor association SEMI for fab equipment sales to jump by 23 percent. The key driver behind strong growth this year has been the memory chip segment.
Semiconductor industry spending rose by 48 percent in the first half of 2017 compared with the same period last year, IC Insights said in a report emailed to EE Times. The increase in capital spending during the second half of 2017 will depend to a large extent on the level of Samsung’s outlays during the rest of this year, the report said. Samsung is the world’s largest memory chipmaker and has recently become the world’s largest chipmaker as well.
“Not only has Samsung Semiconductor been on a tear with regard to its semiconductor sales, surging into the number-one ranking in the second quarter of 2017, but the company has also been on a tremendous capital spending spree for its semiconductor division this year,” the IC Insights report said.
Samsung’s full-year 2017 capital expenditures could range from $15 billion to $22 billion, according to the report.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flash Memory Shortage Hits Smartphone Supply
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332190&
Global smartphone sales posted an annual increase in the second quarter, but a limited supply of components such as flash memory are expected to impact the smartphone supply in the second half of the year, according to market research Gartner Inc.
Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner, said rising costs and reduced availability for NAND flash and OLED displays will affect premium smartphone sales in the remainder of the year.
“We’ve already seen Huawei’s P10 suffer from a flash memory shortage, and smaller, traditional brands, such as HTC, LG and Sony, are stuck between aggressive Chinese brands and the dominating market shares of Samsung and Apple in the premium smartphone segment,” Gupta said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Testing With the Cloud: Keep Your Data Secure
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332085&
By taking the right steps, you can calm security fears and move test data to the cloud.
Today’s designs are so complex that testing is often the bottleneck in time-to-market schedules. The complexities of testing require collaboration, yet the collaboration is hampered because teams are no longer co-located. Mergers and acquisitions in the electronics industry over the past several years have created these distributed teams. Given the significant impact of a late product launch on business profits, anything that impacts a product’s time-to-market needs to be mitigated.
Cloud-based IT services crossed a tipping point, mostly because of:
The rise of the mobile worker. An estimated 75% of the U.S. workforce will be mobile by 2020, meaning that they spend at least part of the work week away from their desks.
A Forbes article showed that the cloud offers wide-ranging benefits, such as improved innovation (48%), new product and service development (45%), and boosted sale efforts (38%), not to mention an average increase of 22% in profits.
Capabilities that support distributed teams during verification test, product characterization, and production test need to evolve. Testing in the cloud is one option to get there.
Common security fears:
Our data is mission-critical, so we store it on encrypted servers right here in our facility. How can a cloud server be more secure than this?
It turns out that the “insider threat” is a much bigger risk than most businesses recognize. Citing a 2017 Insider Threat Report, it can cost over $100,000, even $1M, to remediate breaches in IT security. Yet less than half of the incidents were caused by a disgruntled insider. An unknowing, well-meaning employee can cause just as much harm. In short, the risks of data theft are no greater in the cloud than they are on-site.
My customer won’t allow us to move into the cloud because they think that it’s not safe.
We hear this quite often, particularly from vendors that work for the government. Organizations such as the Department of Defense don’t explicitly say that you can’t go in the cloud. But they require that data used for government purposes be protected following their standards. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has created a certification and accreditation process called FedRAMP, whereby the DoD works proactively with industry to set security standards rather than simply declare a “no-cloud” policy.
What to look for
The most efficient way to test a vendor’s security robustness is to check for participation with the most recognized standards:
ISO 27001: The ISO 27001 certification shows that the cloud provider has a security program in place to monitor, manage, and mitigate risks associated with information security.
Cloud Security Alliance Security, Trust & Assurance Registry (CSA STAR). STAR certification layers over ISO 27001 (having a certified ISO 27001 system is a prerequisite for obtaining STAR certification). The STAR certification shows a growing maturity of the cloud provider’s security system across multiple security domains.
FedRAMP. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). For organizations that work for the Federal Government, it is important to confirm that their cloud provider has a FedRAMP authority to operate (ATO). The FedRAMP ATO requires everything in ISO 27001, but with an amplified focus on security controls.
In addition to security, you must also consider data availability. Key considerations are uptime promises, data redundancy, and ease of offloading data. A high percentage of cloud vendors deliver their services on cloud-hosting platforms such as Amazon Web Service (AWS) or Microsoft Azure. AWS, Azure, and others offer systems for redundancy, security, and availability. Don’t be surprised if a small business promises you world-class performance. It’s very likely that they’re offering you the benefits of a small, innovative service provider with the backing of the world’s best cloud hosts.
Keep your data safe
Some 46% of the security breaches that occurred in the cloud were because internal policies and procedures weren’t followed. Even if a cloud testing provider has an impenetrable fortress, your employee policies and procedures need to be in place, too.
The key to success here is balance: balancing the need to secure critical assets while ensuring that employees are able to do their jobs without frustration. Here are some tips:
Putting all of your data eggs into one, maybe two, iron-clad baskets in the cloud. Make it clear to employees that there is only one “approved” location to store data. In the absence of an easy-to-use official solution, employees tend to revert to ad hoc methods that are best for them but often poor for the business.
Push security accountability down to the lowest levels possible. Businesses that have a handful of “security compliance officers” often fare poorly in actual security practice because employees tend to view them as someone to be avoided. Businesses that tie security compliance to performance reviews, or even group bonuses, are often able to turn lemons into lemonade.
Integrate security into strategy. IP is so critical these days that businesses need to treat security as an executive role that encompasses all departments. Businesses that weave security into all aspects of the strategy process are turning security from a defensive reactive function into a proactive growth function.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hot Chips Spotlights Chip Stacks
Chiplets seen as the future of IP blocks
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332186
A U.S. research effort aims to nurture an ecosystem for designing semiconductors from plug-and-play chiplets. It arrives at a time when rivals such as Intel and Xilinx are using proprietary packaging techniques to differentiate competing FPGAs.
Over the next eight months, the Common Heterogeneous Integration and IP Reuse Strategies (CHIPS) program under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aims to define and test open chip interfaces. Within three years it hopes multiple companies will use the links to connect a wide range of die to form sophisticated components.
Intel has signed up for the program, and others are expected to follow soon. Internally, the x86 giant is debating whether to open up parts of its embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) as part of its participation.
High-end AMD and Nvidia GPUs have joined Xilinx FPGAs in using 2.5-D techniques such as CoWoS to link processors and memory stacks.
Like Microsoft, AMD took a pass on the relatively expensive 2.5D stacks for its Epyc server processor built from four die on an organic substrate.
The Intel division now ships high-end Stratix FPGAs using EMIB to link to DRAM stacks and transceivers.
ntel has not yet decided whether it will publish AIB and if so whether or not it will be open source. It runs at a programmable rate up to 2 Gbits/second at the physical layer with as many as 20,000 connections available on an EMIB link
Density is also on the rise. A next generation EMIB process will support 35 micron bumps, giving 2.5x the density of 55mm bumps used today with 10mm links now in the lab.
The PCIe-based CCIX initially runs at 25 Gbits/s. A group of about 33 companies supports the interface with IP now available from Cadence and Synopsys. “Multiple processors are putting it in their designs,” said Gaurav Singh, a vice president at Xilinx.
Both Intel and Xilinx speakers pointed out some of the challenges creating their modular chip designs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Fellow: Neural Nets Need Optimized Hardware
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332185
If you aren’t currently considering how to use deep neural networks to solve your problems, you almost certainly should be, according to Jeff Dean, a Google senior fellow and leader of the deep learning artificial intelligence research project known as Google Brain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A single molecule can act as a transistor
The first step in the field of molecular electronics is that researchers indicate that single molecules can function at room temperature as repeating circuit elements, such as transistors or diodes. Scientists at Columbia University are now the first to reach the effect of repeatable power-flow blocking using atomic-accurate molecules at room temperature.
The work of Professor Latha Venkataraman’s work shows the repeatable power-blocking. The device is capable of switching from the isolating state to the leading state by increasing the charge and removing one electron at a time.
The researchers created a single geometrically arranged atomic cluster with only 14 inorganic inorganic nuclei and linkers that wound the core into two gold electrodes.
- We found that clusters can function very well as room temperature nanostructured diodes that can respond electrically by changing their chemical composition. Theoretically, a single atom is the smallest limit, but one-atomic devices can not be manufactured and stabilized at room temperature, notes Venkatarama.
- These molecular clusters have complete control over their structure with atomic accuracy. We can change the elemental composition and structure in a controlled manner to achieve a certain electronic response, the researchers say in a university news release.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6715-yksittainen-molekyyli-voi-toimia-transistorina
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 200mm Equipment Scramble
Demand for equipment soars, but not all business models can support rising prices.
https://semiengineering.com/the-200mm-equipment-scramble/
An explosion in 200mm demand has set off a frenzied search for used semiconductor manufacturing equipment that can be used at older process nodes. The problem is there is not enough used equipment available, and not all of the new or expanding 200mm fabs can afford to pay the premium for refurbished or new equipment.
This may sound like a straightforward supply and demand issue, but behind the trend lines are unpredictable and fragmented markets, as well as some highly nuanced and conflicting business models. Demand remains strong overall, particularly from fabs that manufacture MEMS, analog and IoT chips. In fact, there are eight new 200mm fabs under construction in China. But profit margins are so thin in markets served by those fabs that it’s hard to justify paying current equipment prices, and newcomers may have a tough time making inroads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stacked inductor keeps regulator cool
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4443207/Stacked-inductor-keeps-regulator-cool
A 40-A step-down switching regulator, the LTM4636 from Linear Technology delivers 40 W with only a 40°C rise over ambient temperature (12 VIN, 1 VOUT, 40 A, 200 LFM). By stacking its inductor on top of a 16×16-mm BGA package, the LTM4636 benefits from the exposed inductor as a heat sink, permitting direct contact with airflow from any direction to cool the device. Full power (40 W) is furnished at up to 83°C ambient, and half power (20 W) is supplied at up to 110°C ambient.
http://www.linear.com/product/ltm4636
Tomi Engdahl says:
Portable Stimulus Status Report
https://semiengineering.com/portable-stimulus-status/
The Early Adopter release of the first new language in 20 years is under review as the deadline approaches.
The first release of the Portable Stimulus (PS) standard is slated for early next year. If it lives up to its promise, it could be the first new language and abstraction for verification in two decades.
Portable Stimulus aims to solve all of those problems and tackle verification problems associated with the dominant design methodology used today, which is one of block reuse and integration. Verification at the system level requires the generation of tests that can handle multiple processors concurrently executing pieces of scenarios that equate to product requirements. These tests are being manually created today, but their complexity makes this an expensive, incomplete and error-prone task.
The road to the new standard has not been easy. Only Mentor, a Siemens Business, and Breker Verification Systems have been in this field long enough to have learned some of the subtleties of the user requirements, and they are certainly not in agreement about the right approach to be used for the standard.
The reason why this effort is so different from many other standards efforts within the EDA industry is related to the development of system-level tools in the 1990s. Most of those tools, which went under the moniker of ESL, were abandoned. EDA companies felt that the market was not big enough to support the necessary tool development.
This led semiconductor companies to invest in their own in-house system-level verification tools and methodologies. At the same time designs have evolved, so what was considered a system-level task in the past now is performed by a significant percentage of the development team.
The user perspective
Portable Stimulus means different things to different user communities. “The real value of the PS standard is in bringing new abstractions to the verification community,”
The review period was set to be three months. “The goal of the Early Adopter release is to socialize the draft standard across a wider audience of verification experts and to solicit their opinions,” said Adnan Hamid, CEO at Breker
How close is the EA release? “We have about 80% of the requirement met with the EA release,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
GaN Basics: FAQs
http://www.powerelectronics.com/gan-transistors/gan-basics-faqs?code=UM_Classics08217&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12623&utm_medium=email&elq2=9200609716df4f66b380b1a026a62258
Gallium nitride transistors have emerged as a high-performance alternative to silicon-based transistors, thanks to the technology’s ability to be made allow smaller device sizes for a given on-resistance and breakdown voltage than silicon.
The power semiconductor evolution started with germanium and selenium devices that succumbed to silicon types around the 1950s.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers at the University of Houston have developed a technology that significantly improves the storage capacity of the cathode for magnesium batteries. Thanks to innovation, the capacity of the magnesium battery is doubled compared to existing lithium-ion batteries.
Magnesium wafers have one major advantage over lithium ions. They will not overheat or explode, but so far their capacity is limited.
The idea presented in Nature Communications breaks the old idea of the magnesium battery structure. Magnesium chloride bonds are difficult to break, and thus the magnesium ions produced are slowly moving, which reduces the battery capacity.
The capacity of the new structure was measured at 400 milliamperes per gram, which is four times the magnesium battery’s previous results. At present, lithium-ion batteries are sold at approximately 200 milliampex per gram. The magnesium battery voltage is only 1 volt at this time when the lithium ion battery is 3-4 volts.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6731-magnesium-hakkaa-litiumakun
Tomi Engdahl says:
No Batteries Required: Energy-Harvesting Yarns Generate Electricity
http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2017/8/25-32663_No-Batteries-Required-Energy-Harvesting-Yarns-Gene_story-wide.html?WT.mc_id=NewsHomePage
Coiled carbon nanotube yarns, created at The University of Texas at Dallas and imaged here with a scanning electron microscope, generate electrical energy when stretched or twisted.
An international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas and Hanyang University in South Korea has developed high-tech yarns that generate electricity when they are stretched or twisted.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Verdict Jolts South Korea
Five-year sentence rattles chaebol model
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332196
A South Korean court sentenced the head of Samsung Group, Jay Y. Lee, to five years in prison. The decision is seen as a watershed for the country’s techno-political climate long dominated by large conglomerates, but it is not expected to immediately impact its surging and vast electronics businesses.
The sentence was the mandatory minimum for Lee, who was convicted along with four other Samsung executives of charges including bribery of the former South Korea president Park Geun-hye, according to a Korean newspaper report. It marks the first time a Samsung leader has been jailed, although Lee’s father and grandfather both faced court actions during their tenures running the group, it said.
Samsung’s attorneys called the verdicts unacceptable and are expected to appeal the decisions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using mmWave Tech to Redefine Connectors
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332197
Keyssa, a Campbell, Calif.-based tech company, unveiled last week an industry initiative called “Connected World.” The company lined up its big investors, including Foxconn and Samsung, to proclaim that momentum is building for Keyssa’s mmWave technology.
Keyssa’s technology is designed for extremely high-speed data transfer between mobile devices and connected devices.
Keyssa has developed a lower-cost low-power mmWave wireless chip, operating at speeds up to 6Gbps. More important, it has a tiny ready-to-use contactless connectivity module. Focused on manufacturability, Keyssa designed the module to meet all system-critical electromagnetic and mechanical requirements.
Can Keyssa’s technology stand a chance against the tried and tested connectors everyone is so accustomed to using today?
Keyssa sees its key in the industry’s insatiable appetite for speed. “Managing higher speed signals using copper, especially in smaller and smaller form factors, has become a significant engineering challenge,” said Keyssa. Systems engineers have begun seeking alternatives for device-to device connectivity, the company claims.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simulating electromagnetic interference – is it possible?
http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/powerhouse/archive/2015/12/01/simulating-electromagnetic-interference-is-it-possible?HQS=sva-null-null-pentonever-asset-e2e-null-wwe&DCM=yes
Today, gigahertz processors powered by high-frequency multi-phase DC/DC converters communicate with memory at gigahertz speeds. At these frequencies, component and printed circuit board (PCB) parasitic impedances create frequency dependent voltage drops, antenna structures and PCB resonances that in turn create electromagnetic interference (EMI), signal integrity and power integrity (SI/PI) issues.
Designing high-speed, mixed-signal PCBs requires highly experienced engineering personnel and equipment resources – As such, development cost can be very high especially when multiple iterations of a board are required to achieve compliance. EMI, SI and PI design issues delay product release and when uncovered after product release result in customer returns, product recalls and a loss in consumer confidence. The profitability of a company depends on careful analysis of their products and as operating frequency increases, so too does a need to understand the electromagnetic (EM) field behavior of PCBs.
Fortunately, the same high speed gigahertz processors and circuit boards have enabled a new paradigm in circuit design: highly advanced circuit simulation. As many already know, you can use circuit simulation to optimize circuit performance and even perform worst case circuit analysis of the known PCB devices. But, can you simulate the “hidden” PCB parasitic elements that are the source of EMI and SI/PI issues? Fortunately, the answer today is most definitely yes!
For example, I quickly imported the LMG5200 evaluation board CAD files into CST EMC Studio as an OBD++ file, and characterized the PCB planes, traces and components impedances using a broadband excitation signal.
Careful examination of a board circuit board traces, plane structure, vias and component placement is an essential element in advancing any high-speed circuit board design.
Beware however that 3-D EM simulation is computationally intensive – solving Maxwell’s equations in a complex circuit board mesh takes time! The 3-D EM simulation took over 3 hours to run on a quad core computer with a graphic processing unit and 8 GB of memory.
The simulation result in Figure 4 is a record of each E-field probe placed around board in a sphere of probes at 3-meters. Resonances at specific frequencies correlated well with measured results from my previous post.
It is clear from this basic application of a powerful 3-D EM simulator that it is possible – and increasingly important – to simulate the microwave behavior of PCBs when attempting to design high-speed power converters, power distribution networks (PDN) and other high speed signal/communication busses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
High-Speed RS-485 Transceivers with Highest Reinforced Isolation
http://www.intersil.com/en/products/interface/serial-interface/isolated-rs-485/ISL32740E.html?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=interface&utm_content=isl32740e&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWTJZd01EUTFNR1k1WXpZeiIsInQiOiJ3MzI3TVBNUVNmR1ltUmlJcXRvT3ZmQldlNkJjVmh6TmEza0RGam5aN0NhVlg5YlVVelA3bW5qZ1wvMGxvZ0ZcLytsUktEWDdyT2hZMDlqWjdhKzhXbTFXN3B3THZKaHlTWVNqTnRMWDVXa1E5VWpMZXRJQ3VySTJlaDhrd3RMekpsIn0%3D
ISL3274xE isolated RS-485 transceivers provide 40Mbps bidirectional data communication for Industrial IoT networks. The ISL32740E isolated transceiver has 2.5kVRMS of isolation and 600VRMS working voltage, and comes in the industry’s smallest package, enabling high channel density for PLCs in factory automation applications. The ISL32741E has 6kVRMS of reinforced isolation and 1,000VRMS working voltage.
http://www.intersil.com/content/dam/Intersil/whitepapers/interface/boost-profibus-rs-485-robustness.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Remote module leverages Thunderbolt 3
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458718/Remote-module-leverages-Thunderbolt-3
National Instruments now offers the PXIe-8301 remote control module, which enables laptop control of a PXI Express chassis through a Thunderbolt 3 interface. Using a PCI Express Gen 3 x4 PCI Express link, the PXIe-8301 allows a sustained data throughput of up to 2.3 GB/s between the chassis and a laptop, desktop PC, or rack-mount controller. The second Thunderbolt 3 port of the PXIe-8301 can also be used to daisy-chain additional Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type-C devices.
The PXIe-8301remote control module costs $999.
http://www.ni.com/en-us/support/model.pxie-8301.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Transceiver teams with IO-Link sensors
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458719/Transceiver-teams-with-IO-Link-sensors
Recently adopted by Omron, the MAX14827A dual transceiver from Maxim uses IO-Link sensors to provide continuous diagnostics and monitoring at Omron production sites. The tiny transceiver integrates 3.3 V and 5 V linear regulators and two low-power drivers with active reverse-polarity protection for use with small sensors.