[Cover Feature] MEMS Hitting The Curved Ball
Microelectromechanical-system (MEMS) devices are moving into many fields of industry, providing the basis for novel applications of semiconductor technology in fields as diverse as medicine and high-resolution mobile-phone displays. However, designing MEMS devices is not necessarily a straightforward process for these specialists working with the technology. MEMS is an IC-design discipline that currently has little in the way of support from the large EDA tools vendors, which mainly focus...
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Paul Double
[Direct Feature] Delivering Distributed Intelligence For Design, Control, And Test
National Instruments has launched LabVIEW 8, a major upgrade to the LabVIEW graphical development platform that will find homes in design, control, and test. The upgrade introduces distributed intelligence—a suite of new capabilities for engineers and scientists to easily design, distribute, and synchronise intelligent devices and systems. LabVIEW 8 also features a new project-based environment for developing and managing large-scale applications, as well as the latest in Express...
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Paul Whytock
[Direct Feature] Conversion Aversion—What Is The Design Therapy?
Each of the three main custom digital IC technologies has unique attributes, and each is particularly suited to certain circumstances. FPGAs, for instance, are a good choice for very low volumes because they have low NRE and a quick timeto-market. They do, however, have a high unit cost. For high production volumes, it becomes essential to invest NRE to get the lower unit cost of a platform or standard-cell ASIC. When there is uncertainty in production volumes or design...
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David Asson
[Direct Feature] Speech Recognition Giving Customers Their Say
In the history of the commercial development of speech technology, it's been telephony applications that presented the opportunity to deliver significant return on investment (ROI) to companies like British Telecom and German Telecom. Hence, they've driven the technology's development. Alongside this, speech recognition for the PC market also developed. Today, the uptake of server-based solutions such as automated query services by both telcos and enterprises is still driven by...
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Arnd Weil
[Direct Feature] Taking The IP Initiative
Of the developers of SoC solutions for wireless handsets, wireless infrastructure, and high-speed networking, only a minority are considered leaders in terms of in-house expertise in DSP cores. Most of this DSP technology is proprietary and not available in the open market. Also, applications and software standards are continually evolving, further challenging software developers to keep pace. Semiconductor companies must choose between spending valuable time and money...
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Craig Trautman
[Editorial] Less Bean Counting, More Engineering
Say the word Walkman ten years ago and the public reaction would have been what a great must-have product it is. Say it to a Sony financial executive today and their reaction would be to wish for the modern equivalent of it right now. These days, the must-haves are iPod nanos, Xbox 360 game consoles, and next-generation DVD players. Understandably so. These products represent state-of-the-art electronics design that consumers clamour for. They combine performance with entertainment and...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] Chip Design Pushes Piezo Boundaries
Apex Microtechnology claims it broke new ground in high-speed, high-voltage, and low-quiescent-current silicon design by combining its own patented IC circuitry with evolving high-speed, high-voltage fab processes. The PA78, PA86, and PA69 are high-speed, highvoltage ICs targeted at the industrial and medical markets. Both industries are incorporating more piezoelectric devices into their products. Piezos are hailed for their ability to generate very fine movement in...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] EPCOS Agrees To Joint Venture With Xindeco
EPCOS, the German manufacturer of passive electronic components, has signed an agreement with the Chinese conglomerate Xiamen Xindeco to set up the joint venture EPCOS (Xiamen). The joint venture will manufacture aluminium electrolytic capacitors that will be sold exclusively via EPCOS sales channels. ...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] Philips Ramps 90-nm CMOS Products Into High-Volume
Philips ramped up three key 90-nm CMOS products into volume production at the Crolles2 Alliance wafer fab in Crolles, France. The products are baseband chips for highly integrated system-inapackage (SiP) connectivity solutions. This ramp-up to high-volume 90nm CMOS production means Philips will soon begin transferring manufacturing to TSMC. The agreement originated from a joint development program that guarantees process alignment between Philips' and TSMC's 90nm CMOS...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] UK Nanotechnology To Get Own Mark Of Excellence
The UK Micro and NanoTechnology Network (MNT) has initiated a MNT Quality Mark for companies involved in the nanotechnology industry. The objective of the MNT Quality Mark is to benchmark development and implementation of best practice and to set a strict minimum standard of performance and achievement. The new MNT Quality Mark initiative follows the recent announcement that the UK was awarded the Chair and Secretariat of the International Organisation for Standardisation's (ISO)...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] All-Consuming Processors
LSI Logic unveiled its third-generation DoMiNo 8623 (DMN-8623) and 8673 (DMN-8673) products. The company says these processors have advanced features, and they significantly reduce system bill-of-materials. As a result, consumer-electronics manufacturers are able to design STB/DVD recorders and STB/HDD/DVD combination recorders to address the steadily growing free-to-air DTV market in Europe and other territories. ...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] Finnish Acquisition
Applied Wave Research recently acquired Finnish company APLAC Solutions, developers of simulation and analysis software for analog and radio-frequency (RF) design. APLAC's RF design technology, used by Nokia, has been designed into about 30% of all mobile-phone RF ICs worldwide, says the company The merger of the two electronic-design-automation software developers was driven by key customer demand for APLAC's high-performance, foundryapproved, circuit simulation...
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Paul Whytock
[Upfront] Condor Opts For A UK-Based European HQ
Condor Power, manufacturer of power supplies for the medical industry, has opened its European headquarters in the United Kingdom. The decision to establish a European facility follows a sustained period of growth across the region. According to Nigel Davies, Condor's European managing director, the new facility will not only act as a sales and marketing base for the company's growing range of power-supply products, but also as a design and integration centre for Europe. It is...
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Paul Whytock
[Pease Porridge] What’s All This Nap Stuff, Anyhow?
I like to sleep. I like to wake up. But I don't like to wake up at 1:40 a.m. and not be able to get back to sleep for a few hours. Two o'clock, 3, 4... and this lying in bed is not restful. Finally I may get back to sleep at 5 and when I wake up at 7, the newspaper is waiting for me to read it. I'm not off to a good start on the day. I think I've solved this problem. When I wake up at 2 a.m., I wait for barely 1/2 hour, and if I can't get to sleep, I get up. I read some e-mails...
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Bob Pease
