At the recent Design Automation Conference in San Francisco, the Power Forward Initiative — an industry trade group formed earlier this year to address obstacles to low-power design — presented a roadmap to acceptance of a Common Power-Format specification linking design, verification, and implementation. The group, which includes companies such as Freescale, AMD, NEC, Philips, and Cadence Design Systems, plans to attract more Electronic Design Association (EDA) members and also expects to present the first version of the specification by January, 2007. EE Times reports that the group's goal is to reduce the risk and increase predictability in chip power reduction.

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ESI Group's CFD simulation products are specially tailored to the needs of semiconductor industry. CFD-ACE+, the reactor scale simulator, predicts the design performance of CVD, plasma, electroplating, electro magnetic applications, ALD, etching, and radiation. CFD-TOPO, the feature scale simulator, predicts the small topographical features in PVD, CVD, plasma enhanced deposition and etching, ALD, and sputtering.

See what's really happening in your heat transfer circuit!

FluidVision® instruments measure and display flow rate, temperature, and pressure in liquids flowing from 0.3 to 230 LPM, at temperatures from -60°C to >170°C. Compatible with all heat transfer fluids. Analog outputs and control limits for each parameter are user-selectable.

As circuit features approach the 32 nm range, manufacturers are looking for new production methods to produce high-quality wafers economically. This piece from Semiconductor International describes "nanoimprint lithography", a technique that has been in volume production for years in many applications that require fine line patterning. Researchers report success with features below 2 nm.

For applications requiring high-enough performance to justify using GaAs instead of silicon, manufacturers must face unique challenges for probing and testing. This Accuprobe monograph describes the differences between GaAs and silicon, and presents guidelines and recommendations to help reduce wafer damage and improve yields. It discusses probes, custom probe cards, and effective probing techniques.

The technology of electronic devices advances by leaps and bounds, but the ingredients for success stay much more down-to-earth.

Bill Bottoms of Millennium Test Solutions describes migration from proprietary to generic test strategies. He suggests the business climate has loosened the test constraints, giving manufacturers a chance to incorporate innovative alternatives.

Like many trade organizations, the Semiconductor Test Consortium looks to link companies with disparate goals to a level of standardization. The Group's Web site outlines its mission and the advantages of the common approach. This presentation provides an overview, including group members, and makes clear that protecting members' intellectual property remains a prime consideration.

Beswick Engineering Co., Inc. announces the release of new ultra-miniature M3 threaded compression fittings: M3CB-1016-303 and M3CB-1018-2-303.

The new M3 threaded compression fittings set the industry standard for miniaturization and high performance. They are designed and manufactured for applications where space, leak-tightness, and light weight are required.

The CSM scratch testers are the only commercially available instruments which have an active feedback control loop for continuously adjusting the normal force. Features of the scratch testers include: proven method to quantify adhesion of coatings, acoustic emission, frictional force, penetration depth, optical observation, and very high throughput and reproducibility.
More about CSM Instruments.

Producing a reliable BGA package requires paying close attention to the size, position, flow, and other physical characteristics of the balls themselves. This item describes ball composition and structure in considerable detail, providing diagrams and photographs, as well as descriptions of the issues a manufacturer must address to make them successfully.

Manufacturers often lump all capital equipment into the same bag. That is, they evaluate the equipment based on the same or similar criteria.

In this article from Advanced Packaging, Bruce Hueners of Palomar Technologies describes how packaging equipment differs from wafer-fabrication equipment and other parts of the process.

Innovations come from unlikely sources. U.S. researchers are proposing a chip design that processes data by a technique called "spintronics". The heart of their process revolves around a long-discredited centuries-old pigment called "cobalt green". Eighteenth century artists rejected it because it was expensive and produced weak colors. This BBC News item celebrates its resurrection.

Sometimes even the most knowledgeable engineer overlooks the basics of a critical technology in the complexities of day-to-day firefighting. A classic "forest and trees" issue. This article from HD Microsystems lays the groundwork for applying polyimide coatings to microelectronic device substrates. The site includes other esoteric aspects of the production process.

These cleanroom cables are available in control and data sizes and are well suited for industries such as semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food processing, and other areas requiring strict adherence to cleanroom certified applications. SAB North America has always been noted for their high quality, oil resistant, coolant resistant, and chemical resistant control and continuous flex cables.

The CX series power supplies are designed to meet the performance demand in RF-driven plasma systems for semiconductor processing. They start at power ranges from 600 to 3500 W, with fixed frequencies from 2 to 30 MHz, and frequency agile capability up to 10% bandwidth.

Learn more about Comdel, Inc.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Dressing right or knowing how to conduct yourself at an interview won't do you any good if you don't get that far.

In her column on About.com, Alison Doyle describes how to create effective cover letters and also offers practical tips and examples of cover letters that will get the right kind of attention.

Traveling on business has changed dramatically in the past few years. Cell phones, laptops, enhanced security measures, and other recent developments have increased stress levels as well as productivity. This Information Week column presents biometrics 3D, RFID, and other developments that you might experience in the next decade. Will they solve the stress?

In another coup for runner-up microprocessor maker AMD, number three PC manufacturer Lenovo has announced that it will begin offering more models containing AMD's devices in the U.S. and Western Europe. Although long available in PCs in China, this will represent a major expansion for the former IBM PC product line.

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In a move to improve the educational system and ensure that the country won't be left behind technologically, Thailand's prime minister has announced a program to provide a laptop computer to every child in school. The government will fund the computers as an alternative to conventional textbooks, which the students can find online.

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