Electronic Product Design News

Designed to enable faster chips at lower voltages with dramatic reduction in power consumption, FinFET technology promises to extend Moore's law further by enabling production of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based ICs at the 14 nm process node. IBM, and other backers like Intel, Toshiba, and Samsung are quickly moving the technology to mass production using the 14 nm process. Concurrently, research organizations like Imec are also driving FinFET to production. Researchers there have developed an early-version process development kit (PDK) for 14 nm logic chips.

DEDL, OEM source for digitally programmable power supplies to Global companies is now offering programmable AC sources used in test gears to all global power companies. It delivers 0-135 V/270 V of sinusoidal regulated AC output, with frequency settable from 45 Hz to 450 Hz. Available in power ratings from 500 VA to 3 KVA.

Company Web link.

Technical specification for AC source.

Mini Coin Cell Holders from MPD drastically reduce the height of battery installations on PCBs. These rugged coin cell holders rise under 2 mm with an installed CR2032, saving almost 3 mm in board height when compared with typical CR2032 battery holders available on the market.

Triad has expanded its offering of UL5085-3 Class 2 Control Transformers (1.1 to 50.0VA), and its line of Current Sense Products for applications up to 30 Amps. Triad is a magnetics industry leader and has supplied the electrical industry for over 60 years, with innovative designs and quality products at competitive prices.

The innovative MOM2 uses ultra capacitor technology (patent pending) to generate the high test currents. It will perform a full day's testing without a recharge of the internal batteries. A total of 190 test results can be stored internally and transferred to a PC over a Bluetooth link. From Weschler Instruments.

Designing mixed-signal ICs has never been trivial, especially when the analog part of the design gets really complex. To simplify this process for system-level engineers with no prior experience, Mentor Graphics and Triad Semiconductor have readied a new low-cost, mixed-signal IC design tool called ViaDesigner. It is built on system-level design technology from Mentor Graphics and Triad's intelligent ViaASIC library wizards.

Taiwanese foundry service provider United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) has certified EDA tool vendor Synopsys's StarRC parasitic extraction solution for its latest 28 nm process technologies. The StarRC solution delivered silicon-validated accuracy on UMC's evaluation designs to meet the qualification criteria for its advanced 28 nm Poly SiON and High K/Metal gate processes. According to Synopsys, the StarRC technology files are immediately available to UMC customers working with its 28 nm processes.

Analog Devices' new 1 GHz, dual-core, Blackfin embedded processors, ADSP-BF608 and ADSP-BF609, are optimized for embedded vision applications, such as automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), industrial machine vision, and security/surveillance systems. The processors feature a high performance video analytics accelerator, called the Pipelined Vision Processor (PVP), which comprises a set of configurable processing blocks designed to accelerate up to five concurrent image algorithms, enabling a very high level of analytics performance.

Utilizing its KeyStone multicore architecture, Texas Instruments has released three new DSPs that provide real-time high performance at low power from a smaller form factor. Tailored to deliver both fixed and floating-point capabilities, the new multicore DSPs, TMS320C6654, TMS320C6655, and TMS320C6657, are aimed at high- performance portable/mobile applications.

Hydac's product range extends from simple pressure transmitters to the intelligent multiple pressure switches with customized software. In the field of sensors, using different techniques, enabling Hydac to offer the most appropriate solution to a customer's specific application. All products are CE approved and certified to ISO 9001.

From a simple enclosure to a complete custom fabrication, Pickwick Manufacturing Services can build, assemble, install, finish, and deliver your product in low volume, mixed model builds. Let our 80 years of metal experience provide all the resources necessary from supply chain management through final assembly and drop shipping.

Dimmer compatibility issues have been a major barrier to consumer adoption of LED retrofit bulbs. Now, Cirrus Logic is entering the solid-state lighting market with a new digital LED controller that the company claims solves the problem. Featuring digital TruDim technology, the CS161X LED controller family is compatible with a wide array of dimmers installed worldwide.

Integrated Device Technology (IDT) has released the world's first true single-chip multi-mode wireless power transmitter (IDTP9030), which is accompanied by a high-output-power (7.5 W) single-chip receiver (IDTP9020). Together, they create a charging platform for wirelessly charging batteries in a variety of mobile devices. The ICs meet Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) Qi standard to ensure interoperability with any other device compatible with the WPC Qi standard.

Applied Nanotech has released a new carbon-based material with a unique combination of low density, high thermal diffusivity, and low coefficient of thermal expansion. Called CarbAl, it's unique properties far exceed the capabilities of conventional thermal management materials like copper and aluminum. It is lighter than aluminum, less expensive than copper, and is approximately 3x better at diffusing heat, claims the maker. In short, it is a new material for removing heat and eliminating hotspots quickly and affordably.

Removing heat from semiconductor chips as sizes fall with shrinking process geometries has posed many challenges. Consequently, researchers are investigating thermal properties of diamond thin-films as heat sinks for a number of semiconducting materials. By using a new deposition process, nanoscientist Anirudha Sumant and his colleagues at Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials have been able to deposit diamond thin films on substrate materials like graphene and gallium nitride.

ADI's AD96xx series includes monolithic, dual-channel, 1.8 V supply, 10-14-bit, 105 MSPS/125 MSPS analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Featuring a high performance sample-and-hold circuit and on-chip voltage reference, the products use multistage differential pipeline architecture with output error correction logic to provide 14-bit accuracy at 125 MSPS data rates.

The 3D3438/3D7438 series delay lines from Data Delay Devices, Inc. offer 8-bit programmability in steps ranging from 50 ps to 250 ps. Devices are specified for -40 C to 85 C operation, and three SMD package options are offered for drop-in compatibility with existing lines. Learn more...

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