Planet Analog

ISSCC: Expert picks winner for post-CMOS era

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:09:00 EST

Chip scaling is expected to continue for at least the next 15 years, according to one expert, who also predicted perhaps the next technology after the post-CMOS era.

An analyst's 10 reasons to be cheerful

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 05:27:00 EST

Bill McClean, analyst with IC Insights Inc. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) has provided ten reasons that support the idea that 2010 could be between a good and a great year for the semiconductor industry.

Engineers explore life beyond 10 Gbit links

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:35:00 EST

Electronics engineers are bumping up against the limits of their tools and techniques—and perhaps even physics--to keep pace with the rapidly expanding needs of an Internet-driven society as they coalesce around a move to 25 Gbit/second chips and ponder what comes next.

Presented By:

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:35:00 EST

IBM demos 100-GHz graphene transistor

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST

A 100-GHz transistor has been demonstrated by IBM Research.

Opinion: Computer overload threatens auto safety

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST

With auto electronics taking center stage in the Toyota recall controversy, an engineer who analyzes software for safety issues says he is wary of how embedded controllers and software is being used in new automobiles.

Presented By:

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST

Magnetism seen as key to superconductivity

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:18:00 EST

Magnetic spin excitations that couple electrons may be the key ingredient for superconductivity.

ESC speaker to describe emerging bio-ASICs

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:09:00 EST

The future of medical electronics could turn on the arrival of a new class of nanoscale chips that can monitor and deliver personalized therapies to human cells, according to a Berkeley researcher who will discuss the latest work in one of several sessions on medical electronics at the Embedded Systems Conference in April.

Microchip to pay $273M for SST

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 10:17:00 EST

Microchip Technology Inc. said it has struck an agreement to pay approximately $273 million for Silicon Storage Technology Inc., which has also terminated a previous merger deal with a private equity investment group.

Marvell debuts passive optical network chips

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Marvell is making its first foray into home broadband terminals, launching a new family of chips for passive optical networks as the number two player in the PON market, startup Teknovus Inc., is expected to be acquired by Broadcom Corp. or Cavium Networks.

Presented By:

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Full-year chip sales fell 9% in 2009, says SIA

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 07:05:00 EST

Global semiconductor sales were $226.3 billion in 2009, a decline of 9 percent from 2008 when sales were $248.6 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). The full-year decline was as had been expected in the last month but much less than had been predicted in the first months of 2009.

Point/Counterpoint: Apple's iPad, dud or must-have?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST

Now that the decibel level has finally diminished, it's time to take a hard look at Apple Inc.'s latest attempt to influence the direction of consumer electronics and, to a large extent, the way we live: the iPad.

Report: Smart meters rise to 212 million in 2014

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:12:00 EST

Deployments of smart electricity meters worldwide will rise from 76 million in 2009 to reach about 212 million in 2014, according to a new report from ABI Research.

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Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:12:00 EST

Analyst rails against the fab-lite

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:21:00 EST

The fabless chip vendors and pursuers of fab-lite manufacturing strategies are about to get a shock, according to Malcolm Penn, principal analyst with Future Horizons (Sevenoaks, England). Some companies could under-perform, others could be driven out of business in a market that should be booming for them; and all because they have lost control of manufacturing.

ESC: Saluting the unsung hero of product development

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:37:00 EST

Test engineers should get as much credit as product designers, but they don't. Here's to the test engineer, whose daily challenges and strong will make them a valuable addition to the product development cycle.

Presented By: NEC

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:37:00 EST

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Earnings roundup: ST, IDT, RF Micro post profits

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:47:00 EST

STMicroelectronics, Altera and Integrated Device Technology became the latest chip makers to deliver quarterly numbers that beat consensus analyst expectations, while RF Micro Devices came up slightly short on revenue.

Stuck Mars Rover to become 'stationary science platform'

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:28:00 EST

After months of trying to free the Mars Rover "Spirit" from Martian quicksand, NASA engineers have given up the attempt and designated the spunky Rover a "stationary science platform."

Top 10 growth markets for ICs

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:12:00 EST

So what are the top-10 growth categories for 2010?

TI Q4 net soars on higher analog IC demand

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:00 EST

Texas Instruments Inc.'s net income rose sharply in the fourth quarter on benefits from higher analog demand, improving manufacturing utilization as well as lower overall costs and the company sees sales rising sequentially in the traditionally slower first quarter.

Presented By:

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:00 EST

TI Q4 net soars on higher analog IC demand

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:00 EST

Presented By:

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:00 EST

Optical RAM on chip, set to reduce telecoms power

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:26:00 EST

Researchers from IMEC (Leuven, Belgium) and the department of information technology at Ghent University (INTEC) have published a paper on an optical random access memory integrated on a silicon chip with record low power consumption.

ISSCC 2010 goes beyond just "more and better digital"

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:42:08 EST

There's lots of interesting analog design, topology, and performance at big solid-state event

Five trends in IC manufacturing

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:06:00 EST

During an event, Bill McClean, president of IC Insights Inc. (Scottsdale, Ariz.), outlined five trends--and predictions--in the IC supply base.

Startup retrofits 35mm projectors for 3-D

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:07:00 EST

Stereo 3-D movies could be shown on many more screens at lower costs if startup Oculus3D is able to sell its new lens and print format to retrofit for stereo 3-D the existing 2-D 35mm projectors used in today's theaters.

Presented By:

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:07:00 EST

Teardown: Moto Droid emulates other iPhone killers

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:59:00 EST

Motorola's Droid smartphone includes hardware similar to other so-called "iPhone killers" and carries a bill of materials cost of $179.11, according to a teardown analysis conducted by market research firm iSuppli.

Point/Counterpoint: Intel beyond the PC

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:08:00 EST

The PC era is drawing to a close. Intel Corp., which built an empire on the personal computer, is aggressively seeking new markets. Will it succeed? Here are four diverging views on Intel's strategy.