Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new method for producing atomically-thin semiconducting crystals that could one day enable more powerful and compact electronic devices. By using specially-treated silicon surfaces to tailor the crystals’ size and shape, the researchers have found a potentially faster and less expensive way to produce next-generation semiconductor crystals for microchips. The crystalline materials produced this way could in turn enable new scientific discoveries and accelerate technological developments in quantum computing, consumer electronics, and higher efficiency solar cells and batteries.
Semiconductors
SEMICON Korea 2020 to Showcase AI, Smart Mobility and Manufacturing, MEMS and Sensors, Talent
With Korea the world’s largest manufacturer of memory semiconductors and leading in 300mm fab construction in 2019, the region is paving the way to SEMICON Korea 2020 as more than 500 companies and 55,000 visitors are expected to gather February 5-7 at the COEX in Seoul for the latest microelectronics developments, innovations and trends powering the next wave of industry growth. Registration for SEMICON Korea, the premier event in Korea for electronics manufacturing, is now open.
Intel to Reclaim Number One Semiconductor Supplier Ranking in 2019
IC Insights’ November Update to the 2019 McClean Report, released later this month, includes a discussion of the forecasted top-25 semiconductor suppliers in 2019 (the top-15 2019 semiconductor suppliers are covered in this research bulletin). The Update also includes a detailed five-year forecast of the IC market by product type (including dollar volume, unit shipments, and average selling price) and a forecast of the major semiconductor industry capital spenders for 2019 and 2020.
Cree and ABB Announce Silicon Carbide Partnership to Deliver Automotive and Industrial Solutions
Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), the global leader in silicon carbide technology, and ABB’s Power Grids business have announced a partnership to jointly expand the rollout of silicon carbide in the rapidly-growing high-power semiconductor market. The agreement incorporates the use of Cree’s Wolfspeed® silicon carbide-based semiconductors into ABB’s comprehensive product portfolio, enabling Cree to broaden its customer base while accelerating ABB’s entry into the fast-expanding EV sector. Cree’s products will be included as part of ABB’s power semiconductor product portfolio, across power grids, train and traction, industrial and e-mobility sectors. Specifically, Cree’s industry-leading silicon carbide devices will be assembled into ABB power modules.
Rational Transparent Conductor Design Provides a Boost to Carbon Nanotubes Application
An international team of scientists led by researchers from the Laboratory of Nanomaterials at the Skoltech Center for Photonics and Quantum Materials (CPQM) have rationally designed a novel p-type flexible transparent conductor using single-walled carbon nanotubes. This opens new avenues for its applications in next generation opto-electronics and energy technologies. The results of the study were published in the prestigious international journal Nano Energy. Most of the optical and electronic devices encountered daily are constituted of transparent conductors. However, all the presently available transparent conductors are n-type semiconductors, thus restricting technological advancement. The emergence of carbon nanotubes as p-type transparent conductors has been promising. Its further development will be tremendously instrumental for various opto-electronics and energy technologies.
NIST-Led Team Develops Tiny Low-Energy Device to Rapidly Reroute Light in Computer Chips
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have developed an optical switch that routes light from one computer chip to another in just 20 billionths of a second — faster than any other similar device. The compact switch is the first to operate at voltages low enough to be integrated onto low-cost silicon chips and redirects light with very low signal loss. The switch’s record-breaking performance is a major new step toward building a computer that uses light instead of electricity to process information. Relying on particles of light — photons — to transport data within a computer offers several advantages over electronic communications.
Synopsys Completes Acquisition of DINI Group
Synopsys, Inc. today announced it has completed its acquisition of DINI Group, an established leader in FPGA-based boards and solutions, headquartered in La Jolla, California. The rapid growth of software used in automotive, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and high-performance computing (HPC) applications creates an enormous hardware/software validation challenge for system-on-chip (SoC) designers. To address this challenge, SoC designers are deploying FPGA-based prototyping solutions to enable software development to start earlier and accelerate hardware verification and system validation.
Intel Board of Directors Elects New Director
Intel Corporation today announced that James (Jim) J. Goetz was elected to Intel’s board of directors. His election marks the sixth new independent director added to Intel’s board since the beginning of 2016. “Jim has a keen understanding of how technology is evolving and a strong track record helping technology companies capitalize on disruptive innovation,” said Intel Chairman Andy Bryant. “Jim has helped create and grow a number of technology companies and product lines to market-leading positions, both as an entrepreneur and as an investor. Jim’s technical insight, substantial operating experience, growth mindset, and deep private and public company board experience, all will further strengthen Intel’s board.”
Strategy Analytics: RF GaN Revenue Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing
Revenue from RF GaN-enabled devices grew by nearly 22 percent in 2018. The Strategy Analytics Advanced Semiconductor Applications (ASA) report “RF GaN Market Forecast: 2018 – 2023 (Data Tables)” forecasts that this growth will accelerate and RF GaN revenue will surpass $1.7 billion in 2023. The drivers for this explosive growth will be continuing 4G and emerging 5G base station deployments, along with a variety of defense applications.
AKHAN Semiconductor Issued Major Patent in Taiwan
AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamonds, announced today that it has been issued a patent by the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). The patent covers AKHAN’s next-generation N-type diamond semiconductor system and diamond-based multilayer antireflective coating systems, key components in military & aerospace sensor and detector applications, amongst other use cases. It is the Company’s third Taiwan-issued patent, and the fifth foreign counterpart that’s been issued. The technology enables breakthrough performance in semiconductor devices as well as new capabilities in optical sensing, detecting, and transmission.
