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.
Semiconductors
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.
IBM Elects Thomas Buberl to Its Board of Directors
The IBM (NYSE:IBM) board of directors has elected Thomas Buberl to the board, effective April 28, 2020.Mr. Buberl, 46, is the chief executive officer of AXA S.A. Headquartered in Paris, France, AXA is one of the world’s largest global insurance firms. Since becoming CEO in September 2016, Mr. Buberl has been leading AXA through a digital transformation, accelerating business innovation and leveraging data to meet customers’ rapidly evolving needs in the digital world.
New Spin Directions in Pyrite an Encouraging Sign for Future Spintronics
A Monash University study revealing new spin textures in pyrite could unlock these materials’ potential in future spintronics devices. The study of pyrite-type materials provides new insights and opportunities for selective spin control in topological spintronics devices. The new Monash Engineering study demonstrates for the first time that pyrite-type crystals can host unconventional energy- and direction-dependent spin textures on the surface, with both in-plane and out-of-plane spin components, in sharp contrast to spin textures in conventional topological materials.
EV Group and Delo Partner to Expand Materials and Process Capability for Wafer-Level Optics and Nanoimprint Lithography
EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today announced that it is partnering with DELO, a leading manufacturer of industrial high-tech adhesives, in the area of wafer-level optics (WLO). Both companies, well-known for their leading roles in optical sensor manufacturing, are combining efforts to enable novel optical devices and applications, such as biometric authentication and facial recognition, for the industrial, automotive and consumer electronics markets utilizing EVG’s leading lens molding and nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process equipment and DELO’s advanced adhesives and resist materials.
Renesas Electronics Expands RA Microcontroller Ecosystem with Ready to Use Partner Solutions
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the first 10 ready to use partner solutions that support the Renesas Advanced (RA) microcontroller (MCU) Family of 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M MCUs. RA MCUs deliver optimized performance and ease of use with the Flexible Software Package (FSP) and partner building block solutions that work out-of-box to address a range of Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint and edge applications.
Stretchable, Degradable Semiconductors
To seamlessly integrate electronics with the natural world, materials are needed that are both stretchable and degradable — for example, flexible medical devices that conform to the surfaces of internal organs, but that dissolve and disappear when no longer needed. However, introducing these properties to electronics has been challenging. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed stretchable, degradable semiconductors that could someday find applications in health and environmental monitoring.
