Researchers have demonstrated a new all-optical technique for creating robust second-order nonlinear effects in materials that don’t normally support them.
Semiconductors
pSemi Announces the Retirement of Former CEO and Esteemed Executive Jim Cable
pSemi® Corporation, a Murata company focused on semiconductor integration, announces the retirement of former CEO and esteemed executive Jim Cable. After more than 20 years with the company, Cable retires from his position as chairman and CTO of pSemi and as global semiconductor R&D director for parent company Murata Manufacturing. Cable joined pSemi (formerly Peregrine Semiconductor) in Oct. 1996 and held positions as COO and vice president of technology and engineering before becoming CEO in 2002. From 2002 to 2017, he served as CEO, leading the team through explosive growth, funding rounds, an IPO and the 2014 acquisition by Murata.
New Method Gives Robust Transistors
A new method to fit together layers of semiconductors as thin as a few nanometres has resulted in not only a scientific discovery but also a new type of transistor for high-power electronic devices. The result, published in Applied Physics Letters, has aroused huge interest. The achievement is the result of a close collaboration between scientists at Linköping University and SweGaN, a spin-off company from materials science research at LiU. The company manufactures tailored electronic components from gallium nitride.
Researchers Create Nanoscale Sensors to Better See How High Pressure Affects Materials
Researchers have developed new nanoscale technology to image and measure more of the stresses and strains on materials under high pressures. As the researchers reported in the journal Science, that matters because, “Pressure alters the physical, chemical and electronic properties of matter.” Understanding those changes could lead to new materials or new phases of matter for use in all kinds of technologies and applications, said Valery Levitas, a paper co-author and Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering at Iowa State University, the Vance Coffman Faculty Chair and professor in aerospace engineering.
Paving the Way for Spintronic RAMs: A Deeper Look Into a Powerful Spin Phenomenon
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology(Tokyo Tech) explore a new material combination that sets the stage for magnetic random access memories, which rely on spin–an intrinsic property of electrons– and could outperform current storage devices. Their breakthrough published in a new study describes a novel strategy to exploit spin-related phenomena in topological materials, which could spur several advances in the field of spin electronics. Moreover, this study provides additional insight into the underlying mechanism of spin-related phenomena.
Global Semiconductor Sales Decrease Slightly Month-to-Month in November
As 2019 winds down, global semiconductor sales continued to lag behind the previous year’s total. Month-to-month sales slipped 0.3 percent; year-to-year sales were down 10.8 percent.
Founder of Tera-Barrier Films named Innovator of the Year for Technology
Tera-Barrier Films Pte Ltd (TBF) Founder and Chief Technology Officer Senthil Ramadas clinched the Innovator of the Year Award for Technology at the Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards 2019. When Senthil was still with the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering of the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), he developed a platform barrier technology for flexible electronics, organic solar and displays. Subsequently, he spun-off the technology from A*STAR to start Tera-Barrier Films.
MIPT Physicists Find Ways to Overcome Signal Loss in Magnonic Circuits
Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, and N.G. Chernyshevsky Saratov State University have demonstrated that the coupling elements in magnonic logic circuits are so crucial that a poorly selected waveguide can lead to signal loss. The physicists developed a parametric model for predicting the waveguide configuration that avoids signal loss, built a prototype waveguide, and tested the model in an experiment. Their paper was published in the Journal of Applied Physics.
IEEE to Define a Formal Model for Safe Automated Vehicle Decision-Making
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has approved a proposal to develop a standard for safety considerations in automated vehicle (AV) decision-making and named Intel Senior Principal Engineer Jack Weast to lead the workgroup. Participation in the workgroup is open to companies across the AV industry, and Weast hopes for broad industry representation. Group members will hold their first meeting in 2020’s first quarter. Industry and regulators are struggling to agree on a method for evaluating the safety of AVs, although most people agree that standards are needed to establish regulatory thresholds for granting AVs their driver’s licenses. Multiple approaches are in development even though industry consensus is lacking.
North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts November 2019 Billings
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.12 billion in billings worldwide in November 2019 (three-month average basis), according to the November Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 1.9 percent higher than the final October 2019 level of $2.08 billion, and is 9.1 percent higher than the November 2018 billings level of $1.94 billion.
