Author Archives: david manners

IBM makes 7nm SiGe/EUV test chip

IBM/SUNY (State University of New York) Polytechnic 300mm research facility in Albany

IBM/SUNY (State University of New York) Polytechnic 300mm research facility in Albany

IBM, GloFo and Samsung have produced a 7nm test chip with functional transistors using SiGe and EUV.

The chip was built at the IBM/SUNY (State University of New York) Polytechnic 300mm research facility in Albany.

The finfet transistors using SiGe in the channel. were fabricated using self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQR) and EUV lithography is used.

Density improvement over 10nm is “close to 50 percent” and power/performance improvement is “at least a 50 percent” better than 10nm says IBM.

Intel, TSMC, GloFo and Samsung are currently trying to get 10nm into,production though a leak from Intel suggested it had hit problems. 7nm is at least two to three years away from production.

Phablets to surpass tablets this year

Sony Xperia Z Ultra, with a 6.44-inch touchscreen

Sony Xperia Z Ultra, with a 6.44-inch touchscreen

Sales of phones with 5 inch plus screens, so called “phablets”, will overtake tablet sales in 2015, reports IC Insights.

Shipments of 5 inch plus phones will reach 252 million units in 2015, which is a 66% increase from the 152 million sold in 2014.

Strong growth in large-screen smartphones is having a major impact on tablet unit sales, which are forecast to increase just 2% in 2015 to 238 million units.

Strong sales of large-screen smartphones will continue in the next three years while the tablet market struggles with low single-digit percentage growth through 2018.

Large-screen smartphone shipments are forecast to climb by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% between 2014 and 2018, while tablet unit shipments will rise by a CAGR of just 3% in this four-year period.

Large-screen smartphones are having the biggest impact on mini tablets, which saw a rise in popularity in the past few years. Mini tablets have 7- to 8.9-inch displays and typically run the same software as smartphones.

The phablet segment is expected to account for 17% of total smartphone shipments in 2015, which are forecast to be about 1.5 billion handsets. Phablets will represent 21% of the 1.7 billion smartphones that are forecast to be shipped in 2016. Phablet sales are projected to reach 30% of the nearly two billion total smartphones shipped in 2018.

Rise of the Phablet

Rise of the Phablet

Tablet unit sales have nearly stalled out because incremental improvements in new models have not been enough to convince owners of existing systems to buy replacements. More consumers are opting to buy new phablets instead using both a smartphone and tablet. Large-screen smartphones have gained traction because more handsets are being used for video applications (including streaming of TV programs and movies) in addition to Internet web browsing, video gaming, GPS navigation, and looking at digital photos.

The market for large-screen smartphones received a boost from Apple’s highly-successful iPhone 6 Plus model, which started shipping in September 2014 and continued to gain momentum in the first half of 2015. Apple joined the phablet movement somewhat belatedly, but its 5.5-inch display iPhone 6 Plus smartphone played a major role in the company shipping 61.2 million iPhone handsets in the first quarter of 2015 – a 40% increase over the same quarter in 2014.

See also: Sony Xperia Z Ultra pushes the phablet envelope

Peregrine moves RF SOI to 300mm

Peregrine UltraCMOS technology

Peregrine UltraCMOS technology

Peregrine Semiconductor of San Diego announces UltraCMOS 11 – an RF SOI technology built on GloFo’s’ 130nm 300mm RF process.

By moving to a 300mm wafer, Peregrine opens the door to new enhancements and advanced features in future generations of the UltraCMOS technology platform.

UltraCMOS 11 technology uses a custom fabrication flow from GloFo’s’ Fab 7 in Singapore.

The UltraCMOS 11 platform will be the foundation for Peregrine’s high volume mobile products and SOI products for other applications.

Peregrine writes:

The UltraCMOS 11 platform is the industry’s first RF SOI 300 mm technology platform. Co-developed by GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Peregrine, it builds on the success of the award-wining UltraCMOS 10 platform and offers unparalleled performance and cost-competitive advantages. This customer-specific process uses a custom fabrication flow from GLOBALFOUNDRIES state-of-the-art Fab 7 facility in Singapore and will be the foundation for high volume mobile products and SOI product applications.

Avnet Abacus signs Mechatronics

ModulLED modular passive LED cooler

ModulLED modular passive LED cooler

Avnet Abacus has signed a pan-European distribution agreement with Taiwan’s MechaTronix, the LED cooling specialist.

From its roots as a designer and manufacturer of interconnection and packaging systems for a range of electronics applications, MechaTronix has become a supplier of thermal management products for solid-state lighting applications.

Thermal management, now a critical factor in LED fixtures, has prompted MechaTronix to develop a range of off-the-shelf LED coolers for passive or active heat dissipation, including pin-fin and star heat sinks that cool LEDs as powerful as 8,000 lumen.

Avnet Abacus is stocking the MechaTronix ModuLED and IceLED cooling series, and will add new products from MechaTronix for professional deployment in spotlights, downlights, architectural, and utility LED applications.

Sequans hooks up with Gemalto

Sequans hooks up with Gemalto for IoT

Sequans hooks up with Gemalto for IoT

Sequans, the LTE IC specialist, and Gemalto are to put LTE chips into modules for the IoT market.

The first of these will be based on Sequans’ Calliope LTE platform, a Cat 1 (10 Mbps) LTE chipset solution optimised for low power, and lower bandwidth requirements.

The modules add LTE connectivity to devices such as smart meters, alarm systems, asset trackers, remote monitors, M2M routers, telematics etc.

Calliope supports VoLTE and location-based services.

The first of the Sequans-powered Gemalto modules is expected to certify and ship in the second half of 2015, targeting US markets with other markets to follow.

High frequency, low jitter, clock oscillator from IQD

High frequency, low jitter, clock oscillator from IQD - IQXO-931

High frequency, low jitter, clock oscillator from IQD – IQXO-931

IQD has introduced a high frequency, low jitter clock oscillator with low phase jitter of less than 0.5ps rms max (over 12kHz to 20MHz) irrespective of which output is specified.

Housed in a hermetically sealed 2.5×2.0mm ceramic six-pad package, the new model is available in a wide frequency rang,e from 8MHz to an extremely high 1.5GHz.

The IQXO-931 is primarily designed for applications such as Ethernet (10G/40G/100G), Wi-Fi, DSL/ASDL and WiMAX/W-Lan.

Output options available are CMOS, LVPECL or LVDS.

The clock oscillator can operate at either 2.5V or 3.3V and if required an enable or disable output can be included. Operating over the industrial temperature range of -40°C to 85°C, all inclusive frequency stabilities down to ±30ppm over a period of 10 years can be specified.

This part is available in loose pack for sampling or tape-and-reel for volume.

Fujitsu sampling 1Mbit FRAM in WL-CSP package

Fujitsu 1-Mbit FRAM

Fujitsu 1-Mbit FRAM – Comparison of the SOP and WL-CSP packages.

Fujitsu is sampling a 1Mbit SPI FRAM in an 8-pin WL-CSP device measuring 3.09×2.28×0.33mm which reduces the surface mounting area by 77%, and the device height by 80% compared to an S0P-8 package.

The WL-CSP package makes FRAM suitable for wearable and sensor applications which need small device dimensions, extremely low power consumption for maximum battery lifetime, and high endurance in write cycles in case of real time logging.

While conventional non-volatile memories like EEPROM or Flash memory are covering an endurance of the range of only 1 million write cycles, the MB85RS1MT FRAM device provides an endurance of 10 trillion read/write cycles, allowing a flexible storage of real time logging data. In contrast to the block access of EEPROM and Flash, FRAM can be overwritten fast and flexibly into each memory cell without any waiting time, so consuming less energy in the writing access, and helping extend the battery lifetime, especially for wearable / sensor applications with frequent logging functions.

The MB85RS1MT device operates in the voltage range of 1.8V – 3.6V and guarantees a data retention of 10 years at 85°C. The operation temperature ranges from -40°C to 85°C. This devicecomes in SOP-8 and 8pin WL-CSP packages.

Fujitsu writes:

The availability of the MB85RS1MT in the WL-CSP package will help wearable device manufacturers to design smaller, slimmer, and more functional products, and greatly extend battery life. Fujitsu Semiconductor as always continues to provide products and solutions that raise the value and utility of the customers’ applications.

Specifications

Part Number: MB85RS1MT
Density (configuration): 1 Mbit (128K x 8 bits)
Interface: serial peripheral interface (SPI)
Operating voltage: 1.8–3.6 V
Guaranteed read/write cycles: 10 trillion
Data retention: 10 years (at +85℃)
Package: 8-pin WL-CSP, 8-pin SOP

Intepro load bank returns 90% of power back to the grid

PEL Series load bank

PEL Series load bank

Intepro Systems has introduced a new load bank, the PEL Regenerative AC Electronic Load Bank built around a 60 kVA chassis which accepts standard AC input ranges from 120 to 480V and provides grid-synchronized, regenerated AC power output that returns 90% of the equipment under test (EUT) load power back to the utility.

The PEL Series provides an energy-saving solution when testing any type of power used in a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical, battery and green energy.

It features three modes of load settings: constant current, constant resistance and constant power. It also provides adjustable power factor from 0.3 to 1.0 to simulate a range of load conditions as well as independent phase control and a built-in measurement system.

The PEL Series also offers load sequence transient generation for creating complex, variable and repeatable load conditions.

“Rising energy prices makes energy conservation a major concern for companies that are continually searching for ways to reduce costs,” says Intepro’s Gerard Sheehan.

The company writes:

The PEL Regenerative AC Electronic Load sets a new standard for efficient testing of AC power devices. With the growing cost of power energy, conservation has become a major concern and companies are continually searching for ways to reduce costs. At over 90% efficient the PEL regenerates power from the Equipment Under Test (EUT) to the utility grid resulting in significant cost savings. The PEL series is built around 60kVA chassis which may be paralleled for higher power requirements.

The PELs accept standard AC input ranges from 120 to 480V and provide a grid-synchronized, regenerated AC power output from 120 to 480V. Three modes of load settings include Constant Current, Constant Resistance and Constant Power. The PELs also provides adjustable power factor from 0.3 to 1.0 to simulate poor power factor load conditions. Add independent phase control and it’s apparent why the PEL sets new standards for loading power devices.

Slowing device market, reports Gartner

Gartner device market 2015

Gartner device market 2015

The only device market (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) that continues to show growth is the mobile phone market where prices continue to fall, says Gartner.

For phones the emerging markets are driving the smartphone market upward, with China leading the way.

Taking all these devices combined, 2.5 billion units will be sold in 2015, a 1.5% increase from 2014.

The global PC shipment market is expected to total 300 million units in 2015, a decline of 4.5% year on year. Win 10 is not expected to help this year but might next year.

Ultramobiles (tablets and clamshells) will contract in 2015. Ultramobile shipments are estimated to total 214 million units in 2015, a decline of 5.3% year on year. Tablets will account for 207 million units, a decline of 5.9% from 2014.

“The tablet market is hit by fewer new buyers, extended life cycles and little innovation to encourage new purchases,” says Gartner’s Roberta Cozza, “at the same time, the value of a smartwatch for the average user is still not compelling enough and the impact of these wearables on tablet purchases remains negligible.

The tablet has become a “nice to have” device, and there is no real need for an upgrade as regularly as for the phone.” Gartner analysts also witness users relying more on their smartphones as functionality increases and screen size standardizes at 5 inches. This is affecting the appeal of smaller tablets in markets such as Western Europe and North America, beyond Asia.

“We also expect the tablet market to reach a penetration close to 50 percent of households in mature markets by 2016, which is soon,” adds Cozza.

The mobile phone market growth rate is expected to slow down to 3.3% in 2015. The global market has been affected by a weaker performance in China with fewer first time buyers suggesting the mobile phone market in there is reaching saturation.

MCCI USB Host stack for Win 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi

MCCI TrueTask USB Host

MCCI TrueTask USB Host

MCCI is providing its TrueTask USB Host stack as the connectivity engine for Windows 10 IoT Core OS targeting Raspberry Pi.

A quality USB host stack is needed to make Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi 2 suitable for for IoT development.

“Creating USB host stack is risky because of the testing and requirements needed to be compatible with the huge variety of devices,” says MCCI CEO Terry Moore., ” TrueTask is pre-tested and pre-verified so our customers can focus on enhancing their IoT products and don’t have to worry about USB connectivity.”

When preparing Windows 10 IoT Core for the Insider Preview release for Raspberry Pi 2 earlier this month, Microsoft needed a USB stack that could support the Synopsys USB core at the same level of quality as the Windows EHCI stack.

The Raspberry Pi 2 SoC uses a Synopsys DesignWare USB 2.0 IP core to provide the USB host function, which is not compatible with the EHCI and XHCI register models used in traditional PCs, so the standard Windows stack could not be used.

With 10 years of experience supporting the Synopsys core in deeply embedded systems, and five years of experience offering USB 3 host support for Windows 7, 8 and 10, MCCI ported its USB stack to the Raspberry Pi 2.

TrueTask is based on the MCCI USB DataPump and is platform-agnostic, making it available for any hardware-software combination.