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Monthly Archives: October 2015

GE goes circadian

GE Sleep Bulb

GE Lighting has unveiled an led replacement light bulb claimed to help with sleep – so much so, it is called C Sleep. The C bit is about being ‘connected’, as it has Bluetooth radio inside. C Life is a more general version, and  to go with its new bulbs the firm has launched its first ever GE e-commerce web ...

Imec breakthrough may commercialise silicon photonics

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Imec and Ghent University have monolithically integrated arrays of indium phosphide lasers on 300mm silicon substrates in a CMOS pilot line. It provides a path toward high-volume manufacturing of cost-effective photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with monolithically integrated laser sources. Such laser-powered PICs will revolutionize data transfer between future logic and memory chips. Silicon photonics enables cost-effective manufacturing of fiber-optic transceivers, ...

The Stresses of Running A Business

Sir Clive Sinclair invented many great products and inspired a generation of techies to become entrepreneurs but he is the first to admit that he’s not a great businessman. “I know I’m not a good runner of businesses,” says Sir Clive, “I find it very stressful. I did it badly and didn’t really like it. So I’ve adapted my methods ...

Soraa builds second GaN-on-GaN LED fab

Soraa HQ

GaN-on-GaN LED maker Soraa is building a semiconductor fab in Syracuse New York, in partnership with the State of New York. The firm, which has a fab in Fremont California, is working with SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, shell completion is scheduled by the end of this year, and production for the second half of 2016. It was announced in ...

Foundries Trying To Free Up 200mm Capacity.

The pressure to get eight inch capacity is so great that foundries are asking LCD driver IC customers to move onto 300mm wafers to free up eight inch lines for analogue ICs, sensors, MCUs and MEMS, reports Digitimes. According to SEMI, the surging demand for sensors, MEMS, analogue, power semiconductors and the like means that the industry will spend $3 ...

European Parliament Shows Its Cojones

The European Parliament has been unaccustomedly bold in voting to protect Ed Snowden from prosecution by the USA. Typically, the vote was close – 285-281 – but it showed that the EU does have balls in doing what a lot of Americans believe is the right thing – to see Snowden as a whistle-blower rather than a traitor. Of course ...

350W medical PSU needs no forced air

TDK psu CUS350MAC

The CUS350M series of ac-dc power supplies from TDK are rated at 350W and have both medical and ITE certification to IEC 60601-1 and IEC 60950-1 standards. Requiring no forced air for cooling, the PSUs are intended for use where audible noise cannot be tolerated: hospital, dental, broadcast and professional audio application, for example. They can operate from an 85-264Vac, ...

ST Scotches Fairchild Rumour

In the earnings call following ST’s Q3 results, CEO Carlo Bozotti quashed rumours that ST might bid for Fairchild. “M&A is something, of course, that may be of interest for the company of ST,” said Bozotti, “I think it’s certainly not on the table today. I also want to mention the fact that there were rumors and we do not ...

Textile pressure sensors can be washed

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Flexible mechanical sensors that can be bonded or sewn into woven or knitted fabrics have been developed by German research lab Fraunhofer ISC. Deformation, force and pressure can be measured, and strains up to 100% (doubling length) can be endured. It is an elastomer film with flexible electrodes on both sides. Electrode patterning can be used to create an array ...