Archive : 12 June 2015 год

Tyndall National Institute, CEA-Leti and imec have entered into a collaborative open access project called ASCENT – Access to European Nanoelectronics Network – in a move intended to mobilise Europe's research capabilities.

The project, which has received €4.7million from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme, will open the partners' facilities to nanoelectronics researchers in Europe.

Dr. Kieran Drain, from project coordinator Tyndall National Institute, said: "We are delighted to coordinate the ASCENT programme and to be partners with CEA-Leti and imec. ASCENT has the capacity to change the paradigm of European research through unprecedented access to cutting-edge technologies. We are confident that ASCENT will ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of global nanoelectronics development."

According to the partners, ASCENT will share best scientific and technological practices, form a knowledge innovation hub, train new researchers in advanced methodologies and establish a first class research network.

Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec, added: "[ASCENT] will enable them to explore exciting new opportunities in the 'More Moore', as well as the 'More than Moore' domains, and allow them to participate and compete effectively on the global stage for the development of advanced nanoelectronics."

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

RS Components has expanded DesignSpark Mechanical with two optional modules – Mechanical Exchange and Mechanical Drawing – that are said to extend the tool's functionality.

"The advanced capabilities of the essential and free version of DesignSpark Mechanical will meet the 3D design requirements of the large majority of users," said Glenn Jarrett, global head of product marketing. "However, these premium modules will further enhance the tool and offer more functionality to highly advanced users at a very competitive price, and enable them to create a seamless concept to production workflow."

Mechanical Exchange enables the import, modification and export of STEP and IGES file formats. This allows full exchange of design data with CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Catia, ProEngineer and AutoCAD. The module also allows DesignSpark Mechanical to be integrated into a product development toolchain that works across various software platforms.

According to RS, companies can pass designs to their mechanical department or outside contractors for final design creation and manufacturing withouth having to invest in 3D CAD licences or training.

Meanwhile, Mechanical Drawing adds SpaceClaim's Associative Drawing environment to the basic package. This module allows the creation of detailed dimensioned drawings, allowing engineers to move beyond concept development and the 3D printing of prototypes.

DesignSpark Mechanical, developed in conjunction with SpaceClaim, continues to be available for free download.

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Although it had previously agreed to accept an offer from a Chinese investment group, memory developer Integrated Silicon Solutions (ISSI) has now accepted an increased offer from Cypress that values the company at $670million.

ISSI is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and markets products for the automotive, communications, industrial and digital consumer markets. While its main products are DRAM and SRAM, it also produces NOR flash and high performance analogue parts.

Both companies appear to be worried that a merger would attract the interest of the US anti trust authorities because they hold leading positions in the SRAM market. However, Cypress says it is prepared to divest the SRAM element of ISSI if that will allow the deal to complete.

Acquiring ISSI would not only add some $330m to Cypress' embedded memories revenue, it would also put Cypress in a much stronger position in the automotive world, where ISSI is a leading supplier of DRAM. It would also sit nicely alongside Cypress' latest acquistion Spansion.

Meanwhile, Cypress has sold its TrueTouch Mobile touchscreen business to Parade Technologies for $100 million in cash.

"We believe Cypress' leading technology and unmatched IP portfolio in touch-sensing will provide immediate growth opportunities, increasing our scale and diversifying our revenue and customer base," said Jack Zhao, Parade's CEO. "More importantly, the combination of two technology leaders will enable Parade's roadmap for display and touch integration solutions in mobile display."

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Samsung has unveiled its Mirror and Transparent OLED display panels at a retail exhibition in Hong Kong. When Samsung's OLED display is integrated with Intel's Real Sense technology, a 'virtual fitting room' can be created and used to help consumers see themselves wearing clothing or jewellery.

The Intel technology combines consumer-grade 3D cameras with an automated library of stored 'perceptions' to simplify camera enhancement efforts of software developers.

Samsung claims its Mirror OLED display panel is sharper, clearer, has higher contrast and faster response times compared to mirror LCDs already available. In addition, the mirror display technology does not need the ambient backlight for displaying on-screen images that LCD technology requires.

Samsung plans to use its transparent OLEDs for interactive advertisements, in locations such as car dealerships as well as retail and hospitality sites that will take advantage of RealSense's voice and gesture control capabilities.

"Samsung has a long legacy of leadership in technology innovation for digital signage, as well as for other applications, and we are now leading the next wave of digital signage advancement with our Mirror and Transparent OLED display solutions," said Oseung Yang, vice president, Samsung Display. "We are very excited to help bring a new interactive dimension to the world of multi-channel shopping through the integration of our newest OLED displays with Intel RealSense technology."

Author
Tom Austin-Morgan

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Microsemi has announced the release of its automotive-grade FPGAs and SoC FPGAs. The next-generation low power, flash-based SmartFusion2 FPGAs and ARM Cortex-M3 enabled IGLOO2 SoC FPGAs are said to have achieved AEC-Q100 grade 2 qualification.

"Security and reliability are major concerns in automotive applications, and these devices assure the safety of our customers' design, data and hardware from tampering and cloning," said Bruce Weyer, vice president and business unit manager at Microsemi. "In addition, the devices' single event upset immunity offers protection from neutron-induced firm errors, helping customers achieve zero defect rates."

The SmartFusion2 and IGLOO2 are suitable alternatives to ASICs providing a low power, cost-effective, secure and reliable solution for automotive applications including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), vehicle-to-vehicle/vehicle-to-everything (V2V/V2X) communication and electric/hybrid engine control units.

The devices are targeted for the rapidly growing automotive electronics segment, as well as the industry's growing demand for high reliability and security for zero defect and tamper-free applications.

Author
Tom Austin-Morgan

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk