Electronics Industry News & Analysis | Market Outlook & Trends

U.S. Manufacturing Begins Thaw

U.S. manufacturing is shaking off the effects of an unusually harsh winter.

U.S., Ireland Team Up to Crack Water

Sunlight in, hydrogen and oxygen out of one of the commonest compounds on the surface of the earth – water. That is the goal of a transatlantic research project.

Angular-selective Light Filtering Can Improve Optical Systems

Novel filtering method can improve optical system performance.

Intel Extends NFC Deal With Inside Secure

Inside Secure has dropped royalties on its NFC technology and IP licensing deal with Intel in return for a lump sum and as it seeks to focus on security.

Novel Polymer Material Promises Reliable Heat Conduction for Electronic Devices

Polymer can help with thermal management issues.

Printed Circuit Board Shipments Inch Up

PCB B2B climbs incrementally in February.

Teardown: ABB ACS150 1 HP AC Motor Drive

The ACS150 AC motor drive from ABB (ACS150-03U-04A7-2) is a 1 HP unit that the company offers in its family of “component” drives. The ACS150 is available in cabinet-mounted (UL open) and wall-mounted (NEMA 1) versions. A recent teardown analysis of the cabinet-mounted version performed by IHS Teardown Services revealed that the ACS150 includes semiconductors made by Texas Instruments Inc., International Rectifier Inc., and On Semiconductor, among others.

Tower Pays $7.5 million for Control of Three Panasonic Fabs

Israel specialty foundry is gaining control of three wafer fabs and a five-year order book in return for stock certificates valued at $7.5 million.

Corning, Atmel Team on Thinner, Curvy Touchscreens

Curved and thinner touchscreens are on their way, courtesy of Corning's Gorilla Glass paired with Atmel's Xsense capacitive touch technology.

Crossbar Funding Moves ReRAM Closer to Market

A well-connected startup commercializing resistive RAM research out of the University of Michigan has raised $25 million and is in talks with potential users of its technology.

Startup Halves 28nm SRAM Power Consumption

Lower power SRAMs through better sense and control circuitry confirmed in 28nm silicon by IP licensing startup.

Lenovo Recalls ThinkPad Battery Packs

Battery packs sold with some models of ThinkPad notebook computers in the U.S. and Canada can overheat and cause fire, according to a U.S. government agency.

Telekom Malaysia Re-Enters Mobile Market, But Faces Considerable Challenges

Telekom Malaysia's deal to acquire a 57 percent stake in Malaysia's largest WiMAX provider carries significant risks.

Future Signs Deal with Crocus; Digi-Key to Carry Active-Semi Products

Future will distribute Crocus's magnetically enhanced semiconductors, while Digikey will carry Active-Semi's line of analog and mixed-signal power ICs.

Kalray Eyes FDSOI for Many Core Processors

A European startup that has a developed a massively parallel processor is being asked to move the architecture on to ST’s fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator manufacturing process.

Quantum Recruits Silvaco to Model Si-Ge-C Superlattices

A research company founded by experienced academics and semiconductor executives has moved closer to getting SiGeC superlattice structures into commercial use with potential consequences for sensors.