Electronics Supply Chain News & Analysis

Carbon Dioxide to Ethanol?

Researchers at ORNL convert carbon dioxide into ethanol, which can be used to store energy or to produce mechanical work.

Engineers Create 3-D Acoustic Holograms Using Lego-like Wall of Materials

New Lego-like metamaterial device can create acoustic holograms to revolutionize applications like home stereo systems and medical ultrasound devices.

Smartwatch Can Detect Taps, Flicks and Scratches on the Wearers Body

The new sensor technology makes possible new types of interactions with wearable devices.

Canadian Manufacturer Implements GaN FETs in AC/DC Converters with Redundant Feeds

Telcodium’s single AC series module with redundant AC feeds replaces three-module power supply architecture.

SMIC Begins Construction on New 12-inch Wafer Fab

The new fab will help the foundry achieve revenue growth for the next three to four years.

Holographic 3-D Display Technology May Be a Game Changer for Industrial Applications

The technology could be used for displays in cars, digital signage or smart wearables.

Closed-Circuit Coolers Are Quiet, Efficient

The eco-LSWE and eco-LRWB evaporative coolers can replace existing forced-draft equipment of the same box size and fan motor horsepower.

Researchers Reveal How to Make Transparent Sensors

Two years ago, engineers announced they had created transparent sensors for using in brain imaging. Now they reveal how others can fabricate these sensors in search of more applications.

Synaptics Fingerprint Sensors Designed into TCL 950 Smartphones

Synaptics Inc. announced that TCL Communication?has selected Synaptics®?Natural ID™? fingerprint sensors for secure biometric user authentication for their TCL 950 smartphones.

Netgear 802.11ac Wireless Access Device Improves Wi-Fi Coverage

Netgear’s WAC104 Access Point (AP) supports dual-band concurrent operation with combined throughput of up to 1.2 Gbps (300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and 867 Mbps at 5 GHz).

Connector Sample Kit Suits Many Applications

AVX Corporation has released a sample kit with a broad range of connectors for use in consumer, medical, industrial, and IoT applications.

Pixels float in mid-air with the help of sound waves and force fields

Researchers have just used sound waves to levitate multiple tiny objects at once. They even spun them and flipped them around using electric force fields.

VisIC Launches 1200 V GaN Devices

VisIC’s 1200 V GaN half-bridge module integrates GaN HEMT transistors and isolated gate drivers with over-current and over-temperature protections in a single isolated package.

MELF Resistors Allow Precise Current Measurement

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. has extended its AEC-Q200-qualified?thin-film MELF?resistors to tighter tolerance in the sub 1 O range for the 0204 and 0207 case sizes.

Technology Advances Allow Insight into Fragmenting Explosives

Advances in high-speed cameras, imaging techniques, and computer modeling could help researchers understand fragmenting explosives in ways they never could before.

LDO Exhibits Low Noise, Dropout

The LT3045 linear voltage regulator exhibits 0.8 µVRMS?integrated output noise across a wide 10 Hz to 100 kHz bandwidth and high-frequency PSRR exceeding 70 dB out to 2.5 MHz.

3-D Printing Flexible, Biodegradable Stents That Fit Individual Patients’ Bodies

The citric-acid based polymer the engineers 3-D printed with is flexible, biodegradable, and even has inherent antioxidant properties. Using the technique, future doctors could create stents based on a patient's internal measurements, in minutes.

Researchers Create Supercapacitor without Carbon

MIT researchers have found an entirely new class of materials for supercapacitors.

Toyota Introduces Tiny Talking Robot

This new talking robot is designed to sense the emotions of its human companions and respond appropriately. Voice-recognition software enables it to respond to comments and questions, speaking in a high-pitched chatter. Only four inches tall, the friendly humanoid fits in a car’s cup holder and is designed to be a traveling companion.