Industry News

October 2012
N2Power 260W AC-DC switcher selected as Elektra Awards finalist

XL375CC convection cooled 260W AC-DC switching power supply

N2Power, a division of Qualstar Corp that its XL375CC convection cooled 260W AC-DC switching power supply has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Elektra Awards, a major European industry
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Date:
10/31/2012
RFEL joins Altera Design Service Network

Altera Stratix IV

Specialised in high performance electronic signal processing solutions, RFEL is now a member of the recently-launched, Altera Design Service Network (DSN) of Altera-qualified design experts. "With
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Date:
10/31/2012
More efficient production of hazardous-substance-free products
IECQ, the IEC Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components, has recently published the 3rd edition of IECQ QC 080000, Hazardous-Substance Process-Management System Requirements. Electronic
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Date:
10/30/2012
Mouser introduces new RF-technology site

Click image to enlarge: Mouser's RF-technology site includes RF components by frequency, industry news by manufacturer and application, and other leading developments in RF.

Mouser Electronics today announces its newest technology site on Mouser.com covering RF Technology. The new site is designed to help design engineers find the latest RF product information by frequency
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Date:
10/30/2012
Plessey develops sensor-based method to monitor driver fatigue

Click image to enlarge: EPIC sensors utilise capacitive coupling to measure ECG through normal clothing and seat cover fabric.

Plessey has developed a novel method to monitor driver fatigue based on its multi-award winning EPIC (electric-potential integrated circuit) sensor technology. According to the British Royal Society
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Date:
10/29/2012
Wolfson provides outstanding audio to Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Samsung Galaxy Note II
Wolfson Microelectronics has announced that its ultra-low power Audio Hub, the WM1811, has been selected by Samsung to provide outstanding audio for its latest tablet device, the Galaxy Note 10.1,
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Date:
10/29/2012
IDT selected to develop integrated receiver chip based on Qualcomms wireless-power technology
IDT (Integrated Device Technology) and Qualcomm have announced that the two companies have collaborated to enable IDT's development of an IC for consumer electronics devices based on Qualcomm's WiPower
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Date:
10/29/2012
Powersolve acquires Safety Power Group
Powersolve, a leading power-supply specialist manufacturer and supplier, has announced the acquisition of the Safety Power Group for an undisclosed sum. Safety Power's speciality is in high-performance
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Date:
10/29/2012
Renesas Electronics Europe supports Eco Solar Breizh racing team for World Solar Challenge 2013 in Australia

Click image to enlarge: In addition to its sponsorship, Renesas Electronics Europe is donating microcontrollers to the Eco Solar Breizh development team for energy harvesting, energy and battery management, sensor measurement, and communication within the car.

Renesas Electronics Europe has announced that it is sponsoring and supplying electronic components to Eco Solar Breizh, a multidisciplinary association based in Brittany, France. The mission of Eco
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Date:
10/29/2012
HAMR manufacture enables IQE to produce next-gen HDD technology

Combining high-power GaAs laser structure with a Si substrate, using Semprius' micro-transfer print technology, onto IQE epitaxial layers.

Epiwafer foundry and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK has produced epitaxial wafers, combining optical properties of compound semiconductors with electronic properties of silicon, to
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Date:
10/27/2012
ARM, Red Hat, AppliedMicro to develop disruptive 64-Bit server platform

Disruptive chip brings Cloud service to smaller pockets

ARM, Red Hat Inc, and Applied Micro Circuits Corp have announced a collaboration that aims to develop a disruptive 64-bit server design platform dramatically lowering the total cost of ownership
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Date:
10/26/2012
Business-to-Business Supporting award for element14

Dianne Kibbey, global head of community, element14

Premier Farnell, global electronics distributor and parent company of element14, the first collaborative community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, was recognised
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Date:
10/26/2012
ON semiconductor to spotlight innovative energy-efficient technologies at Electronica 2012 Hall A5 stand 225

Click image to enlarge: ON Semiconductor will host live demonstrations, technical briefings and on-site meetings with customers, analysts, and media at Electronica 2012 Hall A5 Stand 225.

ON Semiconductor will have an expanded presence at the Electronica 2012 tradeshow in Munich this November. Live on-site demonstrations and technical briefings will spotlight the company's latest product
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Date:
10/25/2012
Ericsson Digital Power module wins Electronic Products China Award

Award winning Eighth-brick-format BMR457 delivers unprecedented performance to system architects developing equipment for ICT (Information Communication Technology) applications

Ericsson is named a winner in the annual Electronic Products China Top Product Awards. The innovative BMR457 32-bit processor-based FRIDA II 3E* digital ABC (Advanced Bus Converter) was named a top
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Date:
10/25/2012
Securing clean energy for Anna Jaques Hospital

The new Zampell Power Plant boilers

In late August 2012, Anna Jaques Hospital's energy consumption plummeted suddenly, prompting its energy supplier to call the hospital to see what was wrong. Concern turned to congratulations when
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Date:
10/23/2012
Who's who on Elektra Awards shortlist?

Stars in Europe's electronic skies

A panel of independent judges has made its decisions as part of the Elektra European Electronics Industry Awards 2012, and around 70 shortlisted finalists, some picked in two or more of the award
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Date:
10/23/2012
Slight slip in China's solar shows

Li Junfeng, President of CREIA and DG NCSC

Allthough the Intersolar China Conference is taking place in Beijing as planned from December 11-13, 2012, China's international exhibition for the solar industry will only reopen its doors in 2013,
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Date:
10/23/2012
Siemens to provide hospital with energy efficiency upgrades

Energy upgrade to be complete by mid 2013

Siemens is to provide energy efficiency upgrades to Manchester Memorial Hospital under a $4.9 million contract. Under the ESPC (Energy Savings Performance Contract) with Siemens, the hospital should
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Date:
10/23/2012
48th Fighter Wing save energy with transformer initiative

Royal Air Force, Lakenheath, England A box of 120-volt, U.S. specification, power cords sits in front of an F-15E Strike Eagle. The 48th Fighter Wing is currently switching these cords with 240-volt, European specification, power cords on dual-voltage devices as a part of the Transformer Cut-Off Initiative, a USAFE (U.S. Air Forces in Europe-wide) energy savings initiative.

With Energy Action Month underway, the 48th Fighter Wing is leading the way in a U.S. Air Forces in Europe-wide initiative to save energy by vastly reducing the amount of power transformers the base
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Date:
10/22/2012
Freescale and eSOL to collaborate on software platform for Vybrid automotive devices

Click image to enlarge: Block Diagram of Software Platform

Freescale Semiconductor and eSOL, a developer of real-time embedded software, have announced that they will collaborate to provide software for Freescale's automotive Vybrid devices. Asymmetric dual-core
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Date:
10/22/2012
Siemens Magnet Technology scoops trio of awards

More than 30% of hospital MRI scanners installed in worldwide feature a superconducting magnet from the Oxford Siemens Magnet Technology plant.

UK's Best Engineering Plant, Supply Chain Award and Innovation Award was scooped by Oxford-based Siemens Magnet Technology, which also ranked highly commended for its Skills Development. The
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Date:
10/22/2012
TTI appoints Ronald Velda as Director Supplier Marketing Europe, Connectors & Electromechanical Products

Click image to enlarge: Ronald Velda, TTI Director of Supplier Marketing for Connectors and Electromechanical Products in Europe

TTI—distributor of passive, interconnect, electromechanical and discrete components—has announced the appointment of Ronald Velda as Director of Supplier Marketing for Connectors and Electromechanical
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Date:
10/22/2012
Mouser stocking Bourns TCS high-speed current protector products
Mouser Electronics is stocking Bourns TCS high-speed protector products. Bourns TCS high-speed protector products offer ultra-fast, highly reliable transient protection for high-data-rate differential
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Date:
10/22/2012
KEMET opens new film manufacturing plant in Skopje, Macedonia

KEMET plant, Skopje, Macedonia

KEMET broke ground on this facility in August, 2011 as part of restructuring the company's Film and Electrolytic business. The facility allows for a significant reduction in cost, while increasing
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Date:
10/22/2012
Collaboration project produces new FIT monitoring shirt

The Maxim Integrated, Vital Signs, and Orbital collaboration wearable shirt

Maxim Integrated announces a new vital signs monitoring shirt that enables medical professionals to perform frequent and less costly fitness monitoring that will lead to more effective preventive
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Date:
10/22/2012
Digi-Key and Touchstone Semiconductor sign global distribution agreement

Click image to enlarge: Digi-Key Vice President, Global Semiconductor Products, Mark Zack

Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key and Touchstone Semiconductor, a developer of high-performance, low-power analog ICs, have announced the signing of a global distribution agreement
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Date:
10/22/2012
GE provides hospital energy efficiency upgrades
The data center at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center is using GE's SG Series Uninterrupted Power Supply with eBoost technology, and operates at 99% energy efficiency in eBoost mode, according
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Date:
10/21/2012
Senseonics submits clinical study protocol to UK and German regulatory agencies

Monitoring device and implantable sensor

Sensors for Medicine and Science Inc, the Maryland based medical device company developing and commercialising the first fully implantable, long-term CGM ( continuous glucose monitoring) system,
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Date:
10/19/2012
ESCATEC signs strategic partnership with GMMI Texchem

Escatec MOEMS (micro-opto- electro-mechanical systems) facility.

ESCATEC, the EMS innovator, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with GMMI (German Malaysian Medical Industries) Texchem, a leading manufacturer of complete single-use medical devices including
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Date:
10/19/2012
Cree and Array Wireless improve HD-video transmission for NBC
Cree and Array Wireless help bring the clarity of HD (high-definition) video transmission to SNF (Sunday-Night Football) on the NBC television network. The HD NFL games are broadcast using wireless
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Date:
10/19/2012
Isabellenhtte Heusler has new overall head of development

Dr Jan Marien, head of R&D

Over the past three decades, Isabellenhütte Heusler, based in Dillenburg Germany has undergone a fundamental change, evolving from a supplier of semi-finished products into a globally active company,
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Date:
10/18/2012
Conflict minerals webinar offers critical compliance information

Conflict minerals flow chart

element14, the collaborative community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, part of global electronics distributor Premier Farnell, is co-sponsoring a free one hour
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Date:
10/18/2012
Element14 announces EAGLE design winners

Second place awarded for Expresso machine controller.

E lement14 a collaborative community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, part of the Premier Farnell Group, has announced the winners of the EAGLE design competition,
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Date:
10/17/2012
Tensilica licensees ship two billion IP cores
Tensilica reports that its licensees have recorded shipments of over two billion Tensilica DPUs (dataplane processor units). Tensilica's licensees are now shipping at a run rate of approximately 800
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Date:
10/16/2012
Atmel and Labelec sign MoU for PRIME-compliant smart-metering system development
Atmel and Labelec SA, a subsidiary of Electricidade de Portugal (EDP), have announced the two companies have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to develop smart-grid metering systems using
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Date:
10/16/2012
Delta signs channel-partner agreement with Globalfoundries

Click image to enlarge: Delta Microelectronics Executive Vice President Per Ølund

Delta Microelectronics, a European provider of value-added semiconductor services, has announced that Globalfoundries, the second largest foundry in the world, has concluded an agreement with Delta
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Date:
10/16/2012
Mouser expert to speak at SAE Counterfeit Parts Avoidance symposium

Speaker Chuck Amsden, Mouser director, Quality.

The symposium on November 2nd will provide an open technical forum about the risks that counterfeit components pose to aerospace and defense manufacturers. Industry leaders will participate in panel
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Date:
10/16/2012
TMSC validates Cadence 3D-IC CoWoS reference flow

First heterogeneous CoWoS vehicle

Cadence Design Systems, Inc announcedthat TSMC has validated its 3D-IC technology for its CoWoS (chip-on-wafer-on-substrate) reference flow with the development of a CoWoS test vehicle that includes
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Date:
10/16/2012
Hisense picks Tensilica's HI-Fi audio voice

Audio data plane diagram

Tensilica Inc, announced that Hisense Company Ltd, of Qingdao, China, is using the Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice DSP (digital signal processor) to do all of the audio decoding and post processing in
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Date:
10/16/2012
Wind River add Yocto project to Auto IVI software platform

Yocto arch

Wind River (the Intel software arm and a leader in embedded and mobile software) has added Yocto Project components into Wind River Platform for Infotainment. Using the Wind River Platform for Infotainment,
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Date:
10/16/2012
Peratech win Tech Brief Award from NASA

Click image to enlarge: Nasa's Robonaut is equipped with QTC-based finger sensors that provide touch feedback as good as a human hand.

Peratech, an innovator in touch technology, has been presented with a Tech Brief Award by NASA in recognition for its contribution of QTC (Quantum Tunnelling Composite) technology used to provide
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Date:
10/15/2012
RFEL makes finalist in Electra 2012 awards

Click image to enlarge

RFEL, who specialize in high-performance electronic signal processing, is a finalist in this year's Elektra Awards in the Embedded System Product of the Year. Its HyperSpeed Plus core offers unprecedented
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Date:
10/14/2012
Raytheon wins contracts for naval power-technology systems
Raytheon has been awarded two Phase-2 contracts under the ONR's (Office of Naval Research's ) CPCT (Compact Power-Conversion Technologies) program aimed to deliver better fuel economy and architectural
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Date:
10/14/2012
European regions create consortium for energy-efficient ICT electronics

Click image to enlarge: Europe's triple helix consortia of Dresden, Eindhoven, Grenoble, and Leuven.

Barely a month before Electronica opens in Munich, the four leading European micro- and nano-electronics regions have announced combining their R&D and production expertise to form a transnational
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Date:
10/14/2012
Infineon holds major global share of power semiconductors

A conventional power station with capacity in the 1 to 1.5 GW range contains around €250,000 worth of semiconductors whereas a wind farm of the same capacity contains semiconductors worth around €7.5 million.

Infineon Technologies is global market leader in power semiconductors for the ninth consecutive year, according to IHS IMS Research, Infineon held an 11.9% share of the total $17.6 billion market
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Date:
10/12/2012
Avnet Abacus seals pan-European franchise deal with Fischer Elektronik

Click image to enlarge: L2R, Hagen Goetze, marketing manager IP&E, Avnet Abacus; Detlef H. Hardt, business manager, Fischer Elektronik; and Giovanna Monari, senior product manager, Avnet Abacus

Avnet Abacus have signed a pan-European distribution agreement with Fischer Elektronik. Under the terms of the agreement, Avnet Abacus will represent Fischer Elektronik, a specialist in the design
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Date:
10/12/2012
Sofant to license antenna designs to global smart-phone manufacturers

Sofant family of two designs comprise RF MEMS modules and software.

Following seven years research and development at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Sofant aims to license its antenna designs to global smart-phone manufacturers and is projecting a turnover
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Date:
10/10/2012
Soitec and Shin-Etsu Handotai expand technology cooperation agreement

Click image to enlarge: Planar and FINFET on SOI

Semiconductor-materials supplier Soitec and silicon-wafer supplier Shin-Etsu Handotai are extending and expanding their technology cooperation agreement over Smart Cut licensing by an extension.
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Date:
10/10/2012
Windera's direct-drive variable-speed, hydraulic drive train improves wind turbine performance

Click image to enlarge: Windera hydraulic drive train

Testing for two years with a demonstration unit in Tehachapi, California, the Windera system is a dynamically-controlled, direct-drive, variable-speed hydraulic drive train, that produces extremely
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Date:
10/10/2012
Cornell Dubilier announces purchase of Orange Drop film-capacitor line from SB Electronics

Click image to enlarge: Orange Drop capacitors are available in values from 0.22 nF to 10 ?F and voltages from 100 V to 2 kV DC.

Cornell Dubilier Electronics has announced that it has acquired the Orange Drop film-capacitor product lines and all other radial product lines, from capacitor maker, SBE of Barre, VT. Orange Drop
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Date:
10/08/2012
Fairchild Semiconductor appoints Vijay Ullal president and chief operating officer

Fairchild Semiconductor Ppresident and chief operating officer Vijay Ullal

Fairchild Semiconductor has announced that Vijay Ullal has been appointed president and chief operating officer. In his new role at Fairchild, Ullal will be responsible for all operating activities
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Date:
10/08/2012
Yole Dveloppement reports LED-phosphor market to more than double by 2017

Click image to enlarge: LED Phosphor market

Phosphors are a keystone of LED technologies, enabling the conversion of the monochromatic blue or near-UV light emitted by LED chips into a richer spectrum of color approaching or exceeding that
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Date:
10/07/2012
GE Lighting showcase energy-efficient lighting at Light Middle East, Dubai

Click image to enlarge: GE lighting for commercial, industrial, and residential use.

GE Lighting showcased its latest range of energy-efficient lighting for indoor and outdoor applications at Light Middle East, the conference and exhibition for lighting design and technology held
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Date:
10/05/2012
ABB wins LKAB Swedish mining energy-management-system business

Power management for efficient energy use in mining

ABB has won an order to deliver an energy-management system to Swedish mining company LKAB that will optimize energy use at its Kiruna and Malmberget underground iron-ore mines, and its newest Svappavaara
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Date:
10/05/2012
Imprivata and TI collaborate to combine SOC with strong user authentication

Click image to enlarge: Onesign architecture

Imprivata, focused on healthcare IT security and Texas Instruments will collaborate to support strong authentication and secure application access from virtual desktop environments. The approach,
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Date:
10/05/2012
FBDI environment and compliance Compass
The FBDi Environment and Compliance Compass in both English and German is now available, offering tailored European-regulation support for companies throughout the supply chain. The FBDi Compass
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Date:
10/05/2012
UK Pedal4Innovation student design contest opens
Pedal4Innovation is back for the young, brilliant, and motivated future electronic engineers in the UK. This is all about them showing the skills they have amassed throughout their electronic-engineering
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Date:
10/05/2012
Mouser launches two new websites

New Products web site

Mouser Electronics has launched its Newest Products and Applications & Technologies sites on Mouser.com. The Newest Products site highlights Mouser's strength: the launch of new products.
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Date:
10/04/2012
Navico use of Qts cross-platform support reduces development time and costs.

Click image to enlarge: The Lowrance HDS marine navigation information system

A leading marine navigation and information system for recreational vessels has been developed with the support of Qt. The Lowrance HDS (high-definition system) range from Navico incorporates GPS,
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Date:
10/04/2012
SUCCESS consortium demonstrates mm-wave radar sensor

Click image to enlarge: The miniature 122-GHz radar system

The SUCCESS (Silicon-based Ultra-Compact Cost-Efficient System Design for mmWaveSensors) consortium has implemented the first prototype of a fully integrated 122 GHz radar sensor. It includes a mixed-signal
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Date:
10/03/2012
Imec announces organic PV module

Click image to enlarge: The polymer/fullerene OPV (organic photovoltaic) cell based on an inverted bulk heterojunction architecture using Polyera's ActivInk PV 2000 semiconductor material

Imec have also announced an organic photovoltaic module with a certified efficiency of 5.5% developed by Imec in close collaboration with Solvay and the proprietary ActivInk semiconductor from Polyera. Imec
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Date:
10/03/2012
Atmel nominated for 2012 Makey Award
Atmel had Alf-Egil Bogen, Atmel AVR microcontroller co-inventor, deliver the keynote address at the World Maker Faire 2012, in New York, at the end of September and was nominated for a 2012 Makey
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Date:
10/03/2012
Transphorm raises $35 million to bring energy efficiency  to mass adoption

Click image to enlarge

Transphorm has announced a $35 million Series-E financing led by INJC, a public-private partnership between the Japanese government and 19 corporations including Sharp, Sumitomo Electric, Toshiba,
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Date:
10/02/2012
New website helps engineers design power transformers and AC line reactors

Software for efficient energy transformer design

A new website to help engineers accelerate and improve the design of electrical power transformers and AC line reactors has been launched by Cobham Technical Services. Designed to be a useful resource
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Date:
10/02/2012
PCIM Asia issues 2013 Call for Papers
Experts from industry and academia are kindly invited to present their latest developments and expectations for future trends at the PCIM Asia 2013 conference (see links below). PCIM Asia is an independent,
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Date:
10/02/2012
PCIM Chairman receives Power Electronics Award

Click image to enlarge

Dr. Leo Lorenz

The prestigious IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award 2012 is going to the PCIM Advisory Board chairman Prof. Leo Lorenz, President of ECPE. This award was handed out to Prof. Leo Lorenz
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Date:
10/02/2012
Energy Micro opens online design forum for EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers
Energy Micro has launched the Lizard Lounge, a user community for technical discussions related to the company's energy-friendly microcontroller, the 32-bit ARM-based EFM32 Gecko MCU. Simultaneously,
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Date:
10/01/2012
ABB begins production of Relion 615 ANSI protection relays in Florida

Click image to enlarge: The ABB Relion-615 series protection relays

ABB has announced that its Coral Springs, Florida facility has begun production of the ABB Relion-615 series ANSI-based distribution protection relays. This is a major milestone not only for ABB in
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Date:
10/01/2012
Transient electronics are a new class of devices

Click image to enlarge: Transient (biodegradable) electronics

Researchers at the University of Illinois, in collaboration with Tufts University and Northwestern University, have demonstrated a new type of biodegradable electronics technology that could introduce
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Date:
10/01/2012
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