Industry News

April 2020
Infineon gets regulatory approval for Cypress acquisition
Beginning of June 2019, Infineon and Cypress announced that the companies had signed a definitive agreement under which Infineon would acquire Cypress. With the acquisition, Infineon will be able to offer the industry's most comprehensive portfolio for linking the real with the digital world and shaping digitalizati
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Date:
04/29/2020
ETAL approved to join JOSCAR
This approval is valued by world leaders in the defence and aerospace industry, and is a mark of ETAL's continued commitment to compliance and quality assurance.   Commenting on the approval, Dan Phelan, President of ETAL Group, said, "We are pleased to have met the requirements to become a fully
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Date:
04/29/2020
Traco Power launches new website
The website is designed to offer the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality, while allowing customers to easily access and compare the full product portfolio Traco Power has to offer. Created with the best user experience in mind, the site includes many new features to help
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Date:
04/29/2020
Stretchable Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Micro-Honeycomb

Schematic diagram of stretchable battery manufacturing process

The microscale reentrant-honeycomb shaped, graphene-based electrode is characterized by an accordion-like structural stretchability. A stretchable gel electrolyte and stretchable separator are also developed for all-component stretchable full cells, applying for future stretchable devices. A Korean research
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Date:
04/29/2020
Analog Devices Contributes to Global Fight Against COVID-19
The Foundation is the company's platform for engineering a better future with its mission to address many of the complex societal issues that impact the communities in which ADI lives and works. The Analog Devices Foundation has announced its support of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response
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Date:
04/28/2020
Pyreos prioritises pyroelectric detectors for ventilators
Typically used with ventilators, Capnometers continuously measure CO2 concentration in breath and the high speed of Pyreos infrared sensors makes them particularly suitable. CO2 monitoring permits clinicians to check whether ventilators have been correctly set up (intubated) and also supports diagnosis of lung and hea
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Date:
04/28/2020
RWE Renewables Pledges $250,000 for Coronavirus Response
RWE Renewables announced a commitment to provide $250,000 to assist in response to the coronavirus pandemic to more than 45 U.S. organizations where the company is operating, constructing or developing assets. "Our commitment is to the health and safety of our employees and our partner company colleague
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Date:
04/27/2020
Quickship Program for Automatic Switches in Healthcare
Russelectric announces its Quickship Program, which will be used for automatic transfer switches at healthcare facilities responding to the current global health crisis. Russelectric’s factories in Hingham, Massachusetts and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma have capabilities to meet expedited deliveries. Russelectric has manuf
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Date:
04/27/2020
Harnessing the Power of Gallium Nitride, Machine Learning

Harish Krishnamoorthy, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston, is leading a $2.5 million effort to develop compact electronic power systems.

Military installations, especially on ships and aircraft, require robust power electronics systems to operate radar and other equipment, but there is limited space onboard. Researchers from the University of Houston will use a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop compact electronic po
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Date:
04/27/2020
Hilti NA Helping Prepare Customers For COVID-19 Recovery
Hilti North America has outlined three key areas of focus to help customers plan for recovery from COVID-19: supply, safety and speed. Hilti has resources to support professional contractors as they look to move forward and resume operations safely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video message, Martina Mc
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Date:
04/25/2020
PCIM Europe 2020 to take place digitally
The event had already been postponed from May to 28 – 30 July 2020, and will now take place again next year. The virtual format will offer a digital alternative for knowledge transfer in early July 2020.   According to the Federal government's guidelines dated 15 April 2020, all major events are prohibited in G
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Date:
04/22/2020
Raycap Integrated Small Cell Lighting Pole Approved by LA
Global provider of telecommunications infrastructure Raycap earned regulatory approval from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) for its steel integrated pole design for 4G and 5G small-cell wireless sites, broadening Raycap’s regional deployment capabilities and enhancing local smart city readiness wh
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Date:
04/22/2020
OMRON Supports COVID-19 Relief Efforts with Donations
OMRON recently announced a series of cash and product donations to local charities through OMRON Foundation, its charitable arm in the United States, and through OMRON Healthcare, Inc. This funding is meant to help communities weather a range of challenges caused by the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. “OMRON’s mission i
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Date:
04/22/2020
New Discovery Settles Debate About Photovoltaic Materials

Ames Laboratory scientists discovered evidence of the Rashba effect by using extremely strong and powerful bursts of light firing at trillions of cycles per second to switch on or synchronize a "beat" of quantum motion within a material sample; and a second burst of light to "listen" to the beats, triggering an ultrafast receiver to record images of the oscillating state of matter.

Scientists have theorized that organometallic halide perovskites-- a class of light harvesting "wonder" materials for applications in solar cells and quantum electronics-- are so promising due to an unseen yet highly controversial mechanism called the Rashba effect. Scientists at the U.S. Department of
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Date:
04/20/2020
Electronics that Mimic the Human Brain in Efficient Learning

A graphic depiction of protein nanowires (green) harvested from microbe Geobacter (orange) facilitate the electronic memristor device (silver) to function with biological voltages, emulating the neuronal components (blue junctions) in a brain.

Only 10 years ago, scientists working on what they hoped would open a new frontier of neuromorphic computing could only dream of a device using miniature tools called memristors that would function/operate like real brain synapses. But now a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered, while on t
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Date:
04/20/2020
Sustainable Access to Energy for Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030?
In 2019, the global population without access to electricity dipped below 1 billion for the first time. This progress has however been uneven, both across and within different regions. A new IIASA study shows that to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern electricity services by 2030 in su
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Date:
04/20/2020
Often and Little, or Rarely and to the Full?

When supplying energy the method of its delivery is as important as its quantity. You probably won't manage to boil the water for your tea with a cigarette lighter. Here, PhD student Yirui Zhang illustrates this principle.

If we were talking about food, most experts would choose the former, but in the case of energy storage the opposite is true. It turns out that more energy can be stored by charging less often, but right up to 100%. At least, this is the conclusion arrived at from research carried out by a team of scientist
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Date:
04/20/2020
Infineon Technologies AG Acquires Cypress Semiconductor
Infineon Technologies AG announced the losing of the acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. The San José-based company has become part of Infineon effective as of the Closing. “The acquisition of Cypress is a landmark step in Infineon’s strategic development,” said Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss.
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Date:
04/16/2020
Renesas Provides System Solution for Ventilator Systems

Figure 1 - Ventilator System block diagram

The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc globally, putting more and more people in hospitals. Doctors, universities, and corporations from all over the globe have united in offering solutions to shortfalls created by this pandemic. Renesas is also helping this cause by providing a modern ventilator solution
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Date:
04/16/2020
SDRPY Launches Project to Improve Electrical Grid in Al-Mahra
The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) has inaugurated a project to rehabilitate electricity networks, raise efficiency, enhance capacity and address high electrical loads and power outages in Al-Mahra Governorate. The project will serve 10,000 beneficiaries in the Al-Sadah and Al-Souq ar
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Date:
04/16/2020
A Disinfection Robot to aid Cleaners in COVID-19 Outbreak
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a semi-autonomous robot that can disinfect large surfaces quickly. The researchers are planning to have public trials to support Singapore's fight against COVID-19. Named eXtreme Disinfection roBOT (XDBOT), it can be
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Date:
04/16/2020
Flat Panel Display Market set for 11.1 Percent Decline
Global unit shipments of flat-panel displays (FPD) are expected to plunge by 11.1 percent in 2020 as the coronavirus crisis cripples demand for televisions and smartphones, according to Omdia. FPD shipments are set to total 3.2 billion units in 2020, down from 3.6 billion in 2019. The market has been undergoin
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Date:
04/15/2020
RS Components, Allied Electronics Support COVID-19 Efforts
RS Components (RS) and Allied Electronics & Automation (Allied) have pledged support for distributors worldwide, reaching out to the supply chain to offer practical assistance with fulfilment as shipping channels come under increasing strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Electrocomponents has published
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Date:
04/15/2020
106,000 Jobs in Clean Energy Lost in March Due to COVID-19 Economic Crisis
More than 106,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs in the month of March, and hundreds of thousands more clean energy job losses are projected in the coming months. That’s according to a new analysis of unemployment data released today by E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), E4TheFuture and BW Research Partnership. The analysis of Department of Labor data found that 106,472 workers in clean energy occupations filed for unemployment benefits last month, wiping out all 2019 clean energy job gains across renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, energy storage and clean fuels. These include electricians, HVAC and mechanical trades technicians and construction workers who work in en
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Date:
04/15/2020
Maxim Expedites Production of Medical Solutions for COVID-19
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has accelerated the production of its medical technologies to address increased customer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s semiconductor devices are used in medical equipment such as virus detection devices, ultrasounds, analytical/laboratory equipment, ventilators, pat
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Date:
04/14/2020
CUI Devices Endeavors to Support COVID-19 Efforts
CUI Devices has announced new initiatives in its support of the medical industry’s response to the global coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic. These initiatives include prioritizing orders and expediting free product samples to OEMs, makers, volunteers, and organizations designing medical equipment key to fighting CO
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Date:
04/14/2020
ABB wins $100 Million Contract for South American Power Grid
ABB’s Power Grids business has signed a five-year framework contract estimated to be worth around $100 million with South America’s largest utilities company, Interconexion Electrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA). ISA currently operates over 62,000 kilometers of power transmission infrastructure with over 7,000 kilometers mo
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Date:
04/14/2020
Long Spaceflights Affect Astronaut Brain Volume

Pituitary deformity examples in three crewmembers before spaceflight and after spaceflight (day 1). (a) Only the first crewmember shown in a had no previous exposure to spaceflight.

Extended periods in space have long been known to cause vision problems in astronauts. Now a new study in the journal Radiology suggests that the impact of long-duration space travel is more far-reaching, potentially causing brain volume changes and pituitary gland deformation. More than half of the crew m
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Date:
04/14/2020
Students Fabricate Face Shields to Fight Virus

Amy Vaughn Deahl, director of student union operations and events, models a face shield manufactured by students on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Bob Doxie)

Teams at both of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., are fabricating high-quality masks and face shields to help protect healthcare workers amid the novel 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In true Embry-Riddle fashion, 50 students on the Da
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Date:
04/13/2020
Ceramic Flexible Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new method to make ceramic-based flexible electrolyte sheets for lithium metal batteries. They combined a garnet-type ceramic, a polymer binder, and an ionic liquid, producing a quasi-solid-state sheet electrolyte. The synthesis is carried out at ro
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Date:
04/13/2020
Development of new Photovoltaic Commercialization Technology

Illustration of stable initial PCE under the actual operating environment of PV devices with the deployment of KI.

A technology to further accelerate the commercialization of Colloidal Quantum Dot (CQD) Photovoltaic (PV) devices, which are expected to be next-generation photovoltaic devices, has been developed. On the 30th (Monday), DGIST announced that a research team of Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy
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Date:
04/13/2020
ABB Partners w/ China for Large-Scale Renewables
ABB’s Power Grids business has won several major orders to supply advanced HVDC converter transformers and high-voltage equipment for three 800 kilovolt (kV), ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission links, owned by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), in China. The links will help in integrating hy
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Date:
04/09/2020
Infineon Delivers Millions of Chips for Medical Ventilators
Infineon Technologies AG is playing a vital role to support the manufacturing of ventilator devices. Power semiconductors from Infineon are essential to reliably and efficiently control the motor of the ventilators, including those manufactured by a global leader in medical devices, ResMed. Dr. Helmut Gassel, M
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Date:
04/09/2020
Eaton 3D Prints Face Shields for Hospitals During COVID-19
In the global fight against COVID-19, healthcare workers need immediate access to personal protective equipment (PPE). Power management company Eaton is leveraging expertise in additive manufacturing and its partnership with Cleveland’s Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) to rapidly develop fac
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Date:
04/09/2020
EMA Design Automation Partners with Dassault Systèmes
EMA Design Automation announced it has entered into a partnership with Dassault Systèmes that is committed to driving disruptive business transformation for electronic product development. This partnership will work towards the joint mission of connecting teams across a common data model for unified product develop
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Date:
04/08/2020
Researchers Present Revolutionary Light-Emitting Silicon

A look inside the Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE). This machine was used to grow nanowires with hexagonal silicon-germanium shells. The emission from this hexagonal-SiGe alloy showed to be very efficient and suitable to start producing an all-silicon laser.

Emitting light from silicon has been the 'Holy Grail' in the microelectronics industry for decades. Solving this puzzle would revolutionize computing, as chips will become faster than ever. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology now succeeded: they have developed an alloy with silicon that can emit ligh
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Date:
04/08/2020
Electricity-Producing Bacteria for Programmable 'Biohybrids'

A nanocomposite material (purple) conducts electrons released by exoelectrogenic bacteria (green) to generate electricity.

Someday, microbial cyborgs -- bacteria combined with electronic devices -- could be useful in fuel cells, biosensors and bioreactors. But first, scientists need to develop materials that not only nurture the microbes, but also efficiently and controllably harvest the electricity or other resources they make. No
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Date:
04/08/2020
Online Platforms Could Scale STEM Education for Universities
Online and blended (online and in-person) STEM instruction can produce the same learning outcomes for students as traditional, in-person classes at a fraction of the cost, finds research published today in Science Advances. A team of researchers from the University of California at Berkeley, HSE University Mos
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Date:
04/08/2020
Next-Gen Solar Cells Perform Better with a Camera Around

Perovskite solar cells bathed in blue light, and responding in infrared.

A literal "trick of the light" can detect imperfections in next-gen solar cells, boosting their efficiency to match that of existing silicon-based versions, researchers have found. The discovery opens a pathway to improved quality control for commercial production. On small scales, perovskite solar
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Date:
04/08/2020
Pre-Switch Appoints Foxy Power as its Strategic Partner

Bruce Renouard, CEO, Pre-Switch, and Chris Rocneanu, CEO of Foxy Power

Pre-Switch, Inc., has appointed Foxy Power GmbH from Berlin, Germany as its strategic partner for business development and sales. Founded in 2016, Pre-Switch has overcome the previously-insurmountable challenges of implementing soft-switching in DC/AC systems with varying input voltage, temperature and load c
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Date:
04/06/2020
Hirose Expedites Shipments of Medical Equipment
Hirose is prioritizing and expediting orders to medical equipment manufacturers. Hirose's connectors are being used in medical equipment vital to the fight against COVID-19, including ventilators. Hirose has been tasked with increasing connector output and lowering lead times of connectors used in life-saving me
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Date:
04/03/2020
New York Passes Accelerated Renewable Energy Act
New York State public authorities and agencies announced the passage of legislation as part the FY 2020-2021 state budget to dramatically speed up the siting and construction of clean energy projects to combat climate change and help jumpstart the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 he
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Date:
04/03/2020
Emerson Acquires Hydropower Leader
Emerson announced it has completed the purchase of American Governor Company, a leader in technologies and services for hydroelectric turbine controls. The acquisition strengthens Emerson’s hydropower capabilities, enhancing its ability to help utilities deliver reliable power generation through renewable en
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Date:
04/02/2020
Renesas Enables Cloud Connectivity with Microsoft RTOS
Renesas Electronics Corporation deepened its collaboration with Microsoft to offer seamless device-to-cloud experience for IoT developers. In October 2019, the two companies began a collaboration to deliver a complete chip-to-cloud IoT solution based on Renesas’ microcontroller (MCU) and microprocessor (MPU) de
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Date:
04/02/2020
AI Finds 2D Materials in the Blink of an Eye

The University of Tokyo researchers develop a machine-learning algorithm for detecting atomically thin 2D materials, including graphene, from a microscope image in a fraction of a second--which may accelerate the industrial-scale production of next-generation electronics

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, a part of The University of Tokyo, demonstrated a novel artificial intelligence system that can find and label 2D materials in microscope images in the blink of an eye. This work can help shorten the time required for 2D material-based electronics to be ready fo
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Date:
04/01/2020
New Materials: Brilliant White Without Pigments

A nanostructured polymer film modeled on the white beetle Cyphochilus insulanus produces a brilliant white coating.

Polymer foils that are extremely thin and characterized by a high light scattering rate are produced by a new process developed by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The inexpensive material may be applied industrially to various objects to give them an attractive white appearance. Moreover, the process ca
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Date:
04/01/2020
Graphene-Based Actuator Swarm for Programmable Deformation

(a) Schematic illustration of the fabrication of patterned SU-8/GO bilayer film using UV lithography. (b) The paper model of patterned SU-8/GO ribbon and its predictable moisture-responsive deformation under humidity actuation.

Actuators that can convert various environmental stimuli to mechanical works have revealed great potential for developing smart devices such as soft robots, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and automatic Lab-on-a-Chip systems. Generally, bilayer structures are widely used for design and fabrication of st
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Date:
04/01/2020
Cloud-Based Electronic System may Help First Responders

Yuehwern Yih, a professor of industrial engineering in Purdue's College of Engineering, has developed a new tool to help first responders and disaster relief organizations better provide assistance to developing countries.

Every year natural disasters kill around 90,000 people and affect close to 160 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Such disasters also result in the destruction of the physical environment of the affected people. Now, Purdue University researchers have developed a new tool
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Date:
04/01/2020
Major Study Charts Course to Net Zero Industrial Emissions
A major new study by an interdisciplinary team of researchers finds that it is possible--and critical--to bring industrial greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2070. Published Sunday in Applied Energy, the study assesses the range of technologies and policies interventions available to enable global industry decarbonizat
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Date:
04/01/2020
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