Researchers Discover Universal Law for Light Absorption in 2D Semiconductors

Posted on August 1, 2013 by

From solar cells to optoelectronic sensors to lasers and imaging devices, many of today’s semiconductor technologies hinge upon the absorption of light. Absorption is especially critical for nano-sized structures at the interface between two energy barriers called quantum wells, in which the movement of charge carriers is confined to two-dimensions. Now, for the first time, a simple law of light absorption for 2D semiconductors has been demonstrated. Working with ultrathin membranes of the semiconductor indium arsenide, a team of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has discovered a quantum unit of photon absorption, which they have dubbed “AQ,” that should be general to all 2D semiconductors, including compound semiconductors of the III-V family that are favored for solar films and optoelectronic devices. This discovery not only provides new insight into the optical properties of 2D semiconductors and quantum wells, it should also open doors to exotic new optoelectronic and photonic technologies. Read More

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Posted on June 19, 2013 by

Photo Credit: ETF TrendsApple, Google and a few other sexier, “new tech” companies are the names that usually captivate investors’ attention when it comes to technology stocks and ETFs. However, a familiar sub-sector has helped lead tech’s recent resurgence.
In the past three months, the PowerShares QQQ is up almost 8%. Over the same time, shares of Intel have surged 19.5% and it almost feels like that is the quietest almost 20% gain the span of 90 days that has come along in quite a while. Quiet or not, Intel and chip stocks are helping drive a resurgence in semiconductor ETFs. [Semiconductor ETF Bouncing Back]
So sturdy have been semiconductor ETFs that opting for any of the three of the group’s largest funds has treated investors to significant out-performance over QQQ. Since March 19, the three dominant chip ETFs have returned an average of 11.6%. [ETF Spotlight: Semiconductors]
The leader of the pack over that time has been the iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index Fund (NasdaqGM: SOXX). Almost 12 years old, SOXX holds 31 stocks with the ETF’s top-10 holdings combing for almost 61.6% of the ETF’s weight.
Before getting too excited about chip stocks, it is worth noting there have been some tepid performances over the past three months, including a slight loss for SOXX top-10 holding Broadcom (NasdaqGS: BRCM). However, Intel and Applied Materials (NasdaqGS: AMAT) are the ETF’s two largest holdings, combing for 17% of the fund’s weight. Applied Materials has surged 22% over the past 90 days, teaming with Intel to drive SOXX higher. READ MORE

Compact 800-W Programmable Power Supply Features Digital Controls

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

TDK Corp. has announced the expansion of TDK-Lambda’s Z+ Series of programmable power supplies, which now includes the new 800-W models in addition to the previously released 200- and 400-W models. These high-density, high efficiency, 2U format, bench-top and rack-mountable power supplies are designed to meet the demands of a variety of ATE, laboratory, and OEM applications, including test and measurement, semiconductor burn-in, component test, and LED/laser test. They also serve RF-amplifier, electromagnetic, and electrochemical applications.

TDK-Lambda’s new Z+800 provide 800 W of output power with a selection of output voltage ranges that cover from 0 to 100 VDC with output currents up to 72 A. The Z+ 800-W units are 66% smaller and 67% lighter than previous generations and provide a 200% increase in power density. All Z+ standard models are 3.27” high by 2.76” wide, so up to six units can be installed in the optional 19” rack housing; blanking plates are available for unused slots.

The Z+ 200-W, 400-W, 600-W, and 800-W programmable power supplies have comprehensive front panel controls with individual rotary encoders for output current and voltage. The controls also let users access power-supply settings such as OVP level, start-up mode, and remote control and monitoring of parameters. Separate 4-digit voltage and current displays are provided along with function/status LEDs, pushbuttons for output preview, output on/off, fine/coarse adjustment, and other features. Options for front panel output-jacks and multiple-unit housings are available for bench-top applications.

All Z+ models include built-in arbitrary waveform generation and storage for up to four preprogrammed functions; making them suitable for test and simulation tasks in the automotive, solar-panel and LED/laser industries, to name a few. These power supplies feature fast command processing times, output sequencing, and two programmable output pins that, for example, can be used to control isolation relays. Up to 12 voltage or current values can be programmed using the waveform creator software provided, and four waveforms can be stored in the Z+ unit’s memory. More complex waveforms can be created using NI LabVIEW. These waveforms can be either repetitive or single-shot and injected into the system under test. The results can be analyzed confirming the proper or faulty operation of the powered device or system. READ MORE

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Posted on August 31, 2012 by

The semiconductor – memory chips industry, which features stocks including Micron Technology Inc. and Rambus Inc., is known to be strongly cutthroat and cyclical. Lately, excess supply in the industry appears to have caused a surplus in many sectors, including NAND flash memory. However, confidence concerning next year is rising as manufacturers seem to be cutting supply. Those businesses mainly involved in the production of DRAM chips have been facing more challenges due to evolving consumer preference for tablets and other mobile devices. Read More

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Posted on August 29, 2012 by

POWAY, Calif. — Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) today announced new solutions from its Semiconductor Equipment Group for use in testing mobile devices.

The company’s proprietary T-Core thermal technology is being integrated with its Delta EDGE handler, providing a production test handling solution for the ICs that power a wide range of smart phones, tablets, and other consumer devices. In addition, the T-Core thermal subsystem can be incorporated in burn-in and system level test equipment, for cost-effective, parallel testing of hundreds of ICs.

“We are excited to bring our active thermal control technology, long considered the benchmark for testing mid and high power processors, to new applications in the rapidly-expanding mobile market” said Luis Müller, President of Cohu’s Semiconductor Equipment Group. Read More

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/08/29/4221718/cohus-semiconductor-equipment.html#storylink=cpy

MaxLinear, Inc. : MaxLinear and Panasonic Semiconductor Collaborate On DVB-T2 Set-Top Boxes

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

MaxLinear Inc. (NYSE:MXL), a leading provider of integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, today announced it is collaborating with Panasonic Corporation’s Semiconductor Business Group for DVB-T2 set-top boxes (STB).

The design collaboration has resulted in DVB-T2 front-end network interface module (NIM) reference designs that include MaxLinear’s latest-generation MxL603 silicon tuner and Panasonic Semiconductor’s latest-generation MN88472 DVB-T2 demodulator LSI. One of the designs is a single-channel NIM that is cost optimized for single tuner “zapper” set-top boxes (STBs). The other design is a dual-channel NIM with low-cost splitter for dual-tuner personal video recorder (PVR) STBs.

Both designs feature industry leading low power consumption of less than 720mW per channel in DVB-T2 modes. The turnkey reference designs enable manufacturers to adopt a proven, pre-qualified DVB-T2 set-top box solution with minimal engineering investment and reduced time to market.

The reference designs were developed and tested to comply with the latest DVB-T2 specifications, including Nordig 2.2, DTG D-Book version 7.0, and SANS 862:2012 (South Africa). A third-party independent lab certification test report will be available for the single-channel design to demonstrate compliance with both DTG D-Book and Nordig 2.2 standards. Read More

6 Rallying Semiconductors with Strong Inventory Trends

Posted on August 24, 2012 by

Do you prefer investing in stocks with strong trading momentum?

We screened the semiconductors industry for those rallying above their 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages.

We then screened for stocks with strong sales trends by comparing growth in revenue to growth in inventory over the last year. We screened for stocks with positive sales trends, with faster growth in revenue than inventory over the last year. Since inventory represents the portion of goods not yet sold, faster growth in revenue than inventory is considered an encouraging sign.

To screen for strengthening liquidity, we also only focused on those companies with inventory decreasing as a percent of current assets.

For an ‪interactive version of this chart, click on the image below. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.‬‬ Read More

UNH Ethernet testbed launches new consortium

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), an Ethernet testbed, has created a new consortium to help semiconductor businesses address the automotive industry’s requirement of in-vehicle networking.

The group has launched the Automotive Ethernet Consortium, a group that works with its member companies in the auto industry to test various methods that will promote automotive Ethernet devices, the IOL said Monday.

Need for the industry-supported consortium was created because of the integration of applications including advanced navigation and voice recognition, on-board diagnostics and other features in vehicles. As members of the consortium, semiconductor companies can test whether their chips meet the requirements of the BroadR-Reach standard, which allows multiple car systems to access and share information over a single pair, unsheilded cable.

The standard could potentially decrease the cost of connectivity by 80 percent, and the weight of cabling by up to 30 percent because, according to the UNH-IOL, the standard uses one pair of cables and can rely on the same connectors and cables used by other networking technologies in the car. Read More

California Gives Samsung Semiconductor Huge Incentives to Expand in San Jose

Posted on August 17, 2012 by

California Governor Jerry Brown was in Silicon Valley on Thursday to help Samsung Semiconductor Inc. announce that it will expand its San Jose office. The working meeting was also attended by Samsung Electronics President Jong Joong Kim, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, who were all there to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Samsung, the city, and Santa Clara County.

The memorandum outlined an agreement in which the city, county and state will provide a number of incentives to Samsung to expand the company’s research and development facility here. Those incentives are expected to include state research and development tax credits, employee training credits, expedited permitting processes, and fee reductions for traffic abatement and construction taxes. In addition, the company will receive a rebate of up to half of utility taxes for 10 years and receive a $500,000 economic development incentive. A full copy of the memorandum is available here.

“Samsung’s expansion in California is great news and it further strengthens the state’s role as a world leader in innovation,” said Governor Brown, in what is also his first trip to the San Jose City Hall since being elected governor in 2010. “Here’s a case where government and business work together – and everyone benefits.” Read More

Semiconductor Industry Will Stay In The Red For All Of 2012

Posted on August 15, 2012 by

Forecasts by semiconductor companies for the next quarter have almost unanimously been lowered following Q2 earnings announcements.

Intel (INTC) lowered its Q3 guidance, citing “a more challenging macroeconomic environment.”

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), however, expects to see a future dip in the company’s earnings due to weakening economic conditions in the U.S., where job growth is weak, and in other countries including Europe, Japan and China, according to CEO Morris Chang.

Texas Instruments (TXN) cut its third-quarter outlook as customers pulled back on orders for its wireless products.

Qualcomm (QCOM) sees sales softening, lowering outlook, but is upbeat on year-end smartphone demand.

The semiconductor industry in 2012 through June is currently DOWN 5.4% over the same period in 2011 based on Semiconductor Industry Association’s (SIA) 3-month moving average, as shown in the chart below.

Read More