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(December 27, 2010 – PRNewswire) — IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research is the first to measure the movement and processing of digital data as a magnetic pattern on nanowires 1,000 times finer than a human hair. Racetrack Memory uses the spin of electrons to move data at hundreds of miles per hour to atomically precise positions along the nanowire "racetrack."

IBM Researchers revealed a previously unknown aspect of key physics inside Racetrack memory — a new technology design which stands to improve memory capabilities within mobile phones, laptop computers and business-class servers. This new class of memory could enable devices to store 100x more data while using much less energy than today’s designs.

The Racetrack memory project — which started in IBM’s Research labs 6 years ago — automatically moves data to where it can be used, sliding magnetic bits back and forth along nanowire "racetracks." This technique would allow electronic manufacturers to design a portable device capable of storing all the movies produced worldwide in a given year with room to spare.

Digital data is typically stored in magnetic hard disk drives, which are low-cost but slow due to their moving parts, or in solid state memory such as Flash memory, which are faster but more expensive. Racetrack memory aims to combine the best attributes of these two types of memory devices by storing data as magnetic regions, called domains, in racetracks a few tens of nanometers wide.

The new understanding, revealed in the journal Science, allows the precise control of the placement of these domains, which the IBM team has proven can act as nano-sized data keepers that can not only store at least 100 times more memory than today’s techniques, but can be accessed at much greater speeds. By controlling electrical pulses in the device, the scientists can move these domain walls at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour and then stop them precisely at the position needed — allowing massive amounts of stored information to be accessed in less than a billionth of a second.

IBM scientists were the first to measure the time and distance of domain wall acceleration and deceleration in response to electric current pulses, which is how digital information is moved and processed in Racetrack memory. This not only gives scientists an unprecedented understanding and control over the magnetic movements inside these devices but also advances IBM’s Racetrack memory — driving it closer to marketplace viability.

"We discovered that domain walls don’t hit peak acceleration as soon as the current is turned on, and that it takes them exactly the same time and distance to hit peak acceleration as it does to decelerate and eventually come to a stop," said Dr. Stuart Parkin, an IBM Fellow at IBM Research – Almaden. "This was previously undiscovered in part because it was not clear whether the domain walls actually had mass, and how the effects of acceleration and deceleration could exactly compensate one another. Now we know domain walls can be positioned precisely along the racetracks simply by varying the length of the current pulses even though the walls have mass".

To achieve the densest and fastest possible memory, the domain walls inside the device must be moved at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour to atomically precise positions along the tracks. These timescales (tens of nanoseconds) and distances (micrometers) are surprisingly long, especially since previous experiments had shown no evidence for acceleration and deceleration for domain walls driven along smooth racetracks with current.

For nearly fifty years, scientists have explored the possibility of storing information in magnetic domain walls, which are the boundaries between magnetic regions or "domains" in magnetic materials. Until now, manipulating domain walls was expensive, complex and used significant power to generate the fields necessary to do so. In a proof of concept paper in 2008 (1), IBM researchers were the first to demonstrate the potential of Racetrack memory, showing how the use of spin momentum considerably simplifies the memory device.

The details and results of this research effort were reported in the December 24, 2010 issue of Science. The paper is titled, "Dynamics of magnetic domain walls under their own inertia," and is authored by Luc Thomas, Rai Moriya, Charles Rettner and Stuart Parkin of IBM Research – Almaden.

For more information about Racetrack Memory, please visit: http://www.almaden.ibm.com/spinaps/research/sd/?racetrack

(1) Hayashi, M., Thomas, L., Moriya, R., Rettner, C. & Parkin, S. S. P. Current-Controlled Magnetic Domain-Wall Nanowire Shift Register. Science 320, 209-211 (2008)

SOURCE IBM 

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by Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS, iSuppli

December 22, 2010 – The year 2010 is shaping up to be a record year for automotive sensor production. As production levels have quickly returned to pre-crisis levels in the world’s major automotive regions, and China — even with current lower overall electronics content per car — continues its meteoric rise, the demand for automotive MEMS sensors is growing very strongly.

In fact, sensor production far outstrips what car consumption consumes, due to the replenishment of inventory pipelines that were depleted during the recession of 2009. By 2014, at least 984 million pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, flow sensors, and other assorted MEMS devices will ship, which is up from the 501 million shipped in 2009 — a CAGR of more than 14% (Figure 1). In 2010, 662 million units will ship, exceeding the pre-crisis high point of 2007 of 640 million sensors.

In terms of revenue, the automotive MEMS market will top $2.1 billion in 2014, up from $1.4 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 9.4%.

Figure 1: The MEMS sensor market grew over 32%
from 2009 to 2010. (Source: iSuppli)

The supply chain recovers

The inventory supply chain was run close to dry in the first part of 2009, and the intervening period up to today has been spent returning levels to the historically normal inventory-to-sales’ ratios. However, the passenger car market has rebounded much faster than anyone thought possible — more strongly than some other segments of the global economy, and the high sensor sales in 2010 reflect robust car sales in 2010, regaining the lost ground in 2009. The high level of orders seen today is therefore a combination of the recovery in car production and this refilling of the pipeline. It will result in a lower sensor growth in 2011 and 2012, returning to normal growth levels around 2013 to 2014.

Big shapers: Safety mandates and China

One of the most significant drivers for sensors in passenger cars is mandated safety technologies such as electronic stability control (ESC) and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Adoption of new mandates relating to ESC and TPMS in South Korea, and similar measures expected shortly in Japan, will accelerate adoption rates worldwide. Both the US and Europe have adopted legislation on these systems, and other countries including Canada and Australia have quickly followed suit. The extra opportunity for suppliers to Japan and Korea for ESC and TPMS as a result together makes up more than $120 million just in this region in the next five years.

Meanwhile, China’s production continues to grow rapidly, and is the largest single region for cars. iSuppli data shows that Chinese vehicles have an overall electronics content of 10%-12% of the total vehicle value vs. 18%-20% in Europe or North America. Clearly China is playing catch-up, but the large volume of vehicles with relatively low equipment leaves lots of potential — for this reason, the Chinese market is extremely interesting and of enormous import to suppliers.

New applications and sensor consolidation

What kinds of devices are benefiting? The vast majority (95%) of the market for MEMS automotive sensors is made up by pressure, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and flow sensors. These four categories of device offer five-year growth rates raging from 6%-10%. The driver for increased deployment of these devices comes from emission regulations (mainly for pressure and flow sensors in engine management) and from mandated safety applications for inertial sensors, including airbags, electronic stability control systems, and tire pressure monitoring.

Figure 2: The big four sensors include gyroscope, pressure and accelerometers, categories that are partly driven by safety mandate and emissions regulations. A small but increasing portion of the market will involve more exotic MEMS devices. (Source: iSuppli)

However, though a much smaller portion of the overall revenues (today 1.5%, but growing to 5% in 2014), emerging applications offer much higher growth rates and are interesting for companies trying to enter the automotive market. This category of devices includes gas sensors and infrared thermopiles to control air quality and temperature in the cabin, micro-valves for low-power consumption HVAC (beginning in 2012 from Microstaq), microbolometers for night vision, and oscillators for rear-view cameras.

Sensor consolidation is playing an important role. Sales of accelerometers employed to measure inclination for electronic parking brakes (EPB), whose adoption in Europe will accelerate in the next five years, is damped by ESC. Such systems are proliferating and in most cases already contain the 2-axis accelerometers capable of delivering the required inclination signal for EPB. For example, in TRW’s EPB system this function is integrated into the ESC ECU to save space, sharing the longitudinal acceleration signals over the can bus. This is a bane for sensor suppliers, which must seek out opportunities that involve standalone systems to provide additional sensors.

On the other hand, inclination-based car alarms do not access accelerometer signals in ESC systems, and require standalone accelerometers. Companies like Analog Devices and STMicroelectronics supply 2-axis or 3-axis accelerometers for this application.

Other examples of recent applications that do propagate sensors include passenger protection systems that detect impacts using either accelerometers or pressure sensors located in the front bumper. Stop-start systems, which are designed to lower emissions but turning the motor off when stopped at junctions, also continue to be an opportunity for pressure sensors that supply critical data when the engine is off.

Figure 3: Many electronic parking brakes rely on sensor fusion by accessing existing ESC accelerometer signals — a boon for the integrator but not necessarily for the sensor supplier. (Courtesy TRW)

Supply chain rumblings

At long last, consumer-oriented sensor suppliers are finally making inroads into the automotive market. STMicroelectronics has so far targeted non-safety critical applications like car alarms and navigation, and also has now entered the airbag market with a high-g accelerometer. ST leverages significant manufacturing economies-of-scale, which will lead to additional price pressures and new cost structures in the industry.

Figure 4: Pressure sensors located in the front bumper impact absorption filling detect impact with a pedestrian and activate safety systems. (Source: Continental)

Information in this article is based on a recently released iSuppli market tracker Automotive MEMS H2 2010.

Richard Dixon received his doctorate in semiconductor characterization from Surrey University and degree in materials science from North Kent University, and is senior analyst for MEMS at iSuppli, Spiegelstr. 2, 81241 Munich Germany; ph +49-89-207-026-070, e-mail [email protected].

by Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS, iSuppli

December 22, 2010 – The year 2010 is shaping up to be a record year for automotive sensor production. As production levels have quickly returned to pre-crisis levels in the world’s major automotive regions, and China — even with current lower overall electronics content per car — continues its meteoric rise, the demand for automotive MEMS sensors is growing very strongly.

In fact, sensor production far outstrips what car consumption consumes, due to the replenishment of inventory pipelines that were depleted during the recession of 2009. By 2014, at least 984 million pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, flow sensors, and other assorted MEMS devices will ship, which is up from the 501 million shipped in 2009 — a CAGR of more than 14% (Figure 1). In 2010, 662 million units will ship, exceeding the pre-crisis high point of 2007 of 640 million sensors.

In terms of revenue, the automotive MEMS market will top $2.1 billion in 2014, up from $1.4 billion in 2009, a CAGR of 9.4%.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 1: The MEMS sensor market grew over 32%
from 2009 to 2010. (Source: iSuppli)

The supply chain recovers

The inventory supply chain was run close to dry in the first part of 2009, and the intervening period up to today has been spent returning levels to the historically normal inventory-to-sales’ ratios. However, the passenger car market has rebounded much faster than anyone thought possible — more strongly than some other segments of the global economy, and the high sensor sales in 2010 reflect robust car sales in 2010, regaining the lost ground in 2009. The high level of orders seen today is therefore a combination of the recovery in car production and this refilling of the pipeline. It will result in a lower sensor growth in 2011 and 2012, returning to normal growth levels around 2013 to 2014.

Big shapers: Safety mandates and China

One of the most significant drivers for sensors in passenger cars is mandated safety technologies such as electronic stability control (ESC) and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Adoption of new mandates relating to ESC and TPMS in South Korea, and similar measures expected shortly in Japan, will accelerate adoption rates worldwide. Both the US and Europe have adopted legislation on these systems, and other countries including Canada and Australia have quickly followed suit. The extra opportunity for suppliers to Japan and Korea for ESC and TPMS as a result together makes up more than $120 million just in this region in the next five years.

Meanwhile, China’s production continues to grow rapidly, and is the largest single region for cars. iSuppli data shows that Chinese vehicles have an overall electronics content of 10%-12% of the total vehicle value vs. 18%-20% in Europe or North America. Clearly China is playing catch-up, but the large volume of vehicles with relatively low equipment leaves lots of potential — for this reason, the Chinese market is extremely interesting and of enormous import to suppliers.

New applications and sensor consolidation

What kinds of devices are benefiting? The vast majority (95%) of the market for MEMS automotive sensors is made up by pressure, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and flow sensors. These four categories of device offer five-year growth rates raging from 6%-10%. The driver for increased deployment of these devices comes from emission regulations (mainly for pressure and flow sensors in engine management) and from mandated safety applications for inertial sensors, including airbags, electronic stability control systems, and tire pressure monitoring.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 2: The big four sensors include gyroscope, pressure and accelerometers, categories that are partly driven by safety mandate and emissions regulations. A small but increasing portion of the market will involve more exotic MEMS devices. (Source: iSuppli)

However, though a much smaller portion of the overall revenues (today 1.5%, but growing to 5% in 2014), emerging applications offer much higher growth rates and are interesting for companies trying to enter the automotive market. This category of devices includes gas sensors and infrared thermopiles to control air quality and temperature in the cabin, micro-valves for low-power consumption HVAC (beginning in 2012 from Microstaq), microbolometers for night vision, and oscillators for rear-view cameras.

Sensor consolidation is playing an important role. Sales of accelerometers employed to measure inclination for electronic parking brakes (EPB), whose adoption in Europe will accelerate in the next five years, is damped by ESC. Such systems are proliferating and in most cases already contain the 2-axis accelerometers capable of delivering the required inclination signal for EPB. For example, in TRW’s EPB system this function is integrated into the ESC ECU to save space, sharing the longitudinal acceleration signals over the can bus. This is a bane for sensor suppliers, which must seek out opportunities that involve standalone systems to provide additional sensors.

On the other hand, inclination-based car alarms do not access accelerometer signals in ESC systems, and require standalone accelerometers. Companies like Analog Devices and STMicroelectronics supply 2-axis or 3-axis accelerometers for this application.

Other examples of recent applications that do propagate sensors include passenger protection systems that detect impacts using either accelerometers or pressure sensors located in the front bumper. Stop-start systems, which are designed to lower emissions but turning the motor off when stopped at junctions, also continue to be an opportunity for pressure sensors that supply critical data when the engine is off.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 3: Many electronic parking brakes rely on sensor fusion by accessing existing ESC accelerometer signals — a boon for the integrator but not necessarily for the sensor supplier. (Courtesy TRW)

Supply chain rumblings

At long last, consumer-oriented sensor suppliers are finally making inroads into the automotive market. STMicroelectronics has so far targeted non-safety critical applications like car alarms and navigation, and also has now entered the airbag market with a high-g accelerometer. ST leverages significant manufacturing economies-of-scale, which will lead to additional price pressures and new cost structures in the industry.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 4: Pressure sensors located in the front bumper impact absorption filling detect impact with a pedestrian and activate safety systems. (Source: Continental)

Information in this article is based on a recently released iSuppli market tracker Automotive MEMS H2 2010.

Richard Dixon received his doctorate in semiconductor characterization from Surrey University and degree in materials science from North Kent University, and is senior analyst for MEMS at iSuppli, Spiegelstr. 2, 81241 Munich Germany; ph +49-89-207-026-070, e-mail [email protected].

(December 22, 2010 – PRNewswire) — The World Gold Council (WGC) revealed that a phase 1 clinical trial of a unique nanomedicine was sucessful. The medicine uses gold nanoparticles as the core of a delivery system for tumour-targeted drug delivery.

The research, published in the current edition of Clinical Cancer Research, was carried out by US-based life sciences company CytImmune Sciences Inc. Read the abstract here.

In medicine, gold nanoparticles can serve as a simple, elegant platform upon which potent therapies may be bound. In this clinical trial, the nanoparticles, which were coated with both an immune-avoiding molecule and a potent anti-cancer agent, were shown to be very well tolerated and to target solid tumours. There is hope that such targeting technology will be effective against a range of cancers, including lung, pancreatic, breast and ovarian cancer.

Dr Lawrence Tamarkin, CEO of CytImmune Sciences Inc. said: "This phase 1 clinical study potentially marks the beginning of a new strategy in cancer treatment where gold nanoparticle-based cancer therapeutics are used first, before surgery, to reduce tumour burden. Reducing tumour size may require less sophisticated surgeries to remove any residual tumour, leading to shorter hospital stays and to improved patient outcomes. Phase 2 clinical studies will prove the value of this novel drug delivery platform."

The WGC put out a paper titled ‘Gold for Good: Gold and nanotechnology in the age of innovation,’ earlier in 2010 to chronicle the use of gold nanoparticles in a range of fields. The report demonstrates how gold nanoparticles exhibit a variety of unique properties.

Dr. Richard Holliday, director, technology at the WGC said: "Gold has a long history in the biomedical field, being the material of choice in many diagnostic platforms and a key constituent for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The dawn of the ‘nano-age’ has further broadened the potential of gold in biomedical applications and it is exciting to see the outcome of this clinical trial, which suggests that gold can act as an effective and safe drug delivery system."

Learn more about CytImmune at http://www.cytimmune.com/

The World Gold Council (WGC) is the market development organization for the gold industry. Read its paper, "Gold for Good: Gold and nanotechnology in the age of innovation," here:
http://www.gold.org/download/rs_archive/gold_and_nanotechnology_in_the_age_of_innovation.pdf

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(December 22, 2010) — Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY) and DALSA (TSX: DSA) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement that provides for the acquisition of DALSA by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teledyne. Teledyne will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of DALSA for CAD $18.25 per share payable in cash.

The aggregate value for the transaction is approximately CAD $341 million, taking into account DALSA’s stock options and net cash as of September 30, 2010. DALSA is a maker of high performance digital imaging and MEMS products with approximately 1,000 employees worldwide. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2010, DALSA had sales of approximately CAD $201 million.

"Teledyne and DALSA are each acknowledged leaders in digital imaging technology but our product lines and customer bases are almost entirely complementary," said Dr. Robert Mehrabian, chairman, president and CEO of Teledyne. For example, DALSA produces among the world’s most advanced visible light imaging sensors and cameras for commercial applications, while Teledyne produces extreme resolution infrared sensors and subsystems primarily for government applications.

"The combined strengths of Teledyne’s and DALSA’s leading imaging technologies will allow us to develop new infrared and visible light products that serve our respective markets and customers. Furthermore, DALSA’s custom MEMS capabilities will be augmented by having access to Teledyne’s extensive MEMS research activities and advanced process technologies.

"With the acquisition of DALSA, Teledyne is making a substantial commitment to Canada. We are especially attracted to strong support for research and development and advancement of technology provided by both the Canadian Federal and Provincial Governments of Ontario and Quebec. Finally, following the acquisition of DALSA, and the previously announced divestiture of Teledyne Continental Motors, Teledyne will be transformed into a pure-play electronics, instrumentation and engineering focused company."

"I view this transaction as a natural evolution for DALSA and a positive development for all DALSA stakeholders including shareholders, employees, executives, local communities, customers and vendors," commented Dr. Savvas Chamberlain, Chairman of the Board and Founder of DALSA. "The decision to be a part of a larger organization recognizes that in order for DALSA to become a billion dollar company, we need to team up with an industry leader with complementary technologies. Finally, as the founder of the company, I am pleased to see DALSA’s name live on, in its new incarnation as Teledyne DALSA."

"Being part of the Teledyne team will provide many opportunities for accelerated growth for DALSA," said Brian Doody, Chief Executive Officer of DALSA. "I am looking forward to working with my existing management and executive team, along with the Teledyne team, as we move forward together in the next stage of the company’s development. As envisioned in the agreement with Teledyne, our principal operations will continue to function in their existing locations. Moreover, Teledyne expects to continue to invest in our technology and business."

Additional Information
The purchase price payable by Teledyne of CAD $18.25 per common share represents a premium of 27.7 percent over the twenty-day volume weighted average trading price of CAD $14.29 for DALSA common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the period ending December 21, 2010. Holders of approximately 6.4 million DALSA common shares, representing approximately 34.7 percent of DALSA’s outstanding common shares, have entered into support agreements with Teledyne pursuant to which they have agreed to support and vote in favor of the transaction.

The transaction will be carried out by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). The completion of the transaction is subject to, among other things, the approval of shareholders of DALSA representing at least two-thirds of the common shares of DALSA represented at a special meeting of shareholders of DALSA to be called to consider the transaction and Court approval. In addition, the transaction is subject to a number of additional closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions.

The transaction has been reviewed by a Special Committee of the Board of Directors of DALSA and has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of DALSA following the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee. The Board of Directors of DALSA unanimously recommends that the shareholders of DALSA vote in favor of the transaction. Canaccord Genuity Corp acted as financial advisor to DALSA, and the Special Committee and the Board of Directors have received an opinion from Canaccord Genuity that the consideration offered under the transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to DALSA’s shareholders.

The definitive agreement contains a termination fee in the amount of approximately CAD $10.2 million, which is payable by DALSA to Teledyne in certain circumstances if the transaction is not completed. The definitive agreement provides that DALSA will call and hold a special meeting of the DALSA shareholders for the purposes of considering the transaction. If all necessary approvals are obtained and the conditions contained in the definitive agreement are satisfied, DALSA and Teledyne expect that the transaction will close in February 2011.

DALSA anticipates declaring a quarterly dividend, consistent with previous practices, prior to the closing date.

Full details of the arrangement and certain other matters will be included in the management information circular of DALSA (the "Information Circular") which will be filed with the regulatory authorities and mailed to DALSA shareholders in accordance with applicable securities laws. Shareholders may obtain a copy of the definitive agreement, Information Circular of DALSA, and other meeting materials when they become available at www.sedar.com

(December 22, 2010) — Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY) and DALSA (TSX: DSA) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement that provides for the acquisition of DALSA by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teledyne. Teledyne will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of DALSA for CAD $18.25 per share payable in cash.

The aggregate value for the transaction is approximately CAD $341 million, taking into account DALSA’s stock options and net cash as of September 30, 2010. DALSA is a maker of high performance digital imaging and MEMS products with approximately 1,000 employees worldwide. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2010, DALSA had sales of approximately CAD $201 million.

"Teledyne and DALSA are each acknowledged leaders in digital imaging technology but our product lines and customer bases are almost entirely complementary," said Dr. Robert Mehrabian, chairman, president and CEO of Teledyne. For example, DALSA produces among the world’s most advanced visible light imaging sensors and cameras for commercial applications, while Teledyne produces extreme resolution infrared sensors and subsystems primarily for government applications.

"The combined strengths of Teledyne’s and DALSA’s leading imaging technologies will allow us to develop new infrared and visible light products that serve our respective markets and customers. Furthermore, DALSA’s custom MEMS capabilities will be augmented by having access to Teledyne’s extensive MEMS research activities and advanced process technologies.

"With the acquisition of DALSA, Teledyne is making a substantial commitment to Canada. We are especially attracted to strong support for research and development and advancement of technology provided by both the Canadian Federal and Provincial Governments of Ontario and Quebec. Finally, following the acquisition of DALSA, and the previously announced divestiture of Teledyne Continental Motors, Teledyne will be transformed into a pure-play electronics, instrumentation and engineering focused company."

"I view this transaction as a natural evolution for DALSA and a positive development for all DALSA stakeholders including shareholders, employees, executives, local communities, customers and vendors," commented Dr. Savvas Chamberlain, Chairman of the Board and Founder of DALSA. "The decision to be a part of a larger organization recognizes that in order for DALSA to become a billion dollar company, we need to team up with an industry leader with complementary technologies. Finally, as the founder of the company, I am pleased to see DALSA’s name live on, in its new incarnation as Teledyne DALSA."

"Being part of the Teledyne team will provide many opportunities for accelerated growth for DALSA," said Brian Doody, Chief Executive Officer of DALSA. "I am looking forward to working with my existing management and executive team, along with the Teledyne team, as we move forward together in the next stage of the company’s development. As envisioned in the agreement with Teledyne, our principal operations will continue to function in their existing locations. Moreover, Teledyne expects to continue to invest in our technology and business."

Additional Information
The purchase price payable by Teledyne of CAD $18.25 per common share represents a premium of 27.7 percent over the twenty-day volume weighted average trading price of CAD $14.29 for DALSA common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the period ending December 21, 2010. Holders of approximately 6.4 million DALSA common shares, representing approximately 34.7 percent of DALSA’s outstanding common shares, have entered into support agreements with Teledyne pursuant to which they have agreed to support and vote in favor of the transaction.

The transaction will be carried out by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). The completion of the transaction is subject to, among other things, the approval of shareholders of DALSA representing at least two-thirds of the common shares of DALSA represented at a special meeting of shareholders of DALSA to be called to consider the transaction and Court approval. In addition, the transaction is subject to a number of additional closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions.

The transaction has been reviewed by a Special Committee of the Board of Directors of DALSA and has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of DALSA following the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee. The Board of Directors of DALSA unanimously recommends that the shareholders of DALSA vote in favor of the transaction. Canaccord Genuity Corp acted as financial advisor to DALSA, and the Special Committee and the Board of Directors have received an opinion from Canaccord Genuity that the consideration offered under the transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to DALSA’s shareholders.

The definitive agreement contains a termination fee in the amount of approximately CAD $10.2 million, which is payable by DALSA to Teledyne in certain circumstances if the transaction is not completed. The definitive agreement provides that DALSA will call and hold a special meeting of the DALSA shareholders for the purposes of considering the transaction. If all necessary approvals are obtained and the conditions contained in the definitive agreement are satisfied, DALSA and Teledyne expect that the transaction will close in February 2011.

DALSA anticipates declaring a quarterly dividend, consistent with previous practices, prior to the closing date.

Full details of the arrangement and certain other matters will be included in the management information circular of DALSA (the "Information Circular") which will be filed with the regulatory authorities and mailed to DALSA shareholders in accordance with applicable securities laws. Shareholders may obtain a copy of the definitive agreement, Information Circular of DALSA, and other meeting materials when they become available at www.sedar.com

(December 21, 2010 – Marketwire via COMTEX) — Zarlink Semiconductor (TSX: ZL) has invested US$5 million as part of a US$10 million Series C financing in Multigig, a fabless semiconductor company that provides advanced clock generation and timing products for the wired and wireless communications markets. CMEA Capital and Sierra Ventures also participated in the financing.

Multigig will use the financing to invest in the continuing development of its RotaryWave timing technology. RotaryWave technology delivers clocks with extremely low jitter for high-speed communication applications.
"There is growing demand for new timing technologies for wired and wireless applications," said Kirk Mandy, president and CEO, Zarlink Semiconductor. "Multigig’s timing technologies deliver performance, cost and power advantages across a widening range of telecom, communications, networking, server and storage applications."

"Multigig is pleased to have Zarlink as a strategic investor in our Series C financing," said Michael Canning, president and CEO, Multigig. "Our current products represent a significant advance in timing technology. However, there is much more that we can achieve with RotaryWave in terms of increased integration and improved performance. This Series C financing will help us reach that goal."

Zarlink Semiconductor delivers mixed-signal chip technologies for a broad range of communication and medical applications. For more information, visit www.zarlink.com.

Multigig, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company that provides advanced next-generation clock and timing solutions for the wired and wireless communications markets. Visit Multigig online at www.multigig.com.

(December 21, 2010) — Just as walkie-talkies transmit and receive radio waves, carbon nanotubes (CNT) can transmit and receive light at the nanoscale, Cornell researchers have discovered.

Carbon nanotubes, cylindrical rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms, might one day make ideal optical scattering wires: tiny, mostly invisible antennae with the ability to control, absorb and emit certain colors of light at the nanoscale, according to research led by Jiwoong Park, Cornell assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology. The study, which includes co-author Garnet Chan, also in chemistry, was published online Dec. 19 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The paper’s first author is Daniel Y. Joh, a former student in Park’s lab.

The researchers used the Rayleigh scattering of light — the same phenomenon that creates the blue look of the sky — from carbon nanotubes grown in the lab. They found that while the propagation of light scattering is mostly classical and macroscopic, the color and intensity of the scattered radiation is determined by intrinsic quantum properties. In other words, the nanotubes’ simple carbon-carbon bonded molecular structure determined how they scattered light, independent of their shape, which differs from the properties of today’s metallic nanoscale optical structures.

"Even if you chop it down to a small scale, nothing will change, because the scattering is fundamentally molecular," Park explained.

They found that the nanotubes’ light transmission behaved as a scaled-down version of radio-frequency (RF) antennae found in walkie-talkies, except that they interact with light instead of radio waves. The principles that govern the interactions between light and the carbon nanotube are the same as between the radio antenna and the radio signal, researchers found.

To perform their experiments, the researchers used a methodology developed in their lab that completely eliminates the problematic background signal, by coating the surface of a substrate with a refractive index-matching medium to make the substrate ‘disappear’ optically, not physically. This technique, which allowed them to see the different light spectra produced by the nanotubes, is detailed in another study published in Nano Letters.

The technique also allows quick, easy characterization of a large number of nanotubes, which could lead to ways of growing more uniform batches of nanotubes. Also read: Carbon nanotubes sliced, and leave the kinks in

The paper’s principal authors are former student Daniel Y. Joh; graduate student Lihong Herman; and Jesse Kinder, a postdoctoral research associate in Chan’s lab. Park is a member of the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science. Both the Nature Nanotechnology and Nano Letters work were supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation through the Center for Nanoscale Systems, Cornell Center for Materials Research, Center for Molecular Interfacing and an NSF CAREER grant.

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(December 21, 2010) — The Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES are joining forces to develop MEMS Capacitive Sensor Platform Technology for power-efficient and highly sensitive motion sensing applications that are relevant to consumer electronics, automotive and aerospace industries.

MEMS capacitive sensor technology is increasingly common in today’s consumer electronics, playing a key role in the way users interact with mobile communication devices and 3D virtual multimedia gaming systems. Also read: MEMS gyroscope market says gaming FTW, though smartphone apps gaining

Under the agreement, GLOBALFOUNDRIES will be responsible for preliminary platform design specifications and process flow. IME will concentrate its effort in developing a modular and scalable capacitive sensor technology platform with standardized process modules and process integration scheme based on IME’s advanced MEMS fabrication facilities and tools. IME’s multi-wafers bonding technology will be a key enabler for this joint project.

"GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a founding member of the A*STAR MEMS Consortium and we are glad to extend our collaboration with IME to support Singapore’s vision of a world-class MEMS hub for R&D and manufacturing," said Raj Kumar, SVP of the 200mm business unit and GM of GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore. 

Said Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, executive director of IME, "The worldwide MEMS industry is entering an exciting chapter in their development and growth, with revenues projected to hit more than USD 16 billion (SGD 22 billion) in 2015[2]. IME is committed to helping our industry partners respond faster to upcoming trends by anticipating their needs and providing them with solutions that are relevant, practical and sustainable."

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, IME’s mission is to add value to Singapore’s semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies, innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to be technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject new knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are in integrated circuits design, advanced packaging, bioelectronics and medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics, and photonics. For more information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a full-service semiconductor foundry with global manufacturing. It was launched in March 2009 through a partnership between AMD (NYSE: AMD) and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information on GLOBALFOUNDRIES, visit http://www.globalfoundries.com.

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(December 20, 2010) — A new study from researchers at North Carolina State University sheds light on how a technique that is commonly used for making single-metal nanoparticles can be extended to create nanoparticles consisting of two metals and that have tunable properties. The study also provides insight into the optical properties of some of these nanoparticles.

The researchers created core/shell nanoparticles with a gold core and silver shell, as well as alloy nanoparticles, which mix the gold and silver.

This diagram shows how researchers created the core/shell nanoparticles, and alloy nanoparticles, from gold and silver.

The researchers synthesized the nanoparticles using a technique called "digestive ripening." The technique has been used to create single-metal particles for approximately a decade, but there have been limited studies of core/shell and alloy nanoparticles created using digestive ripening. However, the comprehensive nature of this study may make it more common.

Digestive ripening relies on the use of ligands, which are small organic molecules with parts that bond directly to metals. The ligands are usually anchored to the metal cores of the nanoparticles and prevent the nanoparticles from clumping together, which allows them to be suspended in solution. Digestive ripening occurs when the ligands are able to transport metal atoms from the core of one nanoparticle to another — resulting in a more homogenous size distribution among the nanoparticles.

"This study, along with related work by others, shows that digestive ripening is a viable method for creating multi-component metal nanoparticles. We used gold and silver, but the same principles would likely apply to other metals," Dr. Joe Tracy, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study, says. "Our detailed evaluation of this synthetic approach should help other researchers explore other kinds of binary metal nanoparticles."

The researchers used digestive ripening to create a solution of gold nanoparticles of similar size. When they introduced silver acetate into the solution, the ligands transported silver atoms to the surfaces of the gold nanoparticles, resulting in nanoparticles with gold cores and silver shells.

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Researchers then transferred the nanoparticles into a second solution, containing a different ligand. Heating this second solution to 250°C caused the metals to diffuse into each other, creating nanoparticles made of a gold/silver alloy.

The researchers also created gold-silver alloy nanoparticles by skipping the shell-creation step, introducing silver acetate into the second solution, and raising the temperature to 250C. This "shortcut" method has the benefit of simplifying control over the gold-to-silver ratio of the alloy.

The researchers also characterized the optical properties of these nanoparticles. "Silver and gold have unique optical properties arising from their specific interactions with the electric field of light," says Dr. Tracy. "By manipulating the ratio of the metals, and whether the nanoparticles have core/shell or alloy structures, we can alter their optical properties with control." Tuning the optical properties of nanoparticles is of interest for applications such as security technology, and for use in making chemical reactions more efficient, which has multiple industrial and environmental applications.

The paper, "Synthesis of Au(core)/Ag(shell) Nanoparticles and their Conversion to AuAg Alloy Nanoparticles," was published online Dec. 13 by the journal Small. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and NC State. The lead author of the paper is Matthew Shore, who was an undergraduate at NC State when the research was done. Co-authors include Tracy, NC State Ph.D. student Aaron Johnston-Peck, former NC State postdoc Dr. Junwei Wang, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assistant professor Dr. Amy Oldenburg. The abstract states: Au(core)/Ag(shell) and AuAg alloy nanoparticles are synthesized with stoichiometric control through digestive ripening, a potentially general approach for synthesizing core/shell and alloy nanoparticles. AuAg alloy nanoparticles are obtained by annealing Au(core)/Ag(shell) nanoparticles. These bimetal nanoparticles have a tunable surface plasmon resonance absorbance and of interest for use in catalysis and as taggants for security applications.

NC State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering is part of the university’s College of Engineering.

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