Europe Launches $12 Billion Chip Support Campaign

The European Commission has launched a campaign of public investment in micro- and nanoelectronics with the aim of doubling chip production on the continent to around 20 percent of global production.

The plan is to channel more than 5 billion euro (about $6.4 billion) of public authority money into research, development and innovation over the next seven years to match a similar amount of investment from the companies supported by the plan. However, the spending is likely to be spread across the whole semiconductor supply chain and cannot be used to simply lower the cost of capital or buy production equipment due to anti-subsidy commitments.

European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes said: "Others are aggressively investing in computer chips and Europe cannot be left behind. We have to reinforce and connect our existing strongholds and develop new strengths. A rapid and strong coordination of public investment at EU, member state and regional level is needed to ensure that transformation."

Kroes, who is responsible for digital economy and services delivery in Europe, has argued for several years that nanoelectronics is strategic to European wealth creation as a least 10 percent of GDP depends on electronic products and services.

Kroes said that the public authorities across Europe, at the Commission, member state and regional level should be able to channel more than 5 billion euro (about $6.4 billion) into research, development an innovation over the next seven years. "This is what will attract not only a similar amount of investment in research and innovation by industry but also the 100 billion euro that industry has committed to invest in Europe if we are able to get our act together," Kroes said in the text of a speech to launch the initiative.  READ MORE

Microchips play an important role in industrial and household electronics. Their miniaturized circuits must not only function faultlessly but also consume as little energy as possible. Researchers are now working on making the tiny devices even more efficient.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-perfectly-microelectronics.html#jCp

Microchips play an important role in industrial and household electronics. Their miniaturized circuits must not only function faultlessly but also consume as little energy as possible. Researchers are now working on making the tiny devices even more efficient.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-perfectly-microelectronics.html#jCp

Microchips play an important role in industrial and household electronics. Their miniaturized circuits must not only function faultlessly but also consume as little energy as possible. Researchers are now working on making the tiny devices even more efficient.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-perfectly-microelectronics.html#jCp

US mediates in EU-China solar trade spat

US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has expressed its support for US government’s role as mediator in negotiations between the European Union and China to resolve anti-dumping case against Chinese manufacturers.

The US is rumoured to have brought to the negotiating table an offer to suspend its own duties on Chinese exports whilst setting a quota on Chinese exports and a minimum price for solar products, according to Bloomberg.

Carol Guthrie, US trade representative told PV-Tech: “Our goal is to support a healthy global solar industry in conditions that foster the adoption of renewable energy and continued innovation and a level playing field for all. Toward those ends, we will continue to work with industry and our trading partners to explore ways to resolve concerns."   

Guthrie confirmed: "Active negotiations have not yet begun.”

Photo Credit: PV TechMichael Froman, a White House adviser and President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the US trade office, informed senators that the US is exploring talks with China and the EU, according to Bloomberg.

The US is looking to avoid giving Chinese producers a way to bypass paying taxes to the US by sending partially assembled solar equipment to the US and exporting to the EU thereby avoiding paying not only European but also US duties. 

However a spokesman for module manufacturer Trina Solar told PV-Tech that products from the US would “not offer the same benefit of cost rationalisations and economies of scale compared to Chinese producers. Also, these producers are increasingly attracted by growing demand in their neighbouring markets that is significantly stronger than in the EU.”

Importers of Chinese cells into the US have already been accused by the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing, complainants in the US Department of Commerce’s case against Chinese manufacturers, of evading duties due to a loophole present in the US trade law which does not exist in EU law. READ MORE 

Touchstone Semiconductor Introduces The Industry's Only Ultra Low-Power, Load Independent, High-Efficiency Boost

Photo Credit: Semiconductor OnlineMilpitas, CA (PRWEB) - Touchstone Semiconductor, a leading developer of high-performance, low-power analog integrated circuit solutions, today announced the TS3300 boost regulator. The TS3300 uses only 3.5µA of supply current, and the TS3300’s efficiency performance is constant over a 100:1 span in output current. No other low power boost converter offers this level of performance.

The TS3300 is the industry’s first boost plus linear regulator that can operate from supply voltages as low as 0.6V up to 4.5V and can deliver at least 75mA of continuous output current. The TS3300 is ideally suited to be powered from a wide variety of power sources including single or multiple-cell alkaline or single Li-chemistry batteries. The boost regulator’s output voltage range can be user-set from 1.8V to 5.25V to power an entire range of low-power analog circuits, microcontrollers, and low-energy Bluetooth™ radios simultaneously. While configured to produce a 3V output from a 1.2V input source, the TS3300’s efficiency performance is constant over a 100:1 span in output current – no other low-power boost converter offers this level of performance. For powering low-energy radios, its internal, low-dropout linear regulator can deliver up to 100mA output current while reducing boost-converter-generated output voltage ripple by 3X. READ MORE

Mentor Graphics Pyxis Platform and PDK Automation Process Adopted by MagnaChip Semiconductor

Mentor Graphics Corp. (NASDAQ: MENT), a leader in electronic design automation, today announced that MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation ("MagnaChip") has adopted the Pyxis(R) custom IC design platform and the Mentor(R) process design kit (PDK) automation process. MagnaChip is a leading designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high-volume consumer applications.

With significant growth in the customer base, MagnaChip added the Mentor Graphics(R) analog mixed-signal (AMS) design and verification solution that could handle a high level of mixed-signal complexity, different levels of design abstraction, and support multiple CAD tools in an integrated, unified environment. A key desired attribute was a reliable process for automating the creation of PDKs that could be easily inserted into their AMS design and verification flow.

"Pyxis expands our ability to work with multiple vendor tools with a proven process for automating the creation of PDKs, which is very important to our customers. With Mentor tools and their automated PDK creation process, MagnaChip is better positioned to serve broader customer base and expand businesses for both MagnaChip and Mentor Graphics," said Taejong Lee, EVP and General Manager of MagnaChip's Corporate Engineering Division.

The basic design components for analog mixed-signal IC design are delivered in the form of PDKs. Key components of the PDK are the fundamental building blocks for designing custom circuitry: transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, inductors, etc. PDKs have various models to represent these devices; functional verification models for use in simulation, symbols for use in schematics, parameterized and fixed geometries for use in layout and physical rules for use in physical verification.

"MagnaChip is a key partner of the deep submicron division of Mentor and one whose products have a growing importance in the marketplace," said Robert Hum, vice president and general manager, DSM division, Mentor. "We are delighted that they have chosen the Pyxis custom IC design platform and our automated PDK tools and flow."

About Pyxis

The Pyxis custom IC platform includes integrated solutions for design capture, floorplanning, custom routing, polygon editing, physical layout, schematic-driven layout, concurrent editing and chip assembly. To help companies jump-start their design cycles and cut time-to-market, Mentor and its foundry partners have developed design kits. These kits include all the foundry-specific devices and models for use with the Pyxis custom IC design and platform. The platform supports all common commercial design kit formats plus numerous customer proprietary formats. Mentor supports OpenPDK, iPDK and other industry standards.  READ MORE

Compact 800-W Programmable Power Supply Features Digital Controls

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