Here's a book excerpt from "Advanced MEMS Packaging," written by experts in the field. The book details the latest cutting-edge microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) packaging techniques such as low-temperature bonding and 3-D packaging. It can certainly serve as a valuable reference for those faced with the challenging problems created by MEMS devices and packaging. Part 2 covers advanced IC packaging.
Here's a book excerpt from "Advanced MEMS Packaging," written by experts in the field. The book details the latest cutting-edge MEMS packaging techniques such as low-temperature bonding and 3-D packaging. It can certainly serve as a valuable reference for those faced with the challenging problems created by MEMS devices and packaging. Parts 1 & 2 cover advanced IC packaging, while part 3 addresses advanced MEMS packaging.
The launch of the Apple iPad has resulted in an outpouring of opinions -- good and bad. Find out what key market analysts including DisplaySearch, In-Stat, iSuppli, and Strategy Analytics have to say about Apple's latest creation.
IBM researchers demo fastest graphene transistor
Yorktown Heights, N.Y. — IBM researchers reported in a published paper in Science magazine that they have demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far for any graphene device — 100 billion cycles/second (100 gigahertz). The high frequency was achieved using wafer-scale, epitaxially grown graphene using processing technology compatible with advanced silicon device fabrication, says IBM.
IBM says this is a key milestone for the Carbon Electronics for RF Applications (CERA) program funded by DARPA, in an effort to develop next-generation communication devices.
“A key advantage of graphene lies in the very high speeds in which electrons propagate, which is essential for achieving high-speed, high-performance next generation transistors,” said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president, Science and Technology, IBM Research, in a statement. “The breakthrough we are announcing demonstrates clearly that graphene can be utilized to produce high performance devices and integrated circuits.”
IBM researchers say that uniform and high-quality graphene wafers were synthesized by thermal decomposition of a silicon-carbide (SiC) substrate. The graphene transistor itself used a metal-top-gate architecture and a novel gate insulator stack consisting of a polymer and a high dielectric constant oxide. The gate length was 240 nanometers, leaving plenty of space for further optimization of its performance by scaling down the gate length, say researchers.
IBM researchers note that the frequency performance of the graphene device already exceeds the cut-off frequency of state-of-the-art silicon transistors of the same gate length (~ 40 gigahertz). Similar performance was obtained from devices based on graphene obtained from natural graphite, which shows that high performance can be obtained from graphene of different origins, according to IBM.
Previously, the team had demonstrated graphene transistors with a cut-off frequency of 26 gigahertz using graphene flakes.
ST intros an ultra-low-power, single-chip controller IC containing all the functions necessary to control an optical finger navigation (OFN) module or optical joystick. 
Renesas unveils its family of RX62T 32-bit flash microcontrollers (MCU) that enable more energy-efficient control system designs for electric motors and inverters.