Breaking New Ground
AMD reveals details on next-gen x86 cores
AMD has revealed new details on its two next-generation x86 processor core implementations, including the company's unique approach to high-performance, multi-threaded computing, and a sub-one-watt capable low-power design at this week's Hot Chips 22 symposium. »
Qualtre gets funding to commercialize next-gen MEMS gyros
Qualtre completed an $8 million Series B round of financing, bringing the total funds raised to $13 million, to finance the commercialization of its proprietary bulk acoustic wave (BAW) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes. »
DA5 consortium to develop high-lead solder alternatives
Bosch, Freescale Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics have formed a consortium to develop alternatives for high-lead solder for attaching die to semiconductor packages during manufacturing. The new DA5 consortium is soliciting input from die attach material suppliers to jointly evaluate and develop possible alternatives. »
HP Labs ‘memristor’ can dramatically change computer system design
Researchers at HB Labs have discovered that the "memristor," first demonstrated by the group in 2008, has more capabilities than was previously thought. Researchers now say that the memristor can perform logic, enabling computation in the future to be performed in chips where data is stored, rather than on a specialized central processing unit.... »
Dow Corning, imec partner on silicon solar cells
imec and Dow Corning are partnering on a joint research project for next-generation crystalline silicon solar cells. Dow Corning has signed a three-year contract that will allow the company to work on several programs under imec's industrial affiliation program (IIAP) on silicon solar cells. »
TSMC to build fab for LED lighting
Marking the company's major move into the "green" energy market, TSMC broke ground on its new LED lighting research and development center and fab in Hsinchu Science Park. The company expects to offer LED light sources and light engines for the LED lighting industry in 2011. »
EU partnership launches research project on cooling semiconductors
A European partnership, consisting of semiconductor manufacturers, electronic design automation (EDA) suppliers, research institutions and universities, has launched a three-year project, looking at the impact of thermal effects on electronic circuits and systems. »
Novellus, IBM form 3-D TSV partnership
Aimed at advanced product applications that call for small form factors and low-power consumption, Novellus Systems and IBM Corp. are working on a joint development program to design a copper-based 3-D semiconductor through-silicon via (TSV) process leveraging Novellus' SABRE copper electroplating and VECTOR PECVD systems. »
ALLVIA embeds capacitors on silicon interposers
ALLVIA, a through-silicon via (TSV) foundry, has integrated embedded capacitors onto silicon interposers, a key interface between a silicon device and an organic or ceramic substrate needed for managing high-interconnect densities. »
IBM researchers demo fastest graphene transistor
IBM researchers reported in a published paper in Science magazine that they have demonstrated a radio-frequency (RF) graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved for any graphene device -- 100 billion cycles/second (100 gigahertz). »
Touch user interfaces have made significant advances in the consumer electronics market particularly for mobile phones and notebook computers, opening the door for adoption in other applications including white goods, computer peripherals, medical equipment, and instrumentation. Synaptics made its debut in the home appliance market earlier this year with the launch of the Samsung Hauzen ZERO air conditioner.
Smaller distributors were the only ones to post sales gains in 2009. Interestingly, two of the five distributors that posted growth last year -- Interstate Connecting Components and Sherburn Electronics -- derive 100 percent of their sales from interconnect products. Both of them also target the military/aerospace industry. Here are the top 10 sales leaders by ICs, passives/electromechanical devices, interconnects and computer products as well as sales growth.

NXP offers a low-power IC aimed at MPPT applications using PV cells or fuel cells.
C&K Components offers a series of low-cost, miniature slide switches. The OS Series of RoHS-compliant switches feature a new high-temperature option for lead-free soldering.