What's New @ IEEE in Circuits

VOLUME 6 NUMBER 5 MAY 2005

CONTENTS:
1. Fabbers for Homemade Electronics: IEEE Spectrum Reports
2. New Spin Transistor and Reader Circuitry to Revolutionize MRAM
3. First Issue: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics
4. Advances May Move Clockless Chips from Lab to Production
5. Researchers to Convene at IEEE MEMs, Nano & Smart Systems Conference
6. Proceedings from Circuits and Systems Conference Now Available
7. Nanowires and Low-Temperature Fabrication Form Sturdy Circuits
8. IEEE President-Elect Candidates Field Questions
9. Northwestern Team Advances Ultra-Thin Plastic Electronics
10. IEEE Okays First Independent Standard for Testing Embedded-Core ICs
11. New Free Keyword Search Available in IEEE Xplore
12. Microarray Standardization Key to Patient-Tailored Therapies

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1. FABBERS FOR HOMEMADE ELECTRONICS: IEEE SPECTRUM REPORTS
Customizable electronics could be manufactured at home using online design instructions and new electronic fabrication technology, reports IEEE Spectrum Magazine. Although such devices might seem futuristic, three developing technologies make "fabbers" not only plausible but viable: fused deposit modeling for robo-fabrication; pen writing for direct-write electronics; and inkjet printing to dispense gel-like materials. Get an early look at: www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/may05/0505rap.html

2. NEW SPIN TRANSISTOR AND READER CIRCUITRY TO REVOLUTIONIZE MRAM
Faster, more power-efficient circuits for random access memory may be possible with a new spin transistor and a new reader circuitry developed at Oxford University. The spin transistor is proven to control the flow of electricity up to 1000 times better than any existing spin transistor, while the new reader is capable of clearly identifying a line of characters in MRAM as opposed to only a single character. The techniques behind these technologies may hold the key to implementing spin transistors in silicon chips, say Oxford researchers. For more information, visit: www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/energy_engineering/report-43595.html

3. FIRST ISSUE: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS
The first issue of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics has been published and is now available online through IEEE Xplore. This new journal of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society covers production from a holistic perspective, encompassing not only hardware and software but also people and the way in which they learn and share knowledge. The first issue contains seven wide-ranging papers, which are available to IEEE subscribers at: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=30583

For more about this new journal, visit: www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/ies/tii/index.html

4. ADVANCES MAY MOVE CLOCKLESS CHIPS FROM LAB TO PRODUCTION
Recent advances in logic and timing design may enable widespread use of clockless or asynchronous chips in a variety of data-intensive applications, bringing to bear savings in efficiency and reduced heat and interference. Because asynchronous chips have no clocks -- only oscillating crystals that vibrate at a regular frequency -- and each circuit powers up only when used, asynchronous processors consume less energy than synchronous chips for a particular operation. Overcoming the challenges of integrating asynchronous and synchronous circuitry, and the shortage of coding and design tools, may allow designers to use clockless chips in running video, audio, and other streaming applications. Read more on the subject from Computer Magazine: www.computer.org/computer/homepage/0305/technews/index.htm

5. RESEARCHERS TO CONVENE AT IEEE MEMS, NANO & SMART SYSTEMS CONFERENCE
Experts in the fields of spintronics, BioMEMS/NEMS and nano and micro technologies will meet to discuss emerging technologies at the 2005 IEEE International Conference on MEMS, NANO, and Smart Systems, to be held from 24 to 27 July in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Sponsored in part by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, the conference features six symposia that span out to include medical, pharmaceutical and space applications of emerging small and smart technologies. This cross-disciplinary perspective points out specific needs of specialized markets and suggests solutions based on innovative technologies designed to meet these needs. For more information, or to register to attend, visit: www.icmens.org/

Don't miss the next conference you need for your career. IEEE sponsors more than 300 technical conferences and workshops each year, highlighting the latest technological advances. Find events through the IEEE ConferenceSearch Web site at: www.ieee.org/conferencesearch

6. PROCEEDINGS FROM CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS CONFERENCE NOW AVAILABLE
The new current mirror memory cell to improve the power efficiency of current mode analog CMOS circuits and innovative algorithms that enable digital watermarking are but two of the technologies described in the newly published proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on Circuits and Systems. With over 300 papers to choose from, the two volumes of proceedings focus on emerging circuits and systems theories, applications and techniques. For more information, or to purchase these proceedings, visit: shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=EX916
***IEEE members save up to 60% off the list price for conference proceedings titles***

To view abstracts of technical papers contained in these volumes of proceedings, visit IEEE Xplore at: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentCon.jsp?punumber=9700

7. NANOWIRES AND LOW-TEMPERATURE FABRICATION FORM STURDY CIRCUITS
Using low-temperature fabrication, chemists and engineers at Harvard University have created sturdy circuits from tiny nanowires that align themselves on a glass substrate, reducing an electronic devices' reliance on high-temperature production and costly silicon. The researchers used their technique to create nanowire-based logical inverters and ring oscillators, boosting the speed and performance of these devices and opening the door for exploring other ways to use these elementary circuits to build more complex devices, including nanoelectronics. To read more, go to: www.eurekalert.org/pub releases/2005-04/hu-hsc042705.php

8. IEEE PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATES FIELD QUESTIONS
As the race for the 2006 IEEE President-Elect gets under way, it's time the voters got to know more about the candidates. So The Institute, the IEEE member newspaper, spoke with first-time candidates Leah Jamieson and Gerald "Jerry" Peterson about a range of personal and professional topics. Read on: www.theinstitute.ieee.org/portal/pages/tionline/legacy/inst2005/may05/5w.fpreselect.html

9. NORTHWESTERN TEAM ADVANCES ULTRA-THIN PLASTIC ELECTRONICS
Researchers at Northwestern University have created flexible plastic electronics less than six nanometers thick using self-assembling organic molecules for the ultra-thin dielectric material. The organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) structures reduce both operating voltage and power consumption, promising cost-effective, high-performance electronics in everything from cell phones to RFID tags. Researchers say the plastic electronics would also be easier to manufacture than conventional ones, since transistor structures could be printed with organic "ink" on plastic "paper." Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050419095449.htm

10. IEEE OKAYS FIRST INDEPENDENT STANDARD FOR TESTING EMBEDDED-CORE ICS
IEEE has approved IEEE 1500(TM), "Standard Testability Method for Embedded Core-based Integrated Circuits", the first independent standard for ICs containing embedded cores from multiple sources. It also approved revised standard IEEE 1220(TM), "Standard for Application and Management of the Systems Engineering Process," which defines interdisciplinary tasks during a system's life cycle from concept and design to operation and disposal. For more details: standards.ieee.org/announcements/pr_ics.html

11. NEW FREE KEYWORD SEARCH AVAILABLE IN IEEE XPLORE
Any researcher looking for IEEE papers may now conduct free, keyword-based searches of the entire IEEE online collection, currently more than 1.1 million documents. The new basic keyword searches are based on the text of brief article abstracts. Subscribers may now also conduct advanced searches based on expanded abstracts, specific information fields, or even the full text of any IEEE document. Searches are conducted through IEEE Xplore, the online delivery system which powers IEEE online collections and subscriptions for members. Try the new search features today at: ieeexplore.ieee.org

12. MICROARRAY STANDARDIZATION KEY TO PATIENT-TAILORED THERAPIES
A new study led by the Toxicogenomics Research Consortium, which is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, concluded that standardized processes in the use of microarrays will lead to more consistent results. The study, initiated in 2001, analyzed results from seven different laboratories using two different mouse RNA samples and 12 microarrays. Among other outcomes, the study concluded that commercially manufactured microarrays, as opposed those made in-house in labs, produce the best results. Scientists use microarrays to study subtle changes in many genes at one time, and see how differences in gene expression are linked to specific diseases. Though microarrays are a relatively new, scientists believe they may lead to patient-specific treatments. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/nioe-smm042105.php

WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN CIRCUITS is a monthly, opt-in email update designed to provide you with the latest news regarding IEEE activities, industry trends, career development tips, and new IEEE product releases. We welcome your feedback on this service.

Managing Editor: John Platt mailto:j.platt@ieee.org
Editor: Bhavika Desai
Contributing Editors: Robert J. Howe, Brian Pederson, Ryan Thomas

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