What's New @ IEEE in Circuits

VOLUME 3 NUMBER 7 JULY 2002

CONTENTS:
1. New Chip Technique Has Far-Reaching Potential
2. 22,000 Users in IEEE Xplore Each Hour
3. Rambus in the Midst of Legal Tussles on Patents
4. Circuits and Device Research Conferences to Meet Jointly in Florence
5. High-Frequency Design Field Rides a Boom
6. The Sensible Superconductor: An IEEE Spectrum Special Report
7. Fourth Caracas Conference Proceedings Available
8. Scientists Growing Microchips
9. Festo v. Shoketsu: An Overview of the Historic Case and IEEE-USA's Role
10. IEEE ComSoc Offers Six Free Issues of IEEE Communications Magazine

IEEE DELIVERS - NOW, MORE THAN EVER
Discover the Value of IEEE Membership www.ieee.org/membervalue

1. NEW CHIP TECHNIQUE HAS FAR-REACHING POTENTIAL
A new technique allowing silicon chips to be made quicker and inexpensively developed by researchers at Princeton University may prove to have a far-reaching industry impact for years to come, according to Stephen Chou of Princeton University. Chou and a group of colleagues reported successfully imprinting patterns on to silicon using quartz molds rather than the traditional lithography and etching technique. Read more at: physicsweb.org/article/news/6/6/10

2. 22,000 USERS IN IEEE XPLORE EACH HOUR
IEEE Members are among over 22,000 engineers and scientists researching topics and getting the information they need in IEEE Xplore (TM) each hour. IEEE Members have exclusive rights to browse tables of contents and read abstracts of all IEEE journals, magazines, letters, transactions, and conference proceedings papers within IEEE Xplore. With over 775,000 documents, IEEE Xplore represents the complete scope of IEEE publications. To access your subscriptions online, visit IEEE Xplore at: www.ieee.org/ieeexplore

3. RAMBUS IN THE MIDST OF LEGAL TUSSLES ON PATENTS
A high-profile legal team led by former U.S. federal independent counsel Kenneth Starr is arguing an appeal for Rambus Inc., saying that the chip giant had no duty to disclose patent claims to an industry standards organization and therefore, a jury verdict of fraud against the company should be overturned. Meanwhile, in another case, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged that Rambus did indeed deceive the standards board and is in violation of federal antitrust laws. The FTC case comes after a year-long investigation of Rambus while the patent infringement case is contested against rival Infineon Technologies. Read more about both of these cases at: www.eet.com/semi/news/OEG20020603S0039 and www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020619S0044

4. CIRCUITS AND DEVICE RESEARCH CONFERENCES TO MEET JOINTLY IN FLORENCE
Europe's two premier conferences on circuits and device research will be held jointly this fall, 24 to 26 September. The European Solid-State Circuits Conference and the European Solid-State Device Research Conference will have separate technical programs and will share plenary talks and social events. Three of the six plenary speakers are H. De Man on nanoscale system designs, Y. Wada on single-molecule information devices and R. Austin on DNA manipulation by nanoelectronics. The conferences will be held in Florence, Italy. http://ele.unipv.it/esscirc2002/index.html 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/

5. HIGH-FREQUENCY DESIGN FIELD RIDES A BOOM
The overwhelming demand for wireless devices and communications products has made high-frequency IC design show a boom in growth in areas such as CMOS and related technologies. As a result, literature covering the topic is in high demand as well. Seminal and classic papers in the field are included in a new volume sponsored by the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, "Integrated Circuits for Wireless Communications," edited by Asad A. Abidi, Paul R. Gray and Robert G. Meyer. Find out more at: shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=PC5716
***IEEE members receive a 15% discount on Wiley-IEEE Press titles***

View the complete list of Wiley-IEEE Press titles online at: shop.ieee.org/store/HelpDesk/pwtitle.asp

6. THE SENSIBLE SUPERCONDUCTOR: AN IEEE SPECTRUM SPECIAL REPORT
Inexpensive and easy to use, magnesium diboride could throw the field of superconducting applications wide open, writes IEEE Spectrum magazine. The special report looks at the properties and benefits of magnesium diboride, discusses manufacturing methods, and also looks at the next wave of superconductors waiting in the wings. www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/jul02/super.html

7. FOURTH CARACAS CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE
Aruba played host to the fourth International Caracas Conference on Devices, Circuits and Systems, where topics covered included wide band gap electronic devices and recent advances in transport modeling for miniaturized CMOS devices. The biannual conference is intended to provide a forum for exchanging information, knowledge and experience, and for establishing personal and professional contacts among engineers, scientists and academics working in the areas of devices, circuits and systems. Find the proceedings of this conference at: shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=TH8611
***What's New Special - Use Code WNI for 15% Off - order instructions below***

8. SCIENTISTS GROWING MICROCHIPS
Researchers at the University of Arizona are abandoning long-standing lithography, etching and soldering methods in favor of biological interconnects made up of long strings of proteins. These interconnects are called microtubules, because they can grow to be about 1,000 times longer than they are wide. Read more at: sci.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18188.html

9. FESTO V. SHOKETSU: AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORIC CASE AND IEEE-USA'S ROLE
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the 13-year-old Festo v. Shoketsu patent infringement case, ultimately adopting a solution proposed by IEEE-USA. The New York Times said the ruling, which established a "foreseeable bar" standard for patent cases, "may be the most significant Supreme Court patent decision in two decades." But what does it mean for inventors? In this month's edition of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer: www.todaysengineer.org/June02/festo.htm

10. IEEE COMSOC OFFERS SIX FREE ISSUES OF IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE
Through 1 August 2002, the IEEE Communications Society is offering a free half-year society membership to current IEEE members. Included are the next six issues of IEEE Communications Magazine. The offer is not available to former Communications Society members or affiliates. For details, visit: www.comsoc.org/freeoffer/

***WHAT'S NEW SPECIAL - 15% OFF SELECT IEEE PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS ISSUE!***
As a thank you to our WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE subscribers, the IEEE is offering a 15% discount on your purchase of any of the specially noted books and conference proceedings listed in this newsletter. If ordering from the IEEE Online Catalog & Store shop.ieee.org, include the code WNI in the special instructions field at "final checkout." If ordering by phone, provide the code WNI to the customer service representative. Offer expires on 31 Dec. 2002.

Terms & Conditions: Discount applicable only to items noted in this newsletter and only to orders placed directly with the IEEE; orders placed through resellers and IEEE Fatbrain are not eligible for the What’s New 15% discount. Coupons cannot be combined with any other offer. What’s New 15% discount does not apply to IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons Inc. partnership titles, however, IEEE members receive a 15% discount on Wiley-IEEE Press titles purchased at the Wiley Web site.

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 j.platt@ieee.org
Editor: Lyle Smith, ieeefeedback@ieee.org

There are several other What's New @ IEEE newsletters to choose from. To subscribe to another newsletter enter your email address at whatsnew.ieee.org and click "Subscribe." To Unsubscribe to What's New @ IEEE, logon to whatsnew.ieee.org to select the appropriate newsletter, enter your email address and click "Unsubscribe." What's New @ IEEE is intended for the interest of IEEE members and customers and may be shared with other parties. The newsletter, in its entirety or in part, may be reproduced with proper credit given to its source, What's New @ IEEE. For more information, contact the Managing Editor.

Opt in to What's New @ IEEE