What's New @ IEEE in Circuits

VOLUME 6 NUMBER 9 SEPTEMBER 2005

CONTENTS:
1. Proceedings of the IEEE Focuses on Silicon Geranium
2. Network-on-Chip Paradigms Help Overcome Communication Problems
3. Annual Circuits & Systems Conference Continues Legacy in Tunisia
4. Submissions to Electronic Components Conference Due Mid-October
5. Scanning Technique Could Lead to Improved Superconductor Efficiency
6. IEEE Adds 15,000 Historic Electron Devices Articles to Archive
7. Process May Usher in Next Generation of Chip Manufacture
8. Increased CPUI Relies on Special Sensors for Capacitive Switches
9. New Electronic Design Automation Council Announces Elected Officials
10. Inkjet Printers Prove Revolutionary in IC Development
11. Technique Could Allow Inexpensive Production of Nanoscale Electronics
12. Authors: IEEE Press Calls for Book Proposals
13. Researchers Say Nanowire Failure Caused by High Temperatures
14. New Switch Bonds to Surfaces with Water

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1. PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE FOCUSES ON SILICON GERANIUM
The September issue of Proceedings of the IEEE (v. 93, no. 9) provides a detailed analysis of the impact of silicon geranium on commercial products since its integration with complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS). The issue focuses on silicon geranium and advanced CMOS semiconductor compatibility, which has led to the development of highly integrated single-chip designs with advanced bipolar performance. Paper topics include device physics, new processes, scaling issues, reliability, and device optimization for specific applications. Other key areas of interest are high-breakdown SiGe heterostructure bipolar transistors, low-cost derivatives, linearity and noise, modeling, design enablement, and circuit examples. Preview the editor's introduction by visiting: www.ieee.org/proceedings/current.html

2. NETWORK-ON-CHIP PARADIGMS HELP OVERCOME COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
The September/October issue of IEEE Design and Test of Computers illustrates how engineers have successfully deployed network-on-chip paradigms (NoCs) in five related articles. NoCs, which are expected to overcome the on-chip-interconnection and communication challenges of today's chips, requires developing a new set of infrastructure IPs and supporting tools and methodologies. For instance, one article describes the rationale and concepts underlying high-performance multimedia embedded systems and how they can meet quality-of-service specifications for real-time applications. Another article, "Analysis of Error Recovery Schemes for Networks on Chips," covers the critical issue of error recovery schemes to ensure reliable operations of high-performance SoCs. Read the guest editors' introduction (PDF): www.computer.org/portal/cms_docs_design/design/content/promo1.pdf

3. ANNUAL CIRCUITS & SYSTEMS CONFERENCE CONTINUES LEGACY IN TUNISIA
The IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS) will cover topics necessary to the study and advancement of electronics, circuits, and systems, such as analog circuits and signal processing, general circuits and systems, digital signal processing, VLSI, neural systems, and digital communications. ICECS will take place 11 to 14 December in Gammarth, Tunisia and will host various speakers, exhibitions, poster sessions and tutorials. For more information, or to register to attend, visit: www.icecs2005.rnrt.tn/

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

4. SUBMISSIONS TO ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS CONFERENCE DUE MID-OCTOBER
The deadline for abstract submissions to the 56th Electronic Components and Technology Conference is 15 October. The conference encourages authors to submit papers on new packaging technologies, development and application of adhesives, new passive and active component technologies, optoelectronics, manufacturing technologies, and other topics. The conference will take place in San Diego, California, USA, 30 May to 2 June 2006. For details, visit: www.ectc.net

5. SCANNING TECHNIQUE COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED SUPERCONDUCTOR EFFICIENCY
A new discovery could point the way to the production of more effective superconductors. Researchers at CornellUniversity's Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics used a specialized scanning tunneling microscope to find the locations of oxygen atoms inside the molecular composition of a superconductor and explore how the atoms influence current flow. By preparing samples of a cuprate superconductor mixed with oxygen atoms of various concentrations, the researchers determined which atoms flowed best. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-08/cuns-lca082505.php

6. IEEE ADDS 15,000 HISTORIC ELECTRON DEVICES ARTICLES TO ARCHIVE
IEEE has posted online versions of more than 15,000 articles from IEEE Electron Devices Society publications dating as far back as 1954, including articles from three of the Society's most influential publications: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (papers from 1954 to 1987); IEEE Electron Device Letters (papers from 1980 to 1987); and the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (papers from 1955 to 1987). Papers from 1988-forward were already available electronically. To view abstracts of the papers in these publications, visit:

IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conhome.jsp?punumber=1000245

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=16

IEEE Electron Device Letters
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=55

7. PROCESS MAY USHER IN NEXT GENERATION OF CHIP MANUFACTURE
A project called SOUVENIR ("Soft UV Enhanced Nanoimprint") could revolutionize nanolithography of semiconductor chips, according to its developers. The experimental process uses "soft" ultraviolet light to cure a polymer film pressed directly against the manufacturing substrate, as opposed to very expensive "deep" UV light sources common in semiconductor manufacture which allows low-cost pattern making at the sub-50nm scale. The first-generation tool, which costs as little as one-tenth of traditional nanolithography, is still too slow for mass production, but its creators say it may eventually allow rapid mass production of nanoscale microchips. Read more: www.primidi.com/2005/08/31.html

8. INCREASED CPUI RELIES ON SPECIAL SENSORS FOR CAPACITIVE SWITCHES
To produce smaller cell phones with increased user interface, manufacturers must find a way to replace alphanumeric keypads with capacitive switches, according to an article from CommsDesign. Capacitive switches rely on special sensors that function by means of a pair of adjacent plates with an inherent capacitance between them. With applied intelligence, like a circuit that can measure a 3% capacitive change produced by a conductive object such as a finger, the switches can support a scroll pad on the CPUI for Web browsing and other functions. However, adequate environmental isolation for the phones, such as insulating materials and protective covers, reduce the sensor's needed sensitivity to detect a finger's touch. Read more: www.commsdesign.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=169600102

9. NEW ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION COUNCIL ANNOUNCES ELECTED OFFICIALS
The new IEEE Council for Electronic Design Automation (CEDA) has elected design consultant Alfred Dunlop as its president, while Giovanni De Micheli was named its president-elect. Dunlop and De Micheli, as well as other elected officials, will serve two-year terms ending on 31 December 2007. IEEE CEDA aims to act as the focal point for EDA-related activities within IEEE. Much of the council's activities encompass the theory, implementation and use of computer aided design (CAD) tools to fabricate integrated electronic circuits and systems. Read more: www.eet.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=170000198

10. INKJET PRINTERS PROVE REVOLUTIONARY IN IC DEVELOPMENT
While designers have for years faced the obstacle of getting plastic circuits production costs down to affordable levels, some are now teaming up with inkjet manufacturers for a surprising new way to cut costs and increase production levels. Technologists claim that the fabrication of inexpensive flexible circuits -- which comprises of etching circuit layers, adding a layer of metal for the wiring and scaling it to shape -- can be achieved by inkjet printers in a process that is similar to the way ink is printed onto paper. Delving into this new technology are Royal Philips Electronics NV and inkjet printer manufacturer Dimatix Inc., which have recently teamed together to produce light-emitting displays for cell phones using an inkjet process. Now, many are wondering if flexible electronics are next in line. IEEE Spectrum has more: www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/2121

Visit the new IEEE Spectrum web site, now featuring an editor's blog, webcasts, streaming audio and more. Check it out at: www.spectrum.ieee.org

11. TECHNIQUE COULD ALLOW INEXPENSIVE PRODUCTION OF NANOSCALE ELECTRONICS
"Microdisplacement printing" could makes the highly precise placement of molecules during the fabrication of nanoscale components for electronic and sensing devices possible, according to PennState researchers. The new technique is based on microcontact printing, a simple way of fabricating chemical patterns that does not require clean rooms or other expensive equipment. Both methods involve "inking" a patterned stamp with a solution of molecules, then applying the inked stamp to a surface. But Penn researchers say microdisplacement reduces pattern blurring and the need for precision alignment by applying a self-assembled-monolayer film to keep the stamped molecules in place on the surface. Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050819124323.htm

12. AUTHORS: IEEE PRESS CALLS FOR BOOK PROPOSALS
IEEE Press is now actively seeking proposals for new books to fulfill its recently approved three-year strategic plan. Especially sought are books that offer a comprehensive introduction to technologies entering the commercial marketplace, as well as practical, "how-to" books that aid technologists in performing their jobs. IEEE Press books are published under a joint imprint with John Wiley & Sons. For more information on IEEE Press, visit: www.ieee.org/press

13. RESEARCHERS SAY NANOWIRE FAILURE CAUSED BY HIGH TEMPERATURES
After years of experimentation, physicists at the University of Arizona say they have unlocked the mystery behind the short-term durability of nanowires for electronic devices. Nanowires have a tendency to wither away at high temperatures due to a phenomena known as "soliton," the collective motion of its atoms incited by high temperatures. This collective motion, sparked by competing forces between the wire's surface tension and the quantum force holding the wire together, causes tiny atom roadblocks within the wire, which eventually thin it out. University of Arizona researchers say this is why copper, which has a larger natural surface tension than other metals, is the most successful metal in nanowire development. Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050827130723.htm

14. NEW SWITCH BONDS TO SURFACES WITH WATER
A new switch developed by engineers at CornellUniversity, can create adhesive bonds using water droplets created by electricity from electrodes on the scale of a micron. The technology, which was influenced by the adhesive behavior of a palm beetle, works by having a water droplet pass to the top or bottom of a flat plate surface using electricity. Ions are then pushed through the tiny capillaries of a slender disk of porous glass inside the plate. The water then gathers into a micrometer-sized droplet on the plate surface, with each exposed droplet having the ability to stick to another surface. The researchers believe that smaller droplets will need less energy to move and have quicker switching times. According to the researchers, the new switches will bridge the divide between hand-size scales and much smaller nanoscales. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-08/cuns-bsu082205.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 j.platt@ieee.org
Contributing Editors: Julie Compton, Robert J. Howe, Brian Pedersen

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