By Lauro Rizzatti
The world of integrated circuit (IC) design looks very different than it did 10 years ago, when EVE incorporated and started building its first hardware emulator. In 2000, the semiconductor industry was still reveling in the new millennium and the economy was going strong.
Back then, the process technology node was 180-nanometer (nm) and the average number of transistors in a design was 20 million. The average design size was one-million application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) gates, with large designs coming in at around 10-million ASIC gates and the largest designs at about 100-million ASIC gates. Only a small fraction of the design functionality is derived from the embedded software.
Verification took 70 percent of the project cycle and emulation was used almost exclusively on the large CPU and graphics chip design. EVE’s emulation system in 2000 was able to handle 600,000-ASIC gates and seemed impossibly cutting edge.
In 2010, the economy is in a slow recovery, and 32nm is the current process technology node. The average number of transistors has climbed to 200 million, while the average design size — not the largest — is about 10-million gates. Large designs are now about 100-million ASIC gates, with the largest reaching or exceeding one-billion ASIC gates.
Software now accounts for two-thirds of the chip’s functionality and verification still takes up 70 percent of the project cycle. Emulation is used now on CPU, graphics, wireless, digital television, set-top box, digital selective calling, camcorder, multifunction printer designs and many, many more. One emulator can handle one-billion ASIC gates, beating Moore’s Law since the emulator’s capacity has doubled each year, not every 18 months or two years.
Moving into this new decade, we see further trends in System-on-Chip (SoC) hardware designs that range from graphics and video to processors, networking and wireless. For the foreseeable future, verification will consume 70 percent of the project schedule.
In today’s chip design environment, emulation must be useable for a variety of applications. For video processing, it must be able to process anywhere from one to 15 high-definition frames per second and verify digital image stabilization. Embedded CPU design demands the ability to boot Linux in a minute and have capabilities for pre-silicon validation.
Wireless and mobile applications have their own set of requirements. Emulation should enable a design team to create a virtual prototyping environment for early software development. And, the peripheral/storage application requires an ability to print 1,200 dots per inch (dpi) images and being able to quickly verify intellectual property (IP) block with pseudo-random tests.
Unmistakably, growing design sizes drive the need for very long verification sequences of clock cycles to dig out deeply buried bugs. Added software content makes hardware/software co-verification a critical component of the verification process. Emulation is needed to trace the source of software bugs that show up in hardware misbehavior and hardware bugs that exhibit malicious effects in the embedded software. Software validation has to be done well ahead of tapeout.
These trends and others will continue to drive the need for fast emulation that offers billions of verification cycles and help move chip design ahead over the next 10 years.
Showing posts with label Technology Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology Articles. Show all posts
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Short Range Wireless and Semiconductors
Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4 And Wi-Fi ICs Expected To Exceed Two Billion Units In 2010
March 1, 2010
Global shipments of short range wireless ICs (Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4, Wi-Fi) are expected to surpass two billion units this year, increasing approximately 20% compared to 2009. Shipments are forecast to total five billion in 2014, according to new market data from ABI Research.
"Bluetooth ICs made up a significant part of the total short range wireless ICs shipments," says industry analyst Celia Bo. "Bluetooth took more than 55%, following by Wi-Fi at around 35%; the rest of the shipments were made up of NFC, UWB and 802.15.4 ICs."
Mobile handsets maintain the highest adoption rate for Bluetooth ICs. In addition to data transmission between mobile handset and Bluetooth headset, the application of Bluetooth technology is gradually moving into computers and consumer electronics products such as laptops, UMDs, and the wireless remote pole of game consoles.
Low power consumption and short range transmission are two key technical features of Bluetooth technology. Furthermore, in December 2009 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the adoption of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) which opens an absolutely new market for products and devices needing low cost and low power wireless connectivity. Likely vertical markets include healthcare, security, and home entertainment.
Chip manufacturing technology migration is driving down chip cost too, and as Bluetooth chip ASPs continue to decline, new business opportunities will be created.
Combination chips, integrating two or more short range wireless technologies to deliver further cost reduction and chip size decreases, are paving the way for another trend in short range wireless IC market development. The three major integration solutions — Bluetooth+FM radio, Bluetooth+Wi-Fi+FM, and Bluetooth+FM+GPS — are forecast to account for more than 30% of all Bluetooth combination chip shipments in 2010. The combination chip using BLE is expected to make up 50% of total Bluetooth combo IC shipments in 2014.
ABI Research's "Short Range Wireless ICs Market Forecast Data" provides market and technical analysis of Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4, Wi-Fi and combination wireless connectivity ICs. The forecast information is broken down by application, including computers, communication devices and consumer electronic products.
The study is included in two of the firm's Research Services: Short Range Wireless and Semiconductors.
SOURCE: ABI Research
March 1, 2010
Global shipments of short range wireless ICs (Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4, Wi-Fi) are expected to surpass two billion units this year, increasing approximately 20% compared to 2009. Shipments are forecast to total five billion in 2014, according to new market data from ABI Research.
"Bluetooth ICs made up a significant part of the total short range wireless ICs shipments," says industry analyst Celia Bo. "Bluetooth took more than 55%, following by Wi-Fi at around 35%; the rest of the shipments were made up of NFC, UWB and 802.15.4 ICs."
Mobile handsets maintain the highest adoption rate for Bluetooth ICs. In addition to data transmission between mobile handset and Bluetooth headset, the application of Bluetooth technology is gradually moving into computers and consumer electronics products such as laptops, UMDs, and the wireless remote pole of game consoles.
Low power consumption and short range transmission are two key technical features of Bluetooth technology. Furthermore, in December 2009 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the adoption of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) which opens an absolutely new market for products and devices needing low cost and low power wireless connectivity. Likely vertical markets include healthcare, security, and home entertainment.
Chip manufacturing technology migration is driving down chip cost too, and as Bluetooth chip ASPs continue to decline, new business opportunities will be created.
Combination chips, integrating two or more short range wireless technologies to deliver further cost reduction and chip size decreases, are paving the way for another trend in short range wireless IC market development. The three major integration solutions — Bluetooth+FM radio, Bluetooth+Wi-Fi+FM, and Bluetooth+FM+GPS — are forecast to account for more than 30% of all Bluetooth combination chip shipments in 2010. The combination chip using BLE is expected to make up 50% of total Bluetooth combo IC shipments in 2014.
ABI Research's "Short Range Wireless ICs Market Forecast Data" provides market and technical analysis of Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4, Wi-Fi and combination wireless connectivity ICs. The forecast information is broken down by application, including computers, communication devices and consumer electronic products.
The study is included in two of the firm's Research Services: Short Range Wireless and Semiconductors.
SOURCE: ABI Research
Saturday, December 12, 2009
沈望傅：我用我的中国情结带动中国创新
作者：孔文
享有“多媒体之父”盛名的沈望傅，是一个传奇人物。提到沈望傅用6000美元创立起来的创新科技，你可以很快的想到声霸卡、MP3、X-Fi尖端音效标准以及ZEN。可是一旦走近沈望傅，你就会了解到，他想要做的、以及所能做的，远不仅限于此。这些天，创新科技开始活跃于中国的各大媒体之间。沈望傅又有什么新动作？《电子工程专辑》带你一起走近创新科技、走近沈望傅。
沈望傅：我要在中国续写传奇
从沈望傅的个人创业经历中，不难看出他是一个特别有创新头脑的人。凭借个人的智慧、信念与努力，沈望傅带领着创新科技在1986年便推出了世界首款中英双语的多媒体电脑Cubic CT，该技术领先了世界5年。在那个年代，整个PC界都是寂静一片，只懂得默默计算，而Cubic CT已经开始了唱歌跳舞。直到1989年，创新科技的首款声霸卡在美国的Comdex电脑展上亮相之后，PC界才开始掀起了一场多媒体的革命。1991年，创新配合微软的Windows 3.1操作系统，推出了一套完整的多媒体电脑升级方案，从而促使微软在多媒体市场建立起了主导地位。
创新科技创立者、主席及首席执行官
沈望傅孜孜不倦的继续着他的多媒体梦想，并于2000年推出了世界首款硬盘式媒体播放机NOMAD Jukebox，同时还发明了现今广为人知的ZEN专利。2002年，NOMAD变身为ZEN播放机，并引领了全球MP3热潮。
“前二十年，我在美国打天下，后二十年，我要在神州（中国）大地赢天下！”沈望傅这番豪言壮语的背后，有着其鲜为人知的故事，并一直深深牵动着沈望傅的中国情结。当沈望傅于1998年第二次获得新加坡“最杰出商人奖”时，他八十多岁的老母亲意味深长的叮嘱他到：“好狗看百家，好人荫天下。”沈望傅深知母亲这番话背后的深意，开始励志要用自己的智慧，为家乡的建设贡献力量。
“我是华裔，我的根在中国。这些年来，创新科技取得了很大的成就：声霸技术和ZEN已经名满天下。我一直希望我的技术能为中国做点事情。”沈望傅表示。“我看到，中国不缺乏优秀的技术能手。我希望我能为大家贡献出我的点子，并可以将这些技术能手聚集起来，一起做一些有创意的产品。现在我已经找到了方向。”
干细胞计算，颠覆人类的多媒体生活
沈望傅所说的方向，基于一个划时代的技术：干细胞计算。所谓的干细胞计算，是分布式计算架构的一种延伸。目前在PC界，IBM的Cell处理器以及Intel的Larrabee概念都是基于分布式计算理念的产物，而创新科技将干细胞计算创新的带入了消费电子领域。
“2003年，我们收购了3DLabs，经过一段时间的技术研究，我们于2008年推出了第一代干细胞计算芯片，这是一个划时代的杰作。”沈望傅自豪的表示。2009年，3DLabs正式更名为Ziilabs，并推出了一系列基于ARM核面向富媒体应用的处理器。
在干细胞计算芯片中，每8个处理单元组成一个处理集群。这些集群可以根据数据处理的需要，进行单独处理或者合并处理。因此可以极大的、无限量的扩展处理能力。
“这种干细胞计算的特点在于能任意变大变小，处理能力强、生命力强！”沈望傅介绍到。“基于我们的干细胞计算，大到可以支撑一个超超级电脑，如我们的Zii Hypercomputer， 其成本、功耗和体积只有相同性能产品的1%；干细胞计算还可以小到放入电灯泡里面，自动调控光源以节省90%的电力；此外，还可以用于手机、电子书、笔记本电脑、未来电视、未来冰箱、未来空调、数码标志牌等各个领域。”
Zii Hypercomputer
“要带动产业发展，只做芯片是不够的，平台很重要。”沈望傅指出。“我们已经建立了一个Zii生态系统，这里面包括ZMS-05、ZMS-08等应用处理器，基于Linux的Plaszma操作系统，集软件、服务和内容于一体的Ziilife网络配套方案等。Ziilife是刚推出的平台，它包括了下一代7M(多用途、多视角、多平台、多媒介、多主机服务、多方通讯、多设备通讯)协作式会议系统ZiiMeet、跨平台媒体网关ZiiVue、创新教育/学习模式ZiiAcademy、以及提供游戏配件、应用程序等各种工具的ZiiApps。”
下一代7M协作式会议系统ZiiMeet
Zii生态系统
“我们已经投入了10亿美金，来打造这个低能耗的绿色高科技平台，希望通过推广干细胞计算技术，我们能和中国的设计者们一起来创造新的生活方式。” 沈望傅如是说。
享有“多媒体之父”盛名的沈望傅，是一个传奇人物。提到沈望傅用6000美元创立起来的创新科技，你可以很快的想到声霸卡、MP3、X-Fi尖端音效标准以及ZEN。可是一旦走近沈望傅，你就会了解到，他想要做的、以及所能做的，远不仅限于此。这些天，创新科技开始活跃于中国的各大媒体之间。沈望傅又有什么新动作？《电子工程专辑》带你一起走近创新科技、走近沈望傅。
沈望傅：我要在中国续写传奇
从沈望傅的个人创业经历中，不难看出他是一个特别有创新头脑的人。凭借个人的智慧、信念与努力，沈望傅带领着创新科技在1986年便推出了世界首款中英双语的多媒体电脑Cubic CT，该技术领先了世界5年。在那个年代，整个PC界都是寂静一片，只懂得默默计算，而Cubic CT已经开始了唱歌跳舞。直到1989年，创新科技的首款声霸卡在美国的Comdex电脑展上亮相之后，PC界才开始掀起了一场多媒体的革命。1991年，创新配合微软的Windows 3.1操作系统，推出了一套完整的多媒体电脑升级方案，从而促使微软在多媒体市场建立起了主导地位。
创新科技创立者、主席及首席执行官
沈望傅孜孜不倦的继续着他的多媒体梦想，并于2000年推出了世界首款硬盘式媒体播放机NOMAD Jukebox，同时还发明了现今广为人知的ZEN专利。2002年，NOMAD变身为ZEN播放机，并引领了全球MP3热潮。
“前二十年，我在美国打天下，后二十年，我要在神州（中国）大地赢天下！”沈望傅这番豪言壮语的背后，有着其鲜为人知的故事，并一直深深牵动着沈望傅的中国情结。当沈望傅于1998年第二次获得新加坡“最杰出商人奖”时，他八十多岁的老母亲意味深长的叮嘱他到：“好狗看百家，好人荫天下。”沈望傅深知母亲这番话背后的深意，开始励志要用自己的智慧，为家乡的建设贡献力量。
“我是华裔，我的根在中国。这些年来，创新科技取得了很大的成就：声霸技术和ZEN已经名满天下。我一直希望我的技术能为中国做点事情。”沈望傅表示。“我看到，中国不缺乏优秀的技术能手。我希望我能为大家贡献出我的点子，并可以将这些技术能手聚集起来，一起做一些有创意的产品。现在我已经找到了方向。”
干细胞计算，颠覆人类的多媒体生活
沈望傅所说的方向，基于一个划时代的技术：干细胞计算。所谓的干细胞计算，是分布式计算架构的一种延伸。目前在PC界，IBM的Cell处理器以及Intel的Larrabee概念都是基于分布式计算理念的产物，而创新科技将干细胞计算创新的带入了消费电子领域。
“2003年，我们收购了3DLabs，经过一段时间的技术研究，我们于2008年推出了第一代干细胞计算芯片，这是一个划时代的杰作。”沈望傅自豪的表示。2009年，3DLabs正式更名为Ziilabs，并推出了一系列基于ARM核面向富媒体应用的处理器。
在干细胞计算芯片中，每8个处理单元组成一个处理集群。这些集群可以根据数据处理的需要，进行单独处理或者合并处理。因此可以极大的、无限量的扩展处理能力。
“这种干细胞计算的特点在于能任意变大变小，处理能力强、生命力强！”沈望傅介绍到。“基于我们的干细胞计算，大到可以支撑一个超超级电脑，如我们的Zii Hypercomputer， 其成本、功耗和体积只有相同性能产品的1%；干细胞计算还可以小到放入电灯泡里面，自动调控光源以节省90%的电力；此外，还可以用于手机、电子书、笔记本电脑、未来电视、未来冰箱、未来空调、数码标志牌等各个领域。”
Zii Hypercomputer
“要带动产业发展，只做芯片是不够的，平台很重要。”沈望傅指出。“我们已经建立了一个Zii生态系统，这里面包括ZMS-05、ZMS-08等应用处理器，基于Linux的Plaszma操作系统，集软件、服务和内容于一体的Ziilife网络配套方案等。Ziilife是刚推出的平台，它包括了下一代7M(多用途、多视角、多平台、多媒介、多主机服务、多方通讯、多设备通讯)协作式会议系统ZiiMeet、跨平台媒体网关ZiiVue、创新教育/学习模式ZiiAcademy、以及提供游戏配件、应用程序等各种工具的ZiiApps。”
下一代7M协作式会议系统ZiiMeet
Zii生态系统
“我们已经投入了10亿美金，来打造这个低能耗的绿色高科技平台，希望通过推广干细胞计算技术，我们能和中国的设计者们一起来创造新的生活方式。” 沈望傅如是说。
Monday, November 23, 2009
10 technologies to look forward to in 2010
From EETimes
10 technologies to look forward to in 2010
Posted: 23 Nov 2009
EE Times has compiled emerging technologies will be worth watching out for in 2010.
Recessions are the times of change when R&D investments get pushed to the fore. It is well known that when markets and prosperity return they never return in exactly the same form that they went away.
We have deliberately favored the hardware- and physically-based side of the technology landscape, although software is also likely to increase its impact and importance in 2010.
There are also some technology trends that are so self-evident and long-term that we have not listed them. We would include amongst these the need to reduce power consumption and the need to pursue low-carbon and reduced materials content solutions. We see these as drivers for some of the more detailed technologies we list below. We don't claim to have a perfectly accurate piezoelectric crystal ball, but some technologies and some technology providers are going to change the landscape in 2010. The ten technologies listed below, in no particular order, might just be part of our changing times.
1. Biofeedback/thought-control of electronics
A number of companies and research institutions have shown how brain waves, captured using sensors on a skull cap or headset, can be used to control computer systems. The applications are medical—giving communications and control of the environment to heavily disabled people—military and, increasingly, in consumer and computer games control interfaces. This may seem like science fiction but the thought-control human-computer interface is here now and is being promoted by companies such as Emotiv Systems Inc.
2. Printed electronics
The possibility of the rapid printing of multiple conductive, insulating and semiconductive layers to form electronic circuits holds out the prospect of much lower cost ICs than those prepared by conventional fabrication methods. Printing semiconductors usually implies the use of organic materials (although see below) with very different performance to silicon. It is also implies much larger minimum geometries than can be attained in silicon. But there are applications that can benefit from modest performance on flexible subtrates at low cost; the RFID tag is one and the active-matrix backplane for displays is another.
Kovio Inc., a privately-held pioneer in printed silicon electronics, has been plowing the printed electronics furrow since the company was founded in 2001, and in July 2009 announced that it had raised $20 million in Series E financing. Kovio said it planned to use the money to commence volume shipments of its Kovio RF barcodes.
3. Plastic memory
This is allied to printed electronics as it may well be produced using printing, it may well have modest performance compared to silicon, but it is expected to be low cost. One pioneer in this area is Thin Film Electronics ASA, which has tried for a number of years to get the technology out the door and spent some time working with Intel.
The technology is based on polythiophenes, a family of polymers that display ferroelectric properties. The memories are rewritable, non-volatile, show more than ten years data retention and one million cycles, according to Thin Film Electronics. In September 2009 PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG used the technology to make a 20-bit memory on a roll-to-roll line using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the substrate.
4. Maskless lithography
For many people the main question that hangs over semiconductor lithography is when will extreme UV lithography take over from immersion lithography? But there is a dark horse in the race, maskless lithography based on an electron beam, which is being pioneered by Mapper Lithography BV.
In July 2009 Mapper shipped a 300mm electron-beam lithography platform to CEA-Leti in Grenoble, France, where it was set to be used for R&D by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. TSMC is one of the key researchers of lithography and the company's interest in the Mapper technology is at the very least keeping the likes of ASML and Nikon working hard.
5. Parallel processing
This technology is already here in the form of the dual- and quad-core PC processors and the multicore heterogeneous processors used for embedded applications. However, there is as yet little formal understanding of how multiple processors will be programmed and used for the utmost computational and power efficiency.
This is one of the core problems in Information Technology that has faced the industry since the advent of the processor and we are still working away at it. Initiatives such as OpenCL and Cuda speak to that as do the prospect of using graphics processors as general purpose processors, as well as FPGAs and software programmable processor arrays. We expect a lot more activity in 2010.
6. Energy harvesting
Energy harvesting is not a new idea. We have had the motion-powered wristwatch for many years. But as electronic circuits move from consuming milliwatts to consuming microwatts an interesting thing happens. It becomes possible to contemplate drawing power for those circuits, not from the electricity grid or from a battery but from a variety of ambient phenomena. And this is expected to have far-reaching impact.
One of the early applications is to have vibration-powered, wireless sensors in place on machinery, in vehicles. The battery-less aspect of such sensors removes the need for maintenance. EnOcean GmbH has pioneered the use of wireless, batteryless switches for use in building automation and is now helping to drive the EnOcean Alliance to form standards.
Nokia is looking at energy harvesting in the context of the mobile phone but has stressed it has no prototype as yet. But in 2010 all makers of mobile equipment have to be looking at energy harvesting to, at least, augment the battery life of their equipment.
7. Bio-electronics and wetware
This might be a bit more on the research side than the development side for 2010, but the coming together of the biological and the electronic is ripe for exploitation. We are used to the inclusion of hardware within animals in the form of under-the-skin tags for animals and heart pacemakers for human beings and the need to improve and reduce the cost of medical care is being felt acutely.
As the industry's capabilities in MEMS and organic electronics fabrication improves the scope for integration of tissues and electronic circuitry increases. Lab-on-a-chip is one manifestation of the technology, and here is an example from IBM disclosed recently, but it is also possible to grow biological cells on electronically addressable substrates. The opportunities for in-vitro diagnostics are clear. Information about the electrical behavior of individual cells and their reactions to drugs is a major focus for research in cardiac and neural ailments such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
So, in short, we expect a lot of research and the continued emergence of bio-electronics as a mainstream activity.
8. Resistive RAM/memristor
The pursuit of the universal memory goes on. It needs to be simple like a DRAM, or preferably even simpler as those capacitors are a problem to scaling. It needs to be able to retain data for years with the power off and able to be used millions of times. It needs to be simple to make using conventional methods and with materials that are not out of place in conventional wafer fabs. And we still haven't found it yet.
Or have we?
In 2009 Unity Semiconductor Corp. emerged from seven years of stealthy research with its conductive metal oxide (CMOx) technology, although we are pleased to note that EE Times was reporting on Unity in April 2006. But 2009 has also seen the arrival on our radar screens of 4DS Inc., Qs Semiconductor Corp. and Adesto Technologies Inc.
We are also aware that many of the larger IDMs are active in RRAM. And the reference to the memristor is because two-terminal devices that display a memory-effect in their resistance characteristic are effectively the practical implementation of the theoretical work, championed by Hewlett-Packard Labs, on the memristor, often described as the fourth passive circuit element after resistors, capacitors and inductors.
9. Through-silicon via
The depth of the interconnect stack on top of the leading-edge silicon surface is deep and can vary markedly in minimum geometry. We have speculated that this could result in a splitting of front-end fab production into surface and local interconnect followed by higher stack connection, possibly in different wafer fabs.
The desire, for marketing as well as technical reasons, to mount multiple die in single packages is also driving a need for more sophisticated interconnect and the arrival of the through-silicon-via passing completely through a silicon wafer or die is clearly important in creating 3D packages.
In May 2009 austriamicrosystems started producing TSV parts on a foundry basis, targeting suppliers of devices for 3-D integration of CMOS ICs and sensor components. Expect more of the same in 2010.
10. Battery technologies
We have become so used to Moore's law and the steady miniaturization of microelectronics it is easy to become frustrated with a technology that does not double in performance every two years. But battery technology is relatively mature and is not driven by the same forces as the integrated circuit. Indeed if energy storage becomes too dense it can become dangerous.
Nonetheless we all rely increasingly on batteries for energy storage and to power our various gadgets. Indeed it is arguable that without further breakthroughs in battery technology for electric vehicles the compatibility of the automobile and sustainable green transportation is in jeopardy. So the pressure is on.
Recent spins on nickel- and lithium-based battery chemistries, such as nickel oxyhydroxide, olivine-type lithium iron phosphate and nanowires, are gunning to displace the venerable but problematic alkaline-manganese dioxide formulations. ReVolt Technology, a developer of rechargeable zinc-air batteries, has selected Portland, Oregon as the location for its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing center. We expect similar developments to come on apace in 2010, and every smart battery is set to provide a power management IC opportunity.
- Peter Clarke
EE Times
10 technologies to look forward to in 2010
Posted: 23 Nov 2009
EE Times has compiled emerging technologies will be worth watching out for in 2010.
Recessions are the times of change when R&D investments get pushed to the fore. It is well known that when markets and prosperity return they never return in exactly the same form that they went away.
We have deliberately favored the hardware- and physically-based side of the technology landscape, although software is also likely to increase its impact and importance in 2010.
There are also some technology trends that are so self-evident and long-term that we have not listed them. We would include amongst these the need to reduce power consumption and the need to pursue low-carbon and reduced materials content solutions. We see these as drivers for some of the more detailed technologies we list below. We don't claim to have a perfectly accurate piezoelectric crystal ball, but some technologies and some technology providers are going to change the landscape in 2010. The ten technologies listed below, in no particular order, might just be part of our changing times.
1. Biofeedback/thought-control of electronics
A number of companies and research institutions have shown how brain waves, captured using sensors on a skull cap or headset, can be used to control computer systems. The applications are medical—giving communications and control of the environment to heavily disabled people—military and, increasingly, in consumer and computer games control interfaces. This may seem like science fiction but the thought-control human-computer interface is here now and is being promoted by companies such as Emotiv Systems Inc.
2. Printed electronics
The possibility of the rapid printing of multiple conductive, insulating and semiconductive layers to form electronic circuits holds out the prospect of much lower cost ICs than those prepared by conventional fabrication methods. Printing semiconductors usually implies the use of organic materials (although see below) with very different performance to silicon. It is also implies much larger minimum geometries than can be attained in silicon. But there are applications that can benefit from modest performance on flexible subtrates at low cost; the RFID tag is one and the active-matrix backplane for displays is another.
Kovio Inc., a privately-held pioneer in printed silicon electronics, has been plowing the printed electronics furrow since the company was founded in 2001, and in July 2009 announced that it had raised $20 million in Series E financing. Kovio said it planned to use the money to commence volume shipments of its Kovio RF barcodes.
3. Plastic memory
This is allied to printed electronics as it may well be produced using printing, it may well have modest performance compared to silicon, but it is expected to be low cost. One pioneer in this area is Thin Film Electronics ASA, which has tried for a number of years to get the technology out the door and spent some time working with Intel.
The technology is based on polythiophenes, a family of polymers that display ferroelectric properties. The memories are rewritable, non-volatile, show more than ten years data retention and one million cycles, according to Thin Film Electronics. In September 2009 PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG used the technology to make a 20-bit memory on a roll-to-roll line using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the substrate.
4. Maskless lithography
For many people the main question that hangs over semiconductor lithography is when will extreme UV lithography take over from immersion lithography? But there is a dark horse in the race, maskless lithography based on an electron beam, which is being pioneered by Mapper Lithography BV.
In July 2009 Mapper shipped a 300mm electron-beam lithography platform to CEA-Leti in Grenoble, France, where it was set to be used for R&D by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. TSMC is one of the key researchers of lithography and the company's interest in the Mapper technology is at the very least keeping the likes of ASML and Nikon working hard.
5. Parallel processing
This technology is already here in the form of the dual- and quad-core PC processors and the multicore heterogeneous processors used for embedded applications. However, there is as yet little formal understanding of how multiple processors will be programmed and used for the utmost computational and power efficiency.
This is one of the core problems in Information Technology that has faced the industry since the advent of the processor and we are still working away at it. Initiatives such as OpenCL and Cuda speak to that as do the prospect of using graphics processors as general purpose processors, as well as FPGAs and software programmable processor arrays. We expect a lot more activity in 2010.
6. Energy harvesting
Energy harvesting is not a new idea. We have had the motion-powered wristwatch for many years. But as electronic circuits move from consuming milliwatts to consuming microwatts an interesting thing happens. It becomes possible to contemplate drawing power for those circuits, not from the electricity grid or from a battery but from a variety of ambient phenomena. And this is expected to have far-reaching impact.
One of the early applications is to have vibration-powered, wireless sensors in place on machinery, in vehicles. The battery-less aspect of such sensors removes the need for maintenance. EnOcean GmbH has pioneered the use of wireless, batteryless switches for use in building automation and is now helping to drive the EnOcean Alliance to form standards.
Nokia is looking at energy harvesting in the context of the mobile phone but has stressed it has no prototype as yet. But in 2010 all makers of mobile equipment have to be looking at energy harvesting to, at least, augment the battery life of their equipment.
7. Bio-electronics and wetware
This might be a bit more on the research side than the development side for 2010, but the coming together of the biological and the electronic is ripe for exploitation. We are used to the inclusion of hardware within animals in the form of under-the-skin tags for animals and heart pacemakers for human beings and the need to improve and reduce the cost of medical care is being felt acutely.
As the industry's capabilities in MEMS and organic electronics fabrication improves the scope for integration of tissues and electronic circuitry increases. Lab-on-a-chip is one manifestation of the technology, and here is an example from IBM disclosed recently, but it is also possible to grow biological cells on electronically addressable substrates. The opportunities for in-vitro diagnostics are clear. Information about the electrical behavior of individual cells and their reactions to drugs is a major focus for research in cardiac and neural ailments such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
So, in short, we expect a lot of research and the continued emergence of bio-electronics as a mainstream activity.
8. Resistive RAM/memristor
The pursuit of the universal memory goes on. It needs to be simple like a DRAM, or preferably even simpler as those capacitors are a problem to scaling. It needs to be able to retain data for years with the power off and able to be used millions of times. It needs to be simple to make using conventional methods and with materials that are not out of place in conventional wafer fabs. And we still haven't found it yet.
Or have we?
In 2009 Unity Semiconductor Corp. emerged from seven years of stealthy research with its conductive metal oxide (CMOx) technology, although we are pleased to note that EE Times was reporting on Unity in April 2006. But 2009 has also seen the arrival on our radar screens of 4DS Inc., Qs Semiconductor Corp. and Adesto Technologies Inc.
We are also aware that many of the larger IDMs are active in RRAM. And the reference to the memristor is because two-terminal devices that display a memory-effect in their resistance characteristic are effectively the practical implementation of the theoretical work, championed by Hewlett-Packard Labs, on the memristor, often described as the fourth passive circuit element after resistors, capacitors and inductors.
9. Through-silicon via
The depth of the interconnect stack on top of the leading-edge silicon surface is deep and can vary markedly in minimum geometry. We have speculated that this could result in a splitting of front-end fab production into surface and local interconnect followed by higher stack connection, possibly in different wafer fabs.
The desire, for marketing as well as technical reasons, to mount multiple die in single packages is also driving a need for more sophisticated interconnect and the arrival of the through-silicon-via passing completely through a silicon wafer or die is clearly important in creating 3D packages.
In May 2009 austriamicrosystems started producing TSV parts on a foundry basis, targeting suppliers of devices for 3-D integration of CMOS ICs and sensor components. Expect more of the same in 2010.
10. Battery technologies
We have become so used to Moore's law and the steady miniaturization of microelectronics it is easy to become frustrated with a technology that does not double in performance every two years. But battery technology is relatively mature and is not driven by the same forces as the integrated circuit. Indeed if energy storage becomes too dense it can become dangerous.
Nonetheless we all rely increasingly on batteries for energy storage and to power our various gadgets. Indeed it is arguable that without further breakthroughs in battery technology for electric vehicles the compatibility of the automobile and sustainable green transportation is in jeopardy. So the pressure is on.
Recent spins on nickel- and lithium-based battery chemistries, such as nickel oxyhydroxide, olivine-type lithium iron phosphate and nanowires, are gunning to displace the venerable but problematic alkaline-manganese dioxide formulations. ReVolt Technology, a developer of rechargeable zinc-air batteries, has selected Portland, Oregon as the location for its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing center. We expect similar developments to come on apace in 2010, and every smart battery is set to provide a power management IC opportunity.
- Peter Clarke
EE Times
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
ZigBee Alliance Members Awarded Nearly $500 Million From U.S. Smart Grid Grants
ZigBee Alliance Members Awarded Nearly $500 Million From U.S. Smart Grid Grants
November 2, 2009
San Ramon, CA -- The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, congratulates its members who were selected to receive funding for their Smart Grid efforts as part of the United States American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. ZigBee Alliance members received a total of $478,823,415, representing a total investment of more than $1.2 billion in smart grid programs with ZigBee Smart Energy as the standard for home area networks.
Individual ZigBee members received between $4 million and $200 million dollars for their Smart Grid projects. Members earning grants include: CenterPoint Energy, Baltimore Gas and Electric, Reliant Energy Retail Services, San Diego Gas and Electric, Honeywell International and Whirlpool. Grants were awarded for a variety of ZigBee Smart Energy products and services, including large smart meter programs covering 4.7 million meters, installation of a variety of devices such as programmable communicating thermostats, in-home displays and load controllers, plus expediting the development of smart appliances.
ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and everyday household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It is the underlying technology providing consumers with dynamic pricing information as well as programming control over smart appliances. This control allows consumers to manage their power use and how much they spend on energy while participating in demand response programs designed to help utilities manage generation needs during peak power periods.
"ZigBee Alliance members have been taking an active role in developing the Smart Grid for years and these grants are recognition for our members' leadership on this important initiative," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "With ZigBee Smart Energy's position in the marketplace and its role as an initial interoperable standard by NIST for the critical home area network piece of the Smart Grid, we expect that those utilities and product manufacturers sitting on the sidelines will adopt ZigBee."
ZigBee Smart Energy – The Standard for Energy Management and Efficiency
ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and common household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It improves energy efficiency by allowing consumers to choose interoperable products from different manufacturers giving them the means to manage their energy consumption more precisely using automation and near real-time information. It also helps utility companies implement new advanced metering and demand response programs to drive greater energy management and efficiency, while responding to changing government requirements.
ZigBee: Control your world
ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.
SOURCE: The ZigBee Alliance
November 2, 2009
San Ramon, CA -- The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, congratulates its members who were selected to receive funding for their Smart Grid efforts as part of the United States American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. ZigBee Alliance members received a total of $478,823,415, representing a total investment of more than $1.2 billion in smart grid programs with ZigBee Smart Energy as the standard for home area networks.
Individual ZigBee members received between $4 million and $200 million dollars for their Smart Grid projects. Members earning grants include: CenterPoint Energy, Baltimore Gas and Electric, Reliant Energy Retail Services, San Diego Gas and Electric, Honeywell International and Whirlpool. Grants were awarded for a variety of ZigBee Smart Energy products and services, including large smart meter programs covering 4.7 million meters, installation of a variety of devices such as programmable communicating thermostats, in-home displays and load controllers, plus expediting the development of smart appliances.
ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and everyday household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It is the underlying technology providing consumers with dynamic pricing information as well as programming control over smart appliances. This control allows consumers to manage their power use and how much they spend on energy while participating in demand response programs designed to help utilities manage generation needs during peak power periods.
"ZigBee Alliance members have been taking an active role in developing the Smart Grid for years and these grants are recognition for our members' leadership on this important initiative," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "With ZigBee Smart Energy's position in the marketplace and its role as an initial interoperable standard by NIST for the critical home area network piece of the Smart Grid, we expect that those utilities and product manufacturers sitting on the sidelines will adopt ZigBee."
ZigBee Smart Energy – The Standard for Energy Management and Efficiency
ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and common household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It improves energy efficiency by allowing consumers to choose interoperable products from different manufacturers giving them the means to manage their energy consumption more precisely using automation and near real-time information. It also helps utility companies implement new advanced metering and demand response programs to drive greater energy management and efficiency, while responding to changing government requirements.
ZigBee: Control your world
ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.
SOURCE: The ZigBee Alliance
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