News
ROCHESTER HILLS, MI – EPIC Technologies’ CEO and COO were recognized for entrepreneurial excellence by Ernst & Young at a ceremony on June 8. John Sammut, president and CEO, and Jochen Lipp, vice president operations and COO, received the Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Technology category in the Central Great Lakes region.
"While Jochen and I are getting the primary recognition in this award, the reality is that the accomplishments that drove this recognition were attributable to efforts of the entire management and staff of EPIC, “ Sammut said in a press release. “We have an outstanding team and this award continues to demonstrate that industry observers are recognizing that superior results are being generated.”
As Central Great Lakes region award winners, Sammut and Lipp are now eligible for the national program, whose winners will be announced in November.
EPIC is a full service provider of contract electronics services with facilities in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Mexico.
"While Jochen and I are getting the primary recognition in this award, the reality is that the accomplishments that drove this recognition were attributable to efforts of the entire management and staff of EPIC, “ Sammut said in a press release. “We have an outstanding team and this award continues to demonstrate that industry observers are recognizing that superior results are being generated.”
As Central Great Lakes region award winners, Sammut and Lipp are now eligible for the national program, whose winners will be announced in November.
EPIC is a full service provider of contract electronics services with facilities in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Mexico.
SAN JOSE, CA -- Probe 2000 Inc. and BEST Electronics & Components Co. will set up a new probe card repair and manufacturing operation in BEST Electronics' semiconductor test factory in the Philippines. Named P2KP, the test and wafer handling operations are certified to ISO 9001 and TS 16949 standards at the 72,000 sq. ft. facility in Paranaque City.
For analog and mixed signal fabless companies, P2KP can provide integrated one-stop test services including probe card test program development and conversion, wafer back lapping and sorting (at three temperatures), sawing, chip-scale packaging, assembly, electrical
test, tape and reel, and drop shipment to an end customer .
According to the companies’ press release, key benefits include “faster release and time to market in Asia; shorter cycle times and lower cost of wafer test; improved yield at wafer sort; and comprehensive data analysis.”
Probe 2000 specializes in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance epoxy probe cards and related accessories. BEST Electronics & Components offers total parametric and functional test solutions for analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits.
For analog and mixed signal fabless companies, P2KP can provide integrated one-stop test services including probe card test program development and conversion, wafer back lapping and sorting (at three temperatures), sawing, chip-scale packaging, assembly, electrical
test, tape and reel, and drop shipment to an end customer .
According to the companies’ press release, key benefits include “faster release and time to market in Asia; shorter cycle times and lower cost of wafer test; improved yield at wafer sort; and comprehensive data analysis.”
Probe 2000 specializes in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance epoxy probe cards and related accessories. BEST Electronics & Components offers total parametric and functional test solutions for analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits.
HELSINKI -- Qualcomm has filed a complaint against Nokia, accusing the world's largest maker of cellphones of infringing on six patents related to GSM technology.
The complaint, filed with to the U.S. International Trade Commission, asks for a ban on the import and sale of certain Nokia products.
The complaint, filed with to the U.S. International Trade Commission, asks for a ban on the import and sale of certain Nokia products.
SANTA CLARA, CA -- An opponent of pending ban on lead in solders in Europe has launched a signature drive to request an exemption.
John Burke, the principal behind RoHSUSA.com, a Website dedicated to stopping the RoHS movement, today set up a petition to the European committee responsible for the mandate, requesting an exemption for lead.
John Burke, the principal behind RoHSUSA.com, a Website dedicated to stopping the RoHS movement, today set up a petition to the European committee responsible for the mandate, requesting an exemption for lead.
ERIE, PA -- In order to meet manufacturing requirements for RoHS type product, Sunburst Electronics, an electronics contract manufacturer, has purchased an Electrovert OmniExcel 7 solder reflow oven and an Electrovert wave solder machine.
Speedline Technologies manufacturers the Electrovert brand.
Sunburst said in a statement that it already has orders for Pb-free products. Sunburst also said it is partnering with local and regional companies to position them for RoHS compliance by identifying lead times associated with RoHS compliant parts, searching for alternative components or suppliers, evaluating current levels of non-compliant materials, determining strategies to maximize inventory use and creating compliant bills of materials.
Speedline Technologies manufacturers the Electrovert brand.
Sunburst said in a statement that it already has orders for Pb-free products. Sunburst also said it is partnering with local and regional companies to position them for RoHS compliance by identifying lead times associated with RoHS compliant parts, searching for alternative components or suppliers, evaluating current levels of non-compliant materials, determining strategies to maximize inventory use and creating compliant bills of materials.
CUPERTINO, CA -- Just months after setting up a support center in India, Apple Computer has decided to pull on the plug.
The company said it would close its India subsidiary, Apple Services India, although a sales and marketing office will be maintained. A company spokesman offered no reason for the reversal.
The company said it would close its India subsidiary, Apple Services India, although a sales and marketing office will be maintained. A company spokesman offered no reason for the reversal.
SANTA CLARA, CA -- A notorious burglar who had robbed at least 22 electronics companies of expensive components was convicted by a jury last week and could receive up to 32 years in prison.
Howard Allen Young, 43, was convicted in Santa Clara County Superior
Court on charges that he stole more than $3 million worth of memory chips, server boards and microprocessors.
SAN JOSE – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.35 billion in orders in March on a three-month average basis, the trade group SEMI said today.
The book-to-bill ratio was 1.04, the highest since July 2004. A book-to-bill of 1.04 means that $104 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.
The book-to-bill ratio was 1.04, the highest since July 2004. A book-to-bill of 1.04 means that $104 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.
ATLANTA -- A study of how electrons behave in circuitry made from ultrathin layers
of graphite -- known as graphene -- suggests the material could provide
the foundation for a new generation of nanometer scale devices that
manipulate electrons as waves -- much like photonic systems control light
waves.
In a paper published April 13 in Science Express, an online advance publication of the journal Science, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France report measuring electron transport properties in graphene that are comparable those seen in carbon nanotubes.
Unlike carbon nanotubes, however, graphene circuitry can be produced using established microelectronics techniques, allowing researchers to envision a "road map" for future high-volume production.
"We have shown that we can make the graphene material, that we can pattern it, and that its transport properties are very good," said Walt de Heer, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Physics. "The material has high electron mobility, which means electrons can move through it without much scattering or resistance. It is also coherent, which means electrons move through the graphene much like light travels through waveguides."
The results should encourage further development of graphene-based electronics, though de Heer cautions that practical devices may be a decade away. "This is really the first step in a very long path," he said. "We are at the proof-of principle stage, comparable to where transistors were in the late 1940s. We have a lot to do, but I believe this technology will advance rapidly."
The research, begun by de Heer's team in 2001, is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Intel.
In their paper, the researchers report seeing evidence of quantum confinement effects in their graphene circuitry, meaning electrons can move through it as waves. "The graphene ribbons we create are really like waveguides for electrons," de Heer said. Because carbon nanotubes conduct electricity with virtually no resistance, they have attracted strong interest for use in transistors and other devices.
The discrete nature of nanotubes -- and variability in their properties -- pose significant obstacles to their use in practical devices, however, the authors say. By contrast, continuous graphene circuitry can be produced using standard microelectronics processing techniques. "Nanotubes are simply graphene that has been rolled into a cylindrical shape," de Heer said. "Using narrow ribbons of graphene, we can get all the properties of nanotubes because those properties are due to the graphene and the confinement of the electrons, not the nanotube structures."
De Heer envisions using the graphene electronics for specialized applications, potentially within conventional silicon-based systems. "We have shown that we can interconnect graphene, put current into it, and take current out," he said. "We have a very promising electronic material. We see graphene as a platform, a canvas on which we can work."
The process starts with a wafer of silicon carbide, a material made up of silicon and carbon atoms. By heating the wafer in a high vacuum, they drive silicon atoms from the surface, leaving a thin continuous layer of graphene. Next, they spin-coat onto the surface a photoresist material of the kind used in established microelectronics techniques. Using electron-beam lithography, patterns are produced on the surface, then unwanted graphene is etched away using conventional processes.
"We are doing lithography, which is completely familiar to those who work in microelectronics," said de Heer. "It's exactly what is done in microelectronics, but with a different material. That is the appeal of this process." Using electron beam lithography in Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center, they've created feature sizes as small as 80 nm.
The graphene circuitry demonstrates high electron mobility -- up to 25,000 sq. cm per volt-second, showing that electrons move with little scattering. The researchers expect to see ballistic transport at room temperature when they make structures small enough. So far, they have built an all graphene planar field-effect transistor. The side-gated device produces a change in resistance through its channel when voltage is applied to the gate. However, this first device has a substantial current leak, which the team expects to eliminate with minor processing adjustments.
The researchers have also built a working quantum interference device, a ring-shaped structure that would be useful in manipulating electronic waves. The key to properties of the new circuitry is the width of the ribbons, which confine the electrons in a quantum effect similar to that seen in carbon nanotubes. The width of the ribbon controls the material's band-gap. Other structures, such as sensing molecules, could be attached to the edges of the ribbons, which are normally passivated by hydrogen atoms.
Beyond coherence and high electron mobility, the researchers note that the speed of electrons through the graphene is independent of energy -- just like light waves. The electrons also possess the properties of Dirac particles, which permit them to travel significant distances without scattering.
Among the challenges ahead is improving the techniques for patterning the graphene, since electron transport is affected by the smoothness of edges in the circuitry. Researchers will also have to understand the material's fundamental properties, which could still contain "show-stoppers" that might make the material impractical.
De Heer has seen hints that graphene may offer some surprises. "We already have indications of some new and surprising electronic properties of this material," he said. "It is doing things that we have never seen in two-dimensional materials before."
In a paper published April 13 in Science Express, an online advance publication of the journal Science, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France report measuring electron transport properties in graphene that are comparable those seen in carbon nanotubes.
Unlike carbon nanotubes, however, graphene circuitry can be produced using established microelectronics techniques, allowing researchers to envision a "road map" for future high-volume production.
"We have shown that we can make the graphene material, that we can pattern it, and that its transport properties are very good," said Walt de Heer, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Physics. "The material has high electron mobility, which means electrons can move through it without much scattering or resistance. It is also coherent, which means electrons move through the graphene much like light travels through waveguides."
The results should encourage further development of graphene-based electronics, though de Heer cautions that practical devices may be a decade away. "This is really the first step in a very long path," he said. "We are at the proof-of principle stage, comparable to where transistors were in the late 1940s. We have a lot to do, but I believe this technology will advance rapidly."
The research, begun by de Heer's team in 2001, is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Intel.
In their paper, the researchers report seeing evidence of quantum confinement effects in their graphene circuitry, meaning electrons can move through it as waves. "The graphene ribbons we create are really like waveguides for electrons," de Heer said. Because carbon nanotubes conduct electricity with virtually no resistance, they have attracted strong interest for use in transistors and other devices.
The discrete nature of nanotubes -- and variability in their properties -- pose significant obstacles to their use in practical devices, however, the authors say. By contrast, continuous graphene circuitry can be produced using standard microelectronics processing techniques. "Nanotubes are simply graphene that has been rolled into a cylindrical shape," de Heer said. "Using narrow ribbons of graphene, we can get all the properties of nanotubes because those properties are due to the graphene and the confinement of the electrons, not the nanotube structures."
De Heer envisions using the graphene electronics for specialized applications, potentially within conventional silicon-based systems. "We have shown that we can interconnect graphene, put current into it, and take current out," he said. "We have a very promising electronic material. We see graphene as a platform, a canvas on which we can work."
The process starts with a wafer of silicon carbide, a material made up of silicon and carbon atoms. By heating the wafer in a high vacuum, they drive silicon atoms from the surface, leaving a thin continuous layer of graphene. Next, they spin-coat onto the surface a photoresist material of the kind used in established microelectronics techniques. Using electron-beam lithography, patterns are produced on the surface, then unwanted graphene is etched away using conventional processes.
"We are doing lithography, which is completely familiar to those who work in microelectronics," said de Heer. "It's exactly what is done in microelectronics, but with a different material. That is the appeal of this process." Using electron beam lithography in Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center, they've created feature sizes as small as 80 nm.
The graphene circuitry demonstrates high electron mobility -- up to 25,000 sq. cm per volt-second, showing that electrons move with little scattering. The researchers expect to see ballistic transport at room temperature when they make structures small enough. So far, they have built an all graphene planar field-effect transistor. The side-gated device produces a change in resistance through its channel when voltage is applied to the gate. However, this first device has a substantial current leak, which the team expects to eliminate with minor processing adjustments.
The researchers have also built a working quantum interference device, a ring-shaped structure that would be useful in manipulating electronic waves. The key to properties of the new circuitry is the width of the ribbons, which confine the electrons in a quantum effect similar to that seen in carbon nanotubes. The width of the ribbon controls the material's band-gap. Other structures, such as sensing molecules, could be attached to the edges of the ribbons, which are normally passivated by hydrogen atoms.
Beyond coherence and high electron mobility, the researchers note that the speed of electrons through the graphene is independent of energy -- just like light waves. The electrons also possess the properties of Dirac particles, which permit them to travel significant distances without scattering.
Among the challenges ahead is improving the techniques for patterning the graphene, since electron transport is affected by the smoothness of edges in the circuitry. Researchers will also have to understand the material's fundamental properties, which could still contain "show-stoppers" that might make the material impractical.
De Heer has seen hints that graphene may offer some surprises. "We already have indications of some new and surprising electronic properties of this material," he said. "It is doing things that we have never seen in two-dimensional materials before."
ARLINGTON, VA – The monthly electronic component order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA) took a slight dip in March after three months of steady upward movement. The 12-month average index that tracks market movement over the past year continued to rise slightly.
The slight downturn in the four-to-five-week floating index does not indicate any long-term pattern, according to Bob Willis, ECA president. "It appears that the market is just pausing for breath," says Willis. "All the vital signs remain good."
Studies by JPMorgan show that component suppliers and distributors have accelerated inventory turns and lowered operating expenses, while prices have remained relatively stable. JPMorgan predicts that major OEM orders will rise 11% this year versus 9% in 2005.
The slight downturn in the four-to-five-week floating index does not indicate any long-term pattern, according to Bob Willis, ECA president. "It appears that the market is just pausing for breath," says Willis. "All the vital signs remain good."
Studies by JPMorgan show that component suppliers and distributors have accelerated inventory turns and lowered operating expenses, while prices have remained relatively stable. JPMorgan predicts that major OEM orders will rise 11% this year versus 9% in 2005.
ST. LOUIS—LaBarge has signed a multiyear agreement with Eclipse Aviation Corp. to provide wiring harnesses for the Eclipse 500, a new aircraft known as a very light jet (VLJ). Initial orders total approximately $10 million.
LaBarge will build more than 80 different complex wiring harnesses that function in electronic systems related to fuel monitoring, landing gear, engine and cockpit functionality. Production is beginning immediately at LaBarge’s Berryville, AK, and Joplin, MO, facilities and is expected to continue through mid-2007.
Eclipse Aviation has said that the Eclipse 500 is on track to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification in late second quarter of 2006 and to begin customer deliveries shortly thereafter. To date, Eclipse has received orders for more than 2,400 Eclipse 500s.
LaBarge will build more than 80 different complex wiring harnesses that function in electronic systems related to fuel monitoring, landing gear, engine and cockpit functionality. Production is beginning immediately at LaBarge’s Berryville, AK, and Joplin, MO, facilities and is expected to continue through mid-2007.
Eclipse Aviation has said that the Eclipse 500 is on track to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification in late second quarter of 2006 and to begin customer deliveries shortly thereafter. To date, Eclipse has received orders for more than 2,400 Eclipse 500s.
HERNDON, VA and PISCATAWAY, NJ —The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), will co-sponsor the third annual Tin Whisker Workshop with the IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT) and the Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC). The workshop is scheduled for May 30, at ECTC in San Diego.
The workshop will provide an update on recent activities in the testing and modeling of tin whiskers. A roundtable discussion will focus on implementation of the JEDEC/IPC specifications relating to tin whiskers: JESD201, “Environmental Acceptance Requirements for Tin Whisker Susceptibility of Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes;” JEDEC/IPC joint publication JP002, “Current Tin Whiskers Theory and Mitigation Practices Guideline;” and JESD22A121, “Test Method for Measuring Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes.” The workshop aims to identify strategies to assure that long lifecycle applications will not be subject to tin whisker failures.
For additional info, visit: inemi.org/cms/calendar/06_ECTC_TW_Workshop.html
The workshop will provide an update on recent activities in the testing and modeling of tin whiskers. A roundtable discussion will focus on implementation of the JEDEC/IPC specifications relating to tin whiskers: JESD201, “Environmental Acceptance Requirements for Tin Whisker Susceptibility of Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes;” JEDEC/IPC joint publication JP002, “Current Tin Whiskers Theory and Mitigation Practices Guideline;” and JESD22A121, “Test Method for Measuring Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes.” The workshop aims to identify strategies to assure that long lifecycle applications will not be subject to tin whisker failures.
For additional info, visit: inemi.org/cms/calendar/06_ECTC_TW_Workshop.html
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