"CHIPS: Is the U.S. falling behind in chip R&D?"

Much ink has been devoted to the decline of semiconductor research and development in the United States. Pessimists say Bell Labs has thrown in the towel and pioneers like TI are following the path blazed by offshore foundries like TSMC. Optimists counter that Intel is still the world leader in next-gen semiconductors, IBM remains king in semiconductor patents, IM Flash Technologies is making strides, HP Labs' memristors could make semiconductor memory obsolete and U.S. universities and national labs are inventing game-changing chip technologies. They say research alliances between U.S. industry, labs and universities are filling the gaps.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001317
Audio: http://homepage.mac.com/guitarmedia/interviews/rcjR&D.mp3

"PODCAST: Week in Review, Nov. 7, 2008"

This week my top stories include how an E-Ink tablet went to space, how NIST designed an electronic nose, how MEMS could cure EMI, how an algorithm enables nanoscale images to be made cheaply, and how an Internet application developer is offering hackers a $10,000 prize if they can break into his site.
Audio: http://homepage.mac.com/guitarmedia/interviews/NextGenLog-08-11-07.mp3

"MEMS: device switches among RF sources"

Electronic switching of high-frequency signals currently must be handled by either mechanical switches or reed relays. Now, MEMS switches can do the same job in a smaller package, according to Omron Corp. Omron (Shiga, Japan) fabricates its RF MEMS switch using three wafers bonded together before dicing. The bottom wafer contains the electronic input and output traces and the fixed electrodes, the middle has the movable, metallic switch attached to movable electrodes and the top wafer caps the stack in glass to prevent contamination.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001020

"MATERIALS: Plastic wires rival copper at 20 percent the weight"

ElectriPlast conductive polymer enables wiring that is 80 percent lighter than copper and yet has the same conductivity, according to its inventors Integral Technologies (Bellingham, Wash.). By blending micron-scale fibers coated with metal into a polymer matrix, ElectriPlast can be molded, extruded, or formed into any shape—from traditional wires to flat cables to entire surfaces. Applications include lightweight wire replacement, molded wiring harnesses and antennas built into device packages.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000741

"ALGORITHMS: $10,000 prize offered to hackers"

Hackers could win a $10,000 prize by breaking into a Visual WebGUI (graphics user interface) application between now and Jan. 30, 2009. Visual WebGUI developer Gizmox Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) is offering the prize for its "empty client" development tool designed to help non-programmers to develop uncrackable code for Web-based applications.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000455

"ALGORITHMS: cutting cost of measuring nanoscale images"

Imaging nanoscale objects usually requires expensive electron-beam microscopes since the wavelength of visible light is too long--between 400 and 700 nanometers. Now, features as small as 3 nanometers can be imaged with inexpensive optical microscopes using an algorithm that subtracts the differences between multiple exposures, thereby determining the shape of the object so that the image can be reconstructed. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed the technique, called Through-focus Scanning Optical Microscope (TSOM) imaging. It works by taking multiple out-of-focus images at different focal lengths, then stacking them on top of each other.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000350

"CHIPS: NIST researchers claim their electronic nose knows"

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) claim its electronic nose can identify hundreds of different chemical compounds using pattern-recognition algorithms that mimic the way animals recognize odors. NIST's electronic nose depends on 16 microheater elements supplying samples to eight different types of sensors, enabling them to detect everything from nerve gas to environmental contaminants. NIST researchers suggested the microheater technology could be used in handheld devices used by first responders and hazardous material teams as well as for industrial processes monitoring and space exploration.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000236

"MEMS: attack interference with spread-spectrum scheme"

MEMS oscillator maker SiTime Corp. said Monday (Nov. 3) it is expanding into the electromagnetic compliance business with a family of MEMS electromagnetic interference products. SiTime (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said its spread-spectrum clock oscillators are designed as drop-in replacements to bring prototypes into compliance with Federal Communications Commission rules. They also meet most compliance standards for Canada, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. The devices aim to reduce cost and development time.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000123