Tag: semiconductors
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Computer Processor Power Scheme Cuts Waste, Energy Use
Engineers and computer scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have developed a method for allocating power in computer processors that cuts device energy use by as much as 40 percent. The team led by computer science professor Swarup Bhunia presented their findings in January at the 25th International Conference on VLSI (Very-Large-Scale Integration)…
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Device Company, MIT Test Drug-Delivery Implanted Microchip
Scientists at medical technology developer MicroCHIPS in Walthan, Massachusetts and MIT reported the results of a successful human clinical trial of a programmable and wirelessly controlled implanted microchip to deliver drugs. The results appear online in the journal Science Translational Medicine (paid subscription required). The trial, the first successful test of this type of device,…
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Mass Production Process Devised for Micro Robots, Devices
Engineers at Harvard University have developed a technology that makes possible the mass production of miniature electronic and robotic devices, using layering and folding processes similar to the Japanese paper-folding art of origami. Doctoral candidates Pratheev Sreetharan and Peter Whitney say their discovery is scheduled for publication in the March 2012 issue of the Journal…
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Semiconductor Sales Gain in 2011, Decline in 4th Quarter
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in Washington, D.C. says worldwide semiconductor sales for 2011 reached a record $299.5 billion, an annual increase of 0.4 percent from $298.3 billion recorded in 2010. But sales for semiconductors at the end of 2011 dropped off compared to the same period in the previous year. In the last quarter…
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U.S. VC Investments Up for 2011, Flat for Science Companies
Venture capital (VC) investors in the U.S. increased in 2011 compared to 2010, both in terms of numbers of deals and amount of money invested. However, the fourth quarter of the year was an unusually slow period, according to Dow Jones VentureSource that compiled the data, and consumer Web companies appeared to benefit from the…
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University, Company Partner to Combat Counterfeit Chips
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany and Applied DNA Sciences Inc. in Stony Brook, New York will collaborate on nanotechnology-based solutions to prevent counterfeiting of computer chips. The partnership will focus on new methods for depositing DNA on nanoelectronics wafers and computer chips for authentication. This collaboration in…
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Modified Graphene Found to Dissipate Electronics Heat
Researchers in the U.S., Korea, and China have discovered a modified form of the material graphene with better thermal properties than graphene in its natural state. The team led by Alexander Balandin, an engineering professor at University of California – Riverside, published its findings online in the journal Nature Materials (paid subscription required). The researchers…
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$600M Venture Fund Targets Technology, Health Care Sectors
Canaan Partners, a venture capital company in Menlo Park, California says it has closed contributions to a new fund to finance start-ups in the technology and health care fields. The company says the $600 million fund, the ninth such fund in its series, will support new technology and health care entrepreneurs. Canaan Partners says two-thirds…
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Global Semiconductor Investment Drops in November
A report from the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) shows investment in semiconductor companies worldwide dropped for the month of November 2011 compared to the same month in 2010, and for the year-to-date. The number of mergers and acquisitions in the industry also decreased for the year so far, but in November a number of new…
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Self-Healing Integrated Circuit Material Developed
A team of University of Illinois researchers in Champaign has developed a self-healing process that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in barely an instant. Illinois engineering professor Scott White, materials science professor Nancy Sottos, chemistry professor Jeffrey Moore, and colleagues published their findings online in the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Electronic…