Science and Enterprise

Tag: semiconductors

  • Virginia Universities Form Nanotech Research Center

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, have begun a joint center to advance research in electronics based on nanotechnology. The Virginia Nanoelectronics Center (ViNC) will study properties of and develop materials at nanoscale, where one nanometer is equal to one billionth of…

  • Computer Engineers Boost Multi-Core Chip Performance

    Engineering researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed two techniques to help maximize performance of multi-core computer chips by allowing them to retrieve data more efficiently. Professor Yan Solihin of NC State’s engineering department and former doctoral student Fang Liu will present their results next month at the International Conference on Measurement and…

  • Encryption Hardware Designed for Non-Volatile Main Memory

    Computer scientists at North Carolina State University in Raleigh have developed a new technology for encrypting data in non-volatile main memory found increasingly in new computer systems and devices. The team will discuss their findings next month at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture in San Jose, California. Non-volatile main memory (NVMM) allows computers to…

  • Grant Funds Cross-Border Illegal E-Waste Tracking

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $2.5 million grant to help international efforts that curb improper disposal of hazardous electronic waste. EPA estimates that only about five percent of the more than 40 million metric tonnes of annual global e-waste are being recovered. The five-year grant to the United Nations University (UNU)…

  • Cheap, Disposable Endoscope Microcamera Developed

    Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin and sensor manufacturer Awaiba GmbH in Nuremberg, Germany have developed a microcamera for endoscopes that provides sharp images, but can be made cheaply enough to be disposable. Endoscopes are instruments to examine the interior of body cavities and organs, and have made possible…

  • Nanolasers Grown on Silicon, Boost New Chip Prospects

    Engineers at University of California – Berkeley have grown nanoscale lasers directly on a silicon surface, an achievement that opens new possibilities in microprocessors, biosensors, and optical-electronic chips. Their findings are published in a paper the appeared 6 February in an advanced online issue of the journal Nature Photonics (paid subscription required). Greater demands on…

  • University Opens Silicon Photonics Chip Design Service

    The University of Washington in Seattle opens today a new service called OpSIS to help scientists and engineers share the high cost of developing a new type of light-based computer chips. OpSIS — Optoelectronics Systems Integration in Silicon — is a multi-project wafer service for silicon photonics, and part of the university’s College of Engineering.…

  • Cleantech, Electronics Venture Funding Jump in 2010

    Venture capital investments recorded a solid increase in 2010 over 2009, the first annual jump since 2007. Industries based on science and engineering were among the gainers, particularly clean technology and electronics. The statistics were contained in the MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), based on data from Thomson Reuters.…

  • Engineers Develop Improved Computer Memory Device

    Researchers from North Carolina State University in Raleigh have developed a new device that its inventors say can make large banks of computers more energy efficient, and allow computers to start more quickly. The advance, developed by a faculty-student team from NC State’s engineering school, will be published in an upcoming issue of the IEEE…

  • Intel Releases Smaller Solid State Storage Drive

    Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, California announced today a new version of its solid state drive (SSD), the 310 series. Intel says the 310 series (pictured left) has performance comparable to its previous SSDs, but at one-eighth the size, measuring 51 x 30 x 5 mm, and weighing 10 grams. A solid-state drive uses no…