News Article
Clare Micronix, Recently Acquired By IXYS (Bulletin 437, June 17, 2002),
Clare Micronix, recently acquired by IXYS (Bulletin 437, June 17, 2002),
claims to have the industry's first standard product driver for cholesteric
liquid crystal display (Ch LCD) panels. The new display driver IC, the
MXED401, targets the emerging non-volatile reflective LCD market,
specifically bi-stable and multi-stable Ch LCDs. The device is manufactured
in a high voltage (30V) CMOS process. Samples are due to be available in
gold-bumped die form next month.
"Cholesteric LCD and other paper-like display technologies are making
dream-products a reality," says Bill Boldt, vice president of sales and
marketing for Clare Micronix. "E-books and electronic signs, with displays
that mimic the appearance of paper and can retain images for days, weeks, or
even years when the power is turned off, will debut soon. Clare Micronix's
drivers, such as the new MXED401, are helping to make such revolutionary
products possible."
With non-volatile displays, power is consumed only when the image is
updated. Viewability requirements are comparable to newspaper, from very low
ambient light to bright sunlight.
SI Diamond Technology subsidiary Applied Nanotech (ANI) reports expanded use
of its carbon nanotube cold cathodes for medical applications by Oxford
Instruments. The tubes have been used to meet specifications from Israeli
company MediRad for an x-ray tube with a length of 35mm and a diameter of
9mm. ANI claims that x-ray tubes as narrow as 4mm are possible. ANI is
currently supplying carbon nanotube cold cathodes to MediRad and a Japanese
company, both of which are developing new miniature x-ray tubes for medical
applications.
Philips Electronics is sampling a new range of power MOSFETs in small-size
packages with more efficient thermal properties. High-density power
applications are seen for DC-DC converters in the telecoms market. The QLPAK
occupies the same 6x5mm board area as a conventional SO8 package but has a
thermal resistance of 1.5K/W. A typlical SO8 package has a thermal
resistance in excess of 20K/W. The new package is also 50% thinner than the
current SO8 and is footprint compatible. Volume production of the new
MOSFETS will begin in August 2002.
Corning Tropel has built what its claims as the highest resolution
lithographic objective lens in the world with a 15X reduction and a
numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85. The lens is aimed at resolving features
smaller than 70nm using a 157nm source. The lens is to be used by the
Japanese Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies (SELETE) research
consortium. The lens was designed and built for Exitech in the UK. The lens
was integrated into Exitech's MS-157 micro-stepper tool and delivered to
SELETE.
Dr Malcolm Gower, chairman and technical director at Exitech, reports:
"SELETE researchers are already using the MS-157 tool to image features as
small as 50nm on silicon wafers."
LIGHTCONNECT's fast VOA (variable optical attenuator) diffractive
micro-electro-mechanicals system (D-MEMS) device has surpassed 100bn test
cycles without any degradation in performance. The test cycles consist of
altering the attenuation from 0dB to 15dB and back to 0dB. Each cycle was
completed in 250microsecs during a test period of 10 months. The product has
already achieved Telcordia GR-1209 and GR-1221 qualifications in October
2001.
Tower Semiconductor has signed an agreement with a Japanese semiconductor
manufacturer for joint development of 0.18micron embedded microFLASH
technology. The developed process will be used at Tower's Fab 2 foundry
facility and at the development partner.
Dr Yoav Nissan-Cohen, Tower's Co-CEO, says: "The joint development efforts
enable Tower to accelerate the development of its 0.18micron embedded
microFLASH technology."
Tower's microFLASH technology is based on Saifun's NROM technology, storing
two bits in each cell for double the memory density. microFLASH modules can
be produced on standard CMOS processes.
JMAR has received a definitive contract for $5.34m from the US Army Robert
Morris Acquisition Center to complete a proprietary integrated point source
laser plasma lithography system. The prototype (Model 5J) will perform
sub-130nm resolution patterning on gallium arsenide wafers. Demonstrations
are scheduled for the summer. The source has a 1nm wavelength. The company
plans to extend the use of the system to silicon within a few years. The
project is funded by the US defence research funding body DARPA.
"As our nation adjusts its national security priorities to better safeguard
all Americans and combat terrorism, we believe that JMAR's technological
leadership and its long-standing support of the Department of Defense
mission will translate directly into additional opportunities for our
collimated laser plasma lithography business," maintains chairman/CEO Dr
John S Martinez. "As this occurs, the cost advantages of JMAR's lithography
systems should become so obvious and so compelling as to make it desirable
for use on a wide range of commercial products as well."
dream-products a reality," says Bill Boldt, vice president of sales and
marketing for Clare Micronix. "E-books and electronic signs, with displays
that mimic the appearance of paper and can retain images for days, weeks, or
even years when the power is turned off, will debut soon. Clare Micronix's
drivers, such as the new MXED401, are helping to make such revolutionary
products possible."
With non-volatile displays, power is consumed only when the image is
updated. Viewability requirements are comparable to newspaper, from very low
ambient light to bright sunlight.
SI Diamond Technology subsidiary Applied Nanotech (ANI) reports expanded use
of its carbon nanotube cold cathodes for medical applications by Oxford
Instruments. The tubes have been used to meet specifications from Israeli
company MediRad for an x-ray tube with a length of 35mm and a diameter of
9mm. ANI claims that x-ray tubes as narrow as 4mm are possible. ANI is
currently supplying carbon nanotube cold cathodes to MediRad and a Japanese
company, both of which are developing new miniature x-ray tubes for medical
applications.
Philips Electronics is sampling a new range of power MOSFETs in small-size
packages with more efficient thermal properties. High-density power
applications are seen for DC-DC converters in the telecoms market. The QLPAK
occupies the same 6x5mm board area as a conventional SO8 package but has a
thermal resistance of 1.5K/W. A typlical SO8 package has a thermal
resistance in excess of 20K/W. The new package is also 50% thinner than the
current SO8 and is footprint compatible. Volume production of the new
MOSFETS will begin in August 2002.
Corning Tropel has built what its claims as the highest resolution
lithographic objective lens in the world with a 15X reduction and a
numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85. The lens is aimed at resolving features
smaller than 70nm using a 157nm source. The lens is to be used by the
Japanese Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies (SELETE) research
consortium. The lens was designed and built for Exitech in the UK. The lens
was integrated into Exitech's MS-157 micro-stepper tool and delivered to
SELETE.
Dr Malcolm Gower, chairman and technical director at Exitech, reports:
"SELETE researchers are already using the MS-157 tool to image features as
small as 50nm on silicon wafers."
LIGHTCONNECT's fast VOA (variable optical attenuator) diffractive
micro-electro-mechanicals system (D-MEMS) device has surpassed 100bn test
cycles without any degradation in performance. The test cycles consist of
altering the attenuation from 0dB to 15dB and back to 0dB. Each cycle was
completed in 250microsecs during a test period of 10 months. The product has
already achieved Telcordia GR-1209 and GR-1221 qualifications in October
2001.
Tower Semiconductor has signed an agreement with a Japanese semiconductor
manufacturer for joint development of 0.18micron embedded microFLASH
technology. The developed process will be used at Tower's Fab 2 foundry
facility and at the development partner.
Dr Yoav Nissan-Cohen, Tower's Co-CEO, says: "The joint development efforts
enable Tower to accelerate the development of its 0.18micron embedded
microFLASH technology."
Tower's microFLASH technology is based on Saifun's NROM technology, storing
two bits in each cell for double the memory density. microFLASH modules can
be produced on standard CMOS processes.
JMAR has received a definitive contract for $5.34m from the US Army Robert
Morris Acquisition Center to complete a proprietary integrated point source
laser plasma lithography system. The prototype (Model 5J) will perform
sub-130nm resolution patterning on gallium arsenide wafers. Demonstrations
are scheduled for the summer. The source has a 1nm wavelength. The company
plans to extend the use of the system to silicon within a few years. The
project is funded by the US defence research funding body DARPA.
"As our nation adjusts its national security priorities to better safeguard
all Americans and combat terrorism, we believe that JMAR's technological
leadership and its long-standing support of the Department of Defense
mission will translate directly into additional opportunities for our
collimated laser plasma lithography business," maintains chairman/CEO Dr
John S Martinez. "As this occurs, the cost advantages of JMAR's lithography
systems should become so obvious and so compelling as to make it desirable
for use on a wide range of commercial products as well."
