Micron Technology and Intel Corporation have agreed to form a new company to manufacture NAND Flash memory for use in consumer-electronics, removable-storage and handheld-communications devices. The company, called IM Flash, will exclusively manufacture products for both firms. "This strategic relationship positions both Intel and Micron to build on each other's strengths to become leaders in the fast-growing NAND market segment," said Steve Appleton, Micron's CEO. «This new company supports Intel's intent to maintain its industry-leading position in non-volatile memory and enables us to rapidly enter a fast-growing portion of the flash market segment," added Paul Otellini, Intel's CEO.
Freescale manufactures first 24Mbit nanocrystal memory
A non-volatile memory technology which is denser, faster and more cost-effective than conventional Flash-memory technology is closer to production, thanks to Freescale. To optimise the properties of silicon nanocrystals, the company has created a 24Mbit memory array using 90nm CMOS bulk technology. «The industry anticipates that conventional embedded Flash technology will reach its scaling limit within the next four years due to high operating voltage, fabrication-process complexity and cost," said Freescale CTO Claudine Simson. «A viable alternative is crucial for key suppliers to automotive, wireless and consumer markets to continue to scale their products and add new functionality."
Nanoelectronics marketshows growth
The markets for nano materials, tools and equipment for nanoelectronics totalled US$1,827 million in 2005 and are forecasted to reach $4,219 million by the year 2010, according to the Global Nanoelectronics Markets & Opportunities report from SEMI. Over the next five years, display products such as CNT backlights and CNT field emission displays, as well as a number of polymer and transmission films using nano materials, will be commercialised. Additionally, NEMS-based memory devices incorporating nano wires are also expected to hit the market. The report also states that start-ups face high barriers to entry in the nanotechnology markets due to large R&D budgets, challenging market timing, stringent technical requirements and demanding customer service/applications support.
ChipX brings ARC cores to structured ASIC market
In an agreement that brings the power of ARC's patented configurable CPU technology to an emerging high-growth market, the firm has announced that ChipX has taken a license for the 605 core for use in its structured ASIC products. ChipX will use the ARC 605 core to create new, customer-specific structured ASICs with an on-chip processor core. ChipX, seen by many as a pioneer of this technology, has completed more than 1,500 structured-ASIC designs, and has products shipping to the communications, computer-peripheral, consumer, industrial, military and aerospace markets.
JAI Pilnix guides victorious DARPA team
A driverless Volkswagen SUV named Stanley recently completed a 132-mile course through the Mohave Desert in Nevada in six hours and 53 minutes to win the DARPA 2005 Grand Challenge. The event aims to encourage the development of robot-guided vehicles to make the transport of supplies in hazardous zones safer for humans. The Stanford Racing Team, equipped with an array of technical devices (including GPS, LADAR, custom application software, Intel Blade servers), and featuring a JAI Pulnix TMC-6700CL colour camera as part of its roof-mounted navigation system, picked up the $2 million prize.
EPCOS sell tantalum business
Epcos, one of the world's largest manufacturers of passive electronic components, has decided to sell its tantalum-capacitor production unit. Negotiations with the US manufacturer Kemet are already in an advanced stage. The sale of its tantalum activities is seen as a further step in the reorganisation and repositioning of the firm's business, allowing it to concentrate on customer- and application-specific products.
New lab brings together experts in life sciences & electronics
IMEC has just set up a neuro-electronics convergence laboratory. Experts in molecular biology, cell biology, medicine, microelectronic engineering and physical sciences will use this infrastructure containing multidisciplinary tools with the common goal of developing neuroelectronic systems. "We believe that the creation of such a multidisciplinary laboratory is the best way to merge the expertise available in life sciences and in microelectronics and to make these distant worlds speak the same language," says Carmen Bartic, team leader of the cell-based sensors & systems department.
Translucent makes breakthrough in optical silicon
Australia's Translucent has achieved a major milestone in the development of silicon-based photonics devices, with the demonstration of electroluminescence at room temperature in a form of silicon that is compatible with today's mass-produced silicon chips and future technology nodes. Dr Petar Atanackovic, Translucent's CEO, stated: "This is an important step forward in our optical-silicon-integration programme. The ultimate objective is to develop optically active devices, including an electrically-driven silicon laser, which can be integrated with mainstream silicon chips".
