Microelectronics world news

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Three MOSFET products bring down on-resistance, package sizes, and noise—improving both low- and high-voltage automotive performance.

The latest hardware RoT chip is community-accessible, ensuring security (perhaps paradoxically) through transparency.

Renesas increasingly looks like Cisco of the 1990s, when the router pioneer became an acquisition force and transformed itself into a networking giant within a decade. Renesas, the semiconductor industry’s serial acquirer, has announced to snap PCB design toolmaker Altium nearly a month after announcing the purchase of gallium nitride (GaN) design house Transphorm.

Renesas has worked closely with Altium—headquartered in Las Jolla, California, and listed in Australia—for the past couple of years to standardize its PCB design and evaluation boards on the cloud-based Altium 365 platform. While implementing Altium’s uniform PCB design tool, the Japanese chipmaker aimed to streamline its reference designs and product kits in order to reduce design complexity and speed time to market.

In other words, by employing Altium’s cloud-based PCB design platform, Renesas wanted to harmonize the development workflow around its 400-plus evaluation board designs. Eventually, Renesas figured that it needed to own a design platform that’s efficient and easier to use. Moreover, owning a design software platform could become a competitive advantage in its bid to become a solutions provider instead of merely a chip vendor.

So, Renesas, which has been at the forefront of dealmaking in past years, decided to buy Altium for $5.9 billion in a cash deal. “This acquisition is different from our past acquisitions in many ways,” said Renesas CEO Hidetoshi Shibata.

Figure 1 Renesas acquires PCB tool developer Altium after using its cloud-based solutions for nearly two years.

First and foremost, it will diversify Renesas offerings into the software realm. That, in turn, will help design engineers easily integrate semiconductors into complex electronic designs while streamlining the overall design process. It’s worth mentioning here that Altium rejected a $3.9 billion takeover bid from software company Autodesk as too low back in 2021.

Altium’s origin can be traced to a startup, Protel, which was founded in 1985 by a University of Tasmania staffer, Nick Martin, who wanted to develop software for reducing PCB design complexity. The company was eventually renamed Altium and relocated to California.

Figure 2 Altium provides tools for designing circuit boards.

While Renesas has been acquiring semiconductor companies for nearly a decade, this deal tells a different story. It’s about a chip hardware outfit buying a design software firm to bolster its merits of being a solution provider and thus address pressures to lower design complexity and shorten time to market.

That makes sense because Renesas has been assimilating semiconductors from a multitude of suppliers: Intersil, IDT, Dialog, Sequans, and Transphorm. So, it’s crucial that design engineers using Renesas chips can better organize design kits, libraries, and other components effectively.

All this happens mostly at the board level, and Altium’s acquisition aims to facilitate that stage in the system design cycle. And Renesas has vetted these PCB design tools as their user for nearly two years.

Related Content

• Renesas Mulls Bid for IDT
• Renesas to Acquire Sequans for $249M
• Renesas goes all out for NFC with acquisition of Panthronics
• Renesas Targets IoT, Mixed Signal Expansion with Dialog Purchase
• Renesas’ Transphorm acquisition points to GaN writing on the wall

The post What does Renesas’ acquisition of PCB toolmaker Altium mean? appeared first on EDN.

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BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater, Australia — which develops and manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) blue laser diodes based on its proprietary low-temperature, low-hydrogen remote-plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) technology — has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on its GaN distributed feedback (DFB) lasers being used by US-based advanced defence and dual-use photonics company Applied Energetics Inc in its advanced systems development for next-generation military and commercial applications...

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In the evolving landscape of 5G networks, leveraging frequency ranges FR1 (0.41 to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 to 71 GHz) has been pivotal. As the era of 5G-Advanced and 6G unfolds, a third frequency range is being discussed in global regulatory and industry consortiums worldwide. FR3, which is also known as upper-midband, spanning 7.125 to 24.25 GHz, will open a new frontier for mobile communication technology. Rohde & Schwarz technology plays a key role in enabling Qualcomm Technologies to show the readiness and effectiveness of the latest RF modem technology for FR3.

At the most recent World Radio Conference 2023, held in November and December 2023 in Dubai, organized and hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a consensus emerged among regulatory bodies and industry leaders to explore additional spectra for the next generation of mobile communication, officially labeled IMT-2030, also known as 6G. Notably, the 14.8 to 15.35 GHz frequency range has been earmarked for global study. In addition, local agencies like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States are also eyeing the upper 12 GHz band (12.7 to 13.25 GHz) for future wireless applications.

The post Rohde & Schwarz enables Qualcomm to pioneer new frequency ranges for future 5G-Advanced and 6G networks appeared first on ELE Times.

Time-of-flight optical sensing enables world’s first accurate personal air quality monitor and smoke detector for smartphone

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, and Mobile Physics, a software-development startup specialized in environmental physics, have revealed an exclusive collaboration that enables smartphones and other devices to measure household and ambient air quality with a built-in optical sensor.

Developed exclusively for ST’s multizone ranging sensors, which are widely used for features like camera autofocus and presence detection, this solution measures particulates in the surrounding air. With accuracy comparable to purpose-designed air-quality monitors, Mobile Physics’ EnviroMeter app acts as a personal, portable environment monitor and smoke detector to safeguard health – and enhance fire safety. Manufactured using ST’s low-power technology, it can operate ‘always on’ to provide constant awareness with minimal impact on battery life.

Each year, 3.2 million people die prematurely from illnesses attributable to household air pollution. The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually (1). Monitoring air quality has become a real necessity and a public health issue. Leveraging ST’s market positioning to accelerate integration, the two companies have integrated Mobile Physics’ software and ST’s VL53L8 direct time-of-flight (dToF) sensor on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphone platform. As showcased at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit 2023, this project creates the world’s first smartphone with always-on air-quality sensing and smoke detection.

“Personal environment monitoring can give everyone greater control over their own health and safety, using their smartphones. The customer will also have the option to opt in to access wider environmental data covering their local area,” said Erez Weinroth, CEO, Mobile Physics. “ST’s direct ToF sensors enabled us to deliver a solution with accuracy close to that of high-end dedicated environment monitors but at lower cost and in a smaller package.”

“The team at Mobile Physics has made ingenious use of the data from our dToF sensor to produce this groundbreaking yet economical and elegant environment monitor,” said Alex Balmefrezol, General Manager, Imaging Sub-Group at STMicroelectronics.  “We are delighted to enable this new, wellness-enhancing feature that complements the established ToF use cases providing even more value to our customers.“

The air-quality sensing solution developed with ST is included in Mobile Physics’ EnviroMeter Software Development Kit (SDK), which also provides data on temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, light-intensity, UV, and noise-level monitoring. Sensing can detect particles smaller than 2.5 micron and thus empower users to protect their health. The solution does not require any additional equipment; a standard dToF sensor and the Mobile Physics software is all that is needed.

To learn more about this solution, come to the ST booth (7A61) at Mobile World Congress 2024 where we will showcase the air-quality monitoring demonstration.

Technical Notes to Editors:
The VL53L8 is used in diverse electronic products including smart speakers, projectors, laptops, robots and home appliances, and door-entry systems, as well as IoT devices such as occupancy sensors. Any of these products can now deliver extra value by providing air-quality indication and fire protection with no extra hardware components required. The sensor’s small size, measuring just 6.4mm x 3.0mm x 1.75mm, eases integration anywhere a small form factor is required.

Engineers can accelerate projects including proximity and presence detectors using the development ecosystem available from ST. This includes the X-Nucleo-53L8A1 development board, the P-Nucleo-53L8A1 evaluation pack that also contains a microcontroller development board, and SATEL-VL53L8 breakout boards. The VL53L8 is in production now. Pricing information and sample requests are available at local ST sales offices.

About STMicroelectronics
At ST, we are over 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. As an integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

The post STMicroelectronics and Mobile Physics join forces to create EnviroMeter for accurate air-quality monitoring on smartphones appeared first on ELE Times.

Both current sensors are designed to improve efficiency in GaN and SiC power converters.

Microchip’s TimeProvider 4500 (TP4500) is an IEEE 1588 PTP grandmaster clock that furnishes high-speed network interfaces up to 25 Gbps. The hardware timekeeping platform not only offers 1-Gbps, 10-Gbps, and 25-Gbps Ethernet options, but also achieves timing accuracy below 1 ns.

TP4500 gives infrastructure operators a terrestrial alternative for distributing precise time that is not dependent on GNSS. Highly scalable, the platform serves thousands of PTP endpoints for customers deploying C-band gNodeBs. Hardware-assist enhancements, including the latest digital synthesis technology and PolarFire SoC FPGA, allow the system to deliver sub-ns timing accuracy.

Oscillator options for the TP4500 include OCXO, super OCXO, and rubidium. The unit also incorporates a 72-channel GNSS receiver with active thermal compensation. TimePictra synchronization management software allows operators to monitor and track real-time faults and threats with visibility across their entire network.

The TimeProvider 4500 is available now for purchase. Contact a Microchip sales representative or authorized distributor.

TimeProvider 4500 product page

Microchip Technology 

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

The post IEEE 1588 grandmaster clock handles 25 Gbps appeared first on EDN.

The E7515W UXM wireless test platform from Keysight offers network emulation with Wi-Fi 7 signaling RF and throughput testing of Wi-Fi 7 devices. It performs Wi-Fi to application and Wi-Fi to cellular internetworking testing of both Wi-Fi clients (STAs) and Access Points (APs) from 380 MHz to 7.125 GHz.

As a turnkey system, the E7515W simplifies Wi-Fi 7 testing and provides insights for both the physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers. The system emulates hundreds of clients at once through traffic simulation without the need for additional equipment. According to Keysight, this capacity exceeds existing market solutions by threefold.

Analysis software for the E7515W provides PHY/MAC level information, such as rate versus range, as well as enhanced Rx sensitivity, Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 radio unit sweep analysis, and full-rate throughput. Based on the same hardware architecture as the E7515B UXM 5G test platform, the E7515W tests more complex devices with 5G and LTE capabilities. It also performs fixed wireless access (FWA) testing for customer premise equipment (CPE).

Request a price quote for the E7515W Wi-Fi 7 test system using the link to the product page below.

E7515W UXM product page

Keysight Technologies 

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

The post Platform simulates Wi-Fi 7 devices and traffic appeared first on EDN.

Joining Samsung’s lineup of consumer SSDs, the 990 EVO delivers a sequential read speed of up to 5000 Mbytes/s, 43% faster than the 970 EVO Plus model. The company also reports that the 990 EVO offers up to a 70% improvement in power efficiency compared to its predecessor.

Available with storage capacities of 1 terabyte and 2 terabytes, the internal NVMe SSD enhances everyday computing experiences like gaming and video/photo editing. In addition to its fast sequential read rate, the drive’s sequential write speed reaches 4200 Mbytes/s. Random read and write operations also get a boost, with speeds of up to 700k and 800k input/output operations/s (IOPS), respectively.

Improved power efficiency allows battery-powered PCs to operate longer between charges. The 990 EVO supports Windows Modern Standby, which enables instant on/off with uninterrupted internet connectivity and seamless notification reception, even in low-power states. What’s more, the SSD’s heat spreader label effectively regulates the thermal condition of the NAND chip.

The 990 EVO supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 interfaces. Samsung’s Magician software is a set of optimization tools to ensure the best SSD performance. It also streamlines the data migration process for SSD upgrades. Magician protects valuable data, monitors drive health, and provides notification of firmware updates.

The 990 EVO SSD will be available in Malaysia starting next month.

990 EVO product page

Samsung

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

The post Fast SSD improves computer performance appeared first on EDN.

Built with an Arm Cortex-M33 core, NXP’s MCX A14x and A15x series of general-purpose MCUs operate at 48 MHz and 96 MHz, respectively. The devices target a broad range of applications, including motor control, industrial sensing, smart metering, automation, and smart home devices.

Both series offer high levels of integration with scalable device options. Peripherals include timers that generate three complementary PWM pairs with deadband insertion and a 4-Msample/s, 12-bit ADC with hardware windowing and averaging. Along with UART, SPI, and I2C interfaces, the MCUs provide an I3C communication interface. I3C improves on the performance and power use of I2C, while maintaining backward compatibility for most devices.

MCX A microcontrollers employ a capless LDO power subsystem that operates from 1.7 V to 3.6 V. Devices consume 59 µA/MHz (3 V, 25°C) in active mode running Coremark from internal flash. In deep sleep mode, current consumption drops to 6.5 µA with 10-µs wake-up and full SRAM retention (3 V, 25°C). Deep power down mode trims consumption to less than 400 nA with 2.78-ms wake.

Packaging options for the MCX A parts include 32-pin QFN, 48-pin QFN, and 64-pin LQDP. MCUs are I/O and pin-compatible across package types, simplifying migration and upgrades. MCX A14x/15x devices are available now through NXP’s distributor network.

MCX A14x/15x product page

NXP Semiconductors 

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

The post Low-power MCUs perform diverse tasks appeared first on EDN.

Purpose-built for Industry 4.0 use cases, the Digi IX40 router provides global 5G and LTE connectivity with edge intelligence and real-time processing. The IoT cellular router allows enterprises to seamlessly connect multiple wired or wireless machines in demanding environments. It also optimizes the integration of cloud-delivered operational technology with information technology to enable network-wide visibility, monitoring, and control.

The IX40 provides edge intelligence by placing computing power in the device at the edge of the enterprise network where the data is collected. Processing sensor data immediately and closer to where it is generated (instead of sending it to the cloud), reduces latency. The router’s built-in computing power and integrated memory enable rapid machine-to-machine communication and robust real-time data processing.

Other Digi IX40 features include:

• FIPS 140-2 validation for encryption of sensitive data
• Ethernet, SFP, serial, I/O, and Modbus bridging
• Failover options like fiber and 4G LTE for redundancy
• GNSS receiver supporting GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo
• License-free enterprise software: VPN, firewall, logging, and authentication
• Digi Remote Manager for mass configuration and management of remote assets

Typical applications for the Digi IX40 router include advanced robotics, predictive maintenance, asset monitoring, industrial automation, and smart manufacturing. FirstNet-capable models are available for critical applications that require emergency response.

For more information or request a price quote, use the link to the product page below.

Digi IX40 product page

Digi International  

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The analyzer's package-on-package interposer design enables shorter cables and active probing with measurements at 8,533 MT/s or more.

In a series of events during 2024, beginning with the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC 2024) and ‘GaNFast Blast!’ celebration in Long Beach, CA, USA from 26 February, gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA is marking 10 years of innovation and growth in a broad range of fast-growing markets, from ultra-fast mobile charging to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, renewable energy and EVs...