Новини світу мікро- та наноелектроніки

Some background here https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=306396 "Prior to the introduction of integrated op amps, it was extremely difficult to build stable DC amplifiers. By passing the signal through a chopper, the DC voltage can be passed through a feedback stabilized AC amplifier and then converted back to DC afterward. Chopper stabilized DC amplifiers--using electromechanical devices--have been around since the late 1940s at least." "HP's photoconductive choppers eliminated the inevitable problems with contact adjustment and wear in the electromechanical ones, but they required higher input voltages to overcome the "on" resistance of the photocells." Enjoy! submitted by /u/99posse [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/nph278 [link] [comments]

SuperLight Photonics of Enschede, the Netherlands — a spin-off from the University of Twente that is developing a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) wideband laser light source for measurement and detection applications — has unveiled the SLP-1050 compact, high-performance light source, purpose-built for demanding high-speed measurement applications...

Motivations for bolstering backup

Last March, I documented my travails striving to turn a 2018-era x86-based Apple Mac mini into a workable system in spite of its diminutive, non-upgradeable 128 GByte SSD’s internal capacity:

Eight months later (last November), I discussed how, motivated by the lightning-induced last-summer demise of one of my network-attached storage (NAS) devices:

I actualized longstanding aspirations to bolster my backup stratagem in order to better protect my precious data from failed hardware and other catastrophes (a virus or hack, for example).

Updating the initial approach

This writeup acts as an update to the initial approaches (and results) that I documented in the two prior pieces. Available-capacity optimization first. For pretty much the entirety of the time I’d owned the Mac mini, each time I needed to install an update to the currently installed version of MacOS and/or the Safari browser, I’d first temporarily need to uninstall a few particularly large apps to free up sufficient SSD space, then install the update, and then reinstall the apps afterwards. This got, as you can probably imagine, really tedious really quickly.

Salvation came by accident. Microsoft is pushing users to convert from the “Legacy (also referred to as “Classic”) Outlook” PIM (personal information management) app, along with the “Mail”, “Calendar”, and “People” apps originally bundled with Windows 10, to “New Outlook”. The latter successor is a PWA (progressive web app) that, simplistically speaking, acts as a locally installed “wrapper” for the cloud-based version of Outlook. Since the initial public release of “New Outlook” a couple of years ago, Microsoft has evolved the Windows variant of the app to optionally support local storage of some-to-all user data, thereby enabling access when offline. The MacOS version, conversely, still does only limited, temporary local caching.

Why is this important? As Microsoft has increasingly focused its development attention on “New Outlook”, I’d been noticing an increasing prevalence of bugs in “Legacy Outlook”, along with lengthening delays until they were eventually fixed. A month or so ago, after upgrading my MacBook Pro to MacOS 10.15 “Sequoia”, I also noticed that the “Legacy Outlook” search facility (which leverages Apple’s Spotlight system service) was no longer giving me results. Frustrated, I decided to “throw in the towel” and switch to “New Outlook” instead. I eventually ended up switching back to “Legacy Outlook”, after realizing that the lack of a locally stored full sync of my database would be unpalatable for offline use while traveling, for example (after doing so, by the way, Spotlight-based Outlook search magically started working again). But in the process, I learned something that in retrospect should have been obvious (but then again, what isn’t?).

After converting to “New Outlook”, I came across a settings option to delete “Legacy Outlook” data. Doing so freed up nearly 30 GBytes of storage capacity. This improvement was a nice-to-have on my laptop, which has a 512 GByte SSD (with ~25% still free even after converting back to “Legacy Outlook”). On the Mac mini, which I subsequently also converted to “New Outlook” and where the “Legacy Outlook” database represented ~25% of the SSD’s total capacity, it was a fundamental breakthrough. Regarding the database’s formidable size and in my (slight) defense:

• I use Outlook for my “day job’s” multiple accounts’ emails, contacts and calendars
• I’ve been employed there for three months shy of 14 years as I write this
• Note that this payload includes not only emails (and calendar entries and contacts) but also email file attachments, which in my organization are frequent and can be sizeable
• I’m an admitted digital packrat (which has saved me numerous times in the past, as I’ve been able to pull up archived content to substantiate or refute my own memory)

Due in part to the storage capacity savings (alas, unlike with my Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird profiles, for examples, there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward way to relocate the “Classic Outlook” profile to an external drive), coupled with the fact that the Mac mini is perpetually sitting on my desk and connected to broadband (and that if broadband goes down, my email-related productivity won’t be the only thing that suffers), I’ve kept “New Outlook” on it. The freed-up room on the SSD enabled me to also full-version upgrade the Mac mini from MacOS 10.14 “Mojave” to MacOS 10.15 “Sequoia”, delivering another (modest, in my case) benefit.

As with Adobe Creative Suite, which lets you optionally install apps to a different (attached, obviously) storage device (as long as you install them one at a time, that is), with MacOS 10.15 you can optionally install App Store-sourced programs elsewhere as long as they’re 1 GByte or larger in size…because, after all, Apple doesn’t want to discourage you from buying more profitable-to-them computers with larger internal storage capacities, right? In my particular case, that relocation was only relevant for Luminar AI, 2.64 GBytes in size. But I’ll take it.

Backup Expansion

Last November’s write-up on storage backup showcased the “3-2-1 rule”. Here again is Wikipedia’s concise summary:

The 3-2-1 rule…states that there should be at least 3 copies of the data, stored on 2 different types of storage media, and one copy should be kept offsite, in a remote location (this can include cloud storage). 2 or more different media should be used to eliminate data loss due to similar reasons (for example, optical discs may tolerate being underwater while LTO tapes may not, and SSDs cannot fail due to head crashes or damaged spindle motors since they do not have any moving parts, unlike hard drives). An offsite copy protects against fire, theft of physical media (such as tapes or discs) and natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.

That said, as I noted then in the introduction to my stratagem explanation:

As you’ll see in the paragraphs to follow, I’m not following the 3-2-1 rule to the most scrupulous degree—all of my storage devices are HDD-based, for example, and true offside storage would be bandwidth-usage prohibitive with conventional home broadband service.

While I can’t vouch for what storage technologies my more recently added “cloud” backup providers are using, they are off-site, so I feel pretty good about that. First off there’s my four-drive QNAP TS-453Be NAS, which, as I mentioned last time, holds “my music and photo libraries, along with decades’ worth of other accumulated personal files”:

The other two NASs on my LAN are purely used for backup purposes (both from computer sources and of each other’s contents), so losing them isn’t the end of the world. But the TS-453Be’s stored information is pretty darn important. What I learned is that QNAP’s HBS 3 Hybrid Backup Sync utility supports backups not only to USB- and Ethernet-connected local external storage but also to a variety of “cloud” storage services, among them Microsoft OneDrive. Also, since mine’s an Office 365 Family plan, I can associate it with up to five additional Microsoft accounts (beyond my own), each of which gets up to 1 GByte of OneDrive storage.

So, I created a second Microsoft account for myself, associated with a different email address of my many, and with its OneDrive storage capacity devoted exclusively to TS-453Be backups. HBS 3 backups are incremental—files that haven’t changed since the previous backup aren’t unnecessarily backed up again—so the bandwidth (and destination storage) “hit” wasn’t excessive after the initial backup session. I do one “cloud” backup a month (LAN backups are weekly), further limiting the incremental impact on my monthly 1.2 TByte usage allocation from Comcast/Xfinity (with added-cost unlimited usage always an option if ever needed). And I run them at midnight, when slumber means I don’t notice their LAN-bandwidth packet presence.

The other particularly important storage device here at the home office is the SSD inside my current “daily driver” computer, a 2020-era x86-based 13” Apple MacBook Pro.

Here, my cloud storage solution involves a highly regarded service called Backblaze, whose periodic Drive Stats storage reliability reports I’ve mentioned before. At the end of last year, Backblaze ran a promotion on its Personal Backup service tier: two years for $151.20 (normally $189), with Extended Version History (enabling access to older backed-up versions of files, too) also included. The incremental-backup Backblaze client app constantly runs silently in the background and by default focuses its attention only on data files, to optimize both its use of cloud storage and upload bandwidth, and under the assumption that you can reinstall programs if necessary. Except for the initial backup, along with the ~30 GByte data file outcome of my previously mentioned more recent reinstall of “Classic Outlook”, bandwidth usage has been scant. And functionality has to date been flawless. Highly recommended!

Thoughts on the concepts I introduced in my first two posts and augmented with this one? Sound off in the comments!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the company’s online newsletter.

Related Content

• Workarounds (and their tradeoffs) for integrated storage constraints
• Beefing up backup
• Lightning strikes…thrice???!!!
• Fairly evaluating HDD reliability
• Apple’s fall 2024 announcements: SoC and memory upgrade abundance

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Microchip has added secure code signing, firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates, and CRA compliance to its ECC608 TrustMANAGER authentication IC. Additional enhancements include remote management of firmware images, cryptographic keys, and digital certificates. These capabilities help developers meet the cybersecurity requirements of the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and prepare for similar regulations expected to emerge in other regions.

The ECC608 TrustMANAGER pairs with Kudelski IoT’s keySTREAM Software as a Service (SaaS) to securely store and manage cryptographic keys and certificates across IoT ecosystems. FOTA services support real-time firmware updates, enabling remote vulnerability patching and helping devices comply with evolving cybersecurity regulations.

Further enhancing cybersecurity compliance, Microchip’s WINC1500 Wi-Fi network controller in the TrustMANAGER development kit is now RED-certified for secure, reliable cloud connectivity. The EU’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED) sets strict requirements for network security, data protection, and fraud prevention. Starting August 1, 2025, all wireless devices sold in the EU must meet RED cybersecurity rules.

The ECC608 TrustManager is available for purchase from Microchip and its authorized distribution partners.

TrustManager product page

Microchip Technology 

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The SKY63104/5/6 family of jitter-attenuating clocks and the SKY62101 clock generator simultaneously generate ultra-low jitter clocks for synchronous Ethernet and spread-spectrum PCIe. Built on Skyworks’ fifth-generation DSPLL and MultiSynth technologies, these devices support flexible input-to-output frequency mapping and enable single-IC clock tree designs for demanding networking, data center, and industrial applications.

Typical DSPLL RMS jitter is as low as 18 fs (12 kHz–20 MHz at 625 MHz), with total output jitter around 55 fs RMS—well suited for 224G PAM4 Ethernet SerDes. The devices also meet spread spectrum clocking requirements for PCIe Gen 1 through Gen 6.

The jitter attenuators and clock generator provide 12 outputs in a compact 8×8-mm QFN package with wettable flanks. The SKY63104 includes one DSPLL with two MultiSynths; the SKY63105 has two DSPLLs and one MultiSynth; and the SKY63106 features three DSPLLs with no MultiSynth. Output frequencies span 8 kHz to 3.2 GHz, with configurable formats including LVDS, HCSL, LVPECL, LVCMOS, S-LVDS, and CML. Output-to-output skew is tightly controlled at ±50 ps, with per-output delay adjustable in 50-ps steps.

SKY63104/5/6 product page 

SKY62101 product page 

Skyworks Solutions 

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EPC Space has announced the EPC7030MSH, a radiation-hardened 300-V GaN FET for high-voltage, high-power space applications. It supports front-end DC/DC converters in satellite power systems, power conversion for high-voltage distribution buses, and electric propulsion platforms requiring high-performance switching.

With a maximum RDS(on) of 35 mΩ and a typical gate charge of 25 nC (30 nC max), the EPC7030MSH delivers a continuous drain current of 50 A at 5 V and a single-pulse drain current of 150 A for 300 µs. According to EPC Space, these specifications place it among the highest-performing rad-hard FETs in its class.

The EPC7030MSH is rated for 300-V operation at a linear energy transfer (LET) of 63 MeV·cm²/mg and maintains single-event effect (SEE) immunity up to 250 V at an LET of 84.6 MeV·cm²/mg. It is also immune to total ionizing dose (TID) effects under both low and high dose rate conditions.

Engineering models of the EPC7030MSH cost $236 each in quantities of 500 units, while rad-hard space-qualified devices are priced at $349 each.

EPC7030MSH product page

EPC Space 

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ST’s L9800 combines eight low-side drivers with diagnostics and protection in a compact leadless package for tight automotive spaces. The ISO 26262 ASIL-B-compliant device drives resistive, capacitive, or inductive loads—such as relays and LEDs—in body-control modules, HVAC systems, and power-domain controls.

Output channels can be controlled via the SPI port or two dedicated parallel inputs that map to selected outputs. These inputs enable emergency hardware control of two default channels even if the digital supply voltage is not available. This allows the L9800 to enter limp-home mode, maintaining essential safety and convenience functions during system failures, such as microcontroller faults or supply undervoltage.

The L9800 enhances vehicle reliability with real-time diagnostics and per-channel protection against open-circuit, short-circuit, overcurrent, and overtemperature faults. Diagnostic signals are accessible over the SPI bus, which also allows access to internal configuration registers for device setup. Additionally, the driver ensures safe operation during engine cranking, supporting battery voltages as low as 3 V.

Housed in a 4×4-mm TFQFN24 package, the L9800 low-side driver costs $0.52 each in lots of 1000 units.

L9800 product page 

STMicroelectronics

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xMEMS is bringing its µCooling fan-on-chip platform to AI-driven extended reality (XR) smart glasses. The silicon-based solid-state micro cooling chip provides localized, precision-controlled active cooling from within the glasses frame—without compromising form factor or aesthetics.

As smart glasses integrate more advanced AI processors, cameras, sensors, and high-resolution displays, total device power (TDP) is expected to rise from today’s 0.5–1 W to 2 W and beyond. This increase pushes more heat into the frame materials that rest directly against the skin, exceeding what passive heat sinking can effectively dissipate.

According to xMEMS, thermal modeling and physical verification of µCooling in smart glasses operating at 1.5 W TDP has demonstrated a 60–70% improvement in power overhead, allowing up to 0.6 W additional thermal margin. It also showed up to a 40% reduction in system temperatures and up to a 75% reduction in thermal resistance.

Built on a piezoMEMS architecture with no motors or bearings, the fan chip delivers silent, vibration-free operation in a package as small as 9.3×7.6×1.13 mm. 

µCooling samples for XR smart glasses are available now, with volume production planned for Q1 2026. To learn more about xMEMS active µCooling, click here.

xMEMS Labs

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I always thought that if a circuit worked and passed basic functionality tests, you were good to go. But I’ve been digging deeper while working on a small consumer electronics project, and wow, there’s a whole other layer around safety, durability, and compliance that I hadn’t even considered. Things like how a device holds up under voltage fluctuations, or how materials react to heat and moisture, all that stuff matters a lot, especially if you’re thinking about scaling or selling internationally. I know there are experts like QIMA who offer this kind of testing, and it’s wild how many factors are involved. Makes me look at everyday devices differently now. **image not mine** submitted by /u/Poseidon_9726 [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/wawabreakfast [link] [comments]

Fabless company Wise-integration of Hyeres, France — which was spun off from CEA-Leti in 2020 and designs and develops digital control for gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN IC-based power supplies — has released to production its first fully digital controller, WiseWare 1.1 (WIW1101), based on a 32-bit MCU. This enables high-frequency operation up to 2MHz, unlocking what are claimed to be new levels of power density, efficiency and form factor in compact AC–DC power converters...

Getting signals into an oscilloscope or digitizer without distorting them is a significant concern for instrument designers and users. The critical first point in an instrument is the input port. Oscilloscopes offer 50-Ω and 1-MΩ input terminations for both channels and trigger inputs. When should each be used?

A typical oscilloscope offers input ports terminated in either a 50-Ω, DC-coupled, or 1-MΩ AC- or DC-coupled, or ground (Figure 1).

Figure 1 The input coupling choices for a typical oscilloscope include 50-Ω DC, 1-MΩ AC or DC, and ground. Source: Art Pini

Input termination

The 50-Ω termination is intended for use with 50-Ω sources connected to the oscilloscope using a 50-Ω coaxial cable. The 50-Ω input properly terminates the coaxial cable, preventing reflections and associated signal losses.

The 50-Ω input termination is also used with certain probes. The simplest probe, based on a 50-Ω termination, is the transmission line or low-capacitance probe (Figure 2).

Figure 2 The low capacitance probe is intended to probe low impedance sources like transmission lines. A 10:1 attenuation is achieved by making RIN equal 450 Ω, which results in a 10:1 attenuation of the probed signal. Source: Art Pini

The transmission line probe has a relatively wide bandwidth, typically ranging from 5 GHz or more. Its input impedance is low, and in the case of a 10:1 probe, it is only about 500 Ω. Most other active high-bandwidth probes also utilize the 50-Ω oscilloscope input termination.

The 1-MΩ input termination is intended to connect to 10:1 high-impedance passive probes as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 A simplified schematic for a 10:1 high impedance passive probe connected to an oscilloscope’s 1 MΩ input. Source: Art Pini

The high-impedance probe places a 9-MΩ resistor in series with the oscilloscope’s 1-MΩ input termination, forming a 10:1 attenuator. This passive probe has a DC input resistance of 10 MΩ. The compensation capacitor (Ccomp) is adjusted so that the time constants Rin*Cin are the same as Ro*(Co+Ccomp), forming an all-pass filter offering a relatively square low-frequency pulse response. The 1-MΩ termination also serves as a high-impedance input for low-frequency measurements, where reflections are not an issue.

50-Ω vs 1-MΩ inputs

The two input terminations have significant differences. Consider the Teledyne LeCroy HDO 6104B, a 1 GHz mid-range oscilloscope, as an example (Table 1).

Input Termination	Bandwidth	Coupling	Vertical Range (V/div)	Offset Range	Maximum Input
50 Ω	1 GHz	DC, GND	1 mV to 1 V	± 1.6 V to ±10 V	5 Vrms, ± 10 V p-p
1 MΩ	500 MHz	AC, DC, GND	1 m V to 10 V	± 1.6 V to ± 400 V	400 V(DC + Peak AC<10 kHz)

Table 1 The characteristics of the input terminations are quite different. Source: Art Pini

The bandwidth of the 50-Ω termination is usually much greater than that of the 1-MΩ termination. In this example, it is 1 GHz. The oscilloscope’s bandwidth is generally specified for the 50-Ω termination. The 50-Ω input has a more limited input voltage range than the 1-MΩ input. The maximum voltage range of the 50-Ω termination is power-limited to 5 Vrms by the ½-watt rating of the input resistor. The 1-MΩ has a maximum voltage rating of 400 V (DC+AC peak <10 kHz). The 50-Ω input is only available in DC-coupled mode, whereas the 1-MΩ termination is available in both AC and DC-coupled modes. Finally, the offset range of the 1-MΩ input extends up to ±400 V while the 50-Ω offset range is ±10 V.  

DC or AC input coupling

DC coupling applies to the entire frequency spectrum of the signal’s frequency components from DC to the full rated bandwidth of the instrument’s specified input. AC coupling filters out the DC by placing a blocking capacitor in series with the oscilloscope input. The series capacitor acts like a high-pass filter.

In most oscilloscopes, the AC-coupled input has a lower cutoff frequency of about 10 Hz. AC-coupling the 50-Ω termination would require about 20,000 times larger capacitors to achieve the same 10-Hz lower cutoff frequency, so it is not done. This ability to separate a signal’s AC and DC components is utilized in applications such as measuring ripple voltage at the power supply’s output. The AC coupling blocks the power supply’s DC output while passing the ripple voltage. Figure 4 compares an AC- and a DC-coupled waveform with an offset voltage.

Figure 4 A 1 MHz, 381 mVpp, signal with a 100-mV DC offset is acquired using both DC (top trace) and AC (lower trace) coupling. Source: Art Pini

The upper trace shows the DC-coupled waveform. Note that the DC offset shifts the AC component of the input signal upward while the AC signal, shown in the lower trace, has a zero mean value. The AC coupling has removed the DC offset.

The peak-to-peak amplitude is measured using measurement parameter P1 as 381 mV. They are identical because the offset of the DC-coupled signal is canceled by the subtraction operation used in calculating the peak-to-peak value.

The DC-coupled signal has a DC offset of 100 mV, measured by the mean measurement parameters P2. The AC-coupled signal has the same peak-to-peak amplitude (P5) but a mean(P6) of near-zero V. The AC-coupled signal’s RMS amplitude (P3) reads 167.5 V because it includes the RMS value of the DC offset. The RMS value of the AC-coupled signal (P7) reads 134.4 mV because the mean value is zero. The DC-coupled signal’s standard deviation (sdev) (P4) is identical to the RMS values of the AC-coupled signal. Since the standard deviation calculation subtracts the mean value of the signal from the instantaneous value before computing RMS, the standard deviation is sometimes referred to as the AC RMS value.

Trigger input termination and coupling

The trigger input is another oscilloscope input that must be considered as it affects the instrument’s triggering. It is derived from one of the input channels, the external trigger input, or the power line. The trigger coupling for any of the inputs other than line is one of four possibilities: AC, DC, low-frequency reject (LF REJ), or high-frequency reject (HF REJ) (Figure 5).

Figure 5 The trigger input coupling selections include two bandwidth-limited modes (LF and HF REJ) and AC- and DC-coupling. Source: Art Pini

The AC and DC coupling perform as the AC and DC input coupling selections. LF REJ is an AC coupling mode with a high-pass filter in series with the trigger input. HF REJ is DC coupled with a low-pass filter in series with the trigger input. The cutoff frequencies of high-pass and low-pass filters are usually about 50 kHz. The LF and HF REJ coupling modes are usually used for noisy trigger signals, which might be encountered when testing switched-mode power supplies.

If the trigger input source is one of the input channels, then the trigger input inherits the termination impedance of the input channel. If the external trigger input is used, the input impedance can be selected (Figure 6).

Figure 6 The termination of the external trigger input includes both 50-Ω and 1-MΩ DC, along with a 1:1 and a 10:1 attenuator. Source: Art Pini

The termination is either 50 Ω or 1 MΩ. The external trigger is DC-coupled from the physical input to termination. The trigger coupling selection sets the coupling between the termination and the trigger.

Selecting input terminations when using a probe

Most modern oscilloscopes have intelligent probe interfaces that sense the probe’s presence and read its characteristics. The instrument adjusts the input termination and attenuation to match the probe’s requirements. For classical passive probes, simpler probe interfaces sense the probe’s sense pin to detect its presence and attenuation and set the instrument coupling and attenuation to match the probe. If the passive probe lacks a sense pin or an intelligent interface, then the attenuation setting of the input channel must be done manually.

50-Ω termination workarounds

The 50-Ω termination offers the highest bandwidth and is used with signal sources connected via 50-Ω coaxial cables or active probes that expect a 50-Ω termination. Serial in-line attenuations can be used to increase the voltage range of the 50-Ω input. AC coupling of the 50-Ω input can be accomplished using an external blocking capacitor. The lower frequency cutoff will be a function of the block’s capacitance.

Other traditional terminating impedances can be adapted to the 50-Ω termination by using an external in-line impedance pad. This is particularly common in applications such as video, where 75-Ω terminations are the standard. If an impedance pad is used, the pad’s attenuation has to be manually entered into the input channel setup.

1-MΩ termination workarounds

The 1-MΩ termination provides a high input impedance, which reduces circuit loading. It offers the highest voltage and offset ranges, but its bandwidth is restricted to 500 MHz or less. Care should be exercised when using it to measure low-impedance sources with frequencies greater than 40 to 50 MHz to avoid reflections, which will manifest themselves as ringing (Figure 7).

Figure 7 Measuring a low-impedance source using a 1-MΩ input can result in reflections that look like ringing (upper trace). Using a 50-Ω termination (lower trace) does not show the problem. Source: Art Pini

If you must use a 1-MΩ input, reflections can be reduced by soldering a 50-Ω resistor to the low-impedance source and connecting the 1-MΩ input to the resistor. This will help reduce reflections from the high-impedance termination back to the source.

The rail probe is the best of all possible worlds

Given that a typical application of oscilloscopes is measuring power supply ripple, the DC-coupled input’s limited offset voltages and the AC-coupled inputs’ attenuation call for a unique solution. The rail probe is a solution to measuring ripple on power rails that offers a large built-in offset, low attenuation, and high DC input impedance. The rail probe’s built-in offset and low attenuation permit the rail voltage to be offset in the oscilloscope by its mean DC voltage with high oscilloscope vertical sensitivity, achieving a noise-free view of small signal variations. The high DC input impedance eliminates the loading of the DC rail.

The input termination and coupling are important when setting up a measurement. Keep in mind how they can affect the signal acquisition and subsequent analysis.

Arthur Pini is a technical support specialist and electrical engineer with over 50 years of experience in electronics test and measurement.

Related Content

• Terminating a differential-input signal
• It’s not just 50 Ω: Some termination tips for differential and single-ended amplifiers
• Getting EMC design right – First time, Part 4: Terminations & Parts placement
• Digitizer front ends need the right inputs
• Build your own oscilloscope probes for power measurements (part 1)
• Basic oscilloscope operation
• Measure small impedances with Rogowski current probes

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There are numerous evergreen chips in the semiconductor industry, and this blog provides a sneak peek at some of these timeless technology marvels. Take µPC1237, for instance, NEC’s bipolar analog IC, which is still used in stereo audio power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Then, there is Toshiba’s fabled TA7317P, another classic IC used for power amplifier protection. The blog highlights the inner workings of these awesome chips and expands on why they are still in play.

Read the full blog on EDN’s sister publication, Planet Analog.

Related Content

• Audio amplifier selection in hearable designs
• Reference board exemplifies audio amplifier silicon
• Audio amplifier basics: Select the best topology for your design
• Audio amplifiers, class-T, class-W, class-I, class-TD and class-BS
• The NA1150 audio amplifier sets a new standard, driving speakers with PWM

The post A nostalgic technology parade of classic amplifiers appeared first on EDN.

The new 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors provide engineers in the industrial, automotive, datacom, household appliance, and consumer electronics markets with robust, reliable, and user-friendly power connectivity solutions.

KYOCERA AVX, a leading global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, has further expanded its industry-leading selection of standard battery connectors with the introduction of the new 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors.

The new 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors feature a unique contact geometry that deflects cleanly when a module, battery pack, mating connector, or PCB is vertically pushed into position, enabling full vertical engagement without the risk of contact damage. Traditional right-angle battery connectors require users to engage the contacts by inserting the mating module or battery pack at an angle before rotating it into position to reliably prevent contact damage that could negatively impact connector performance and lifetime. The 9155-900 Series does not. Infact, users can mate these connectors from any angle without inadvertently damaging the contacts, ensuring high-integrity connections regardless of user experience or skill level.

The 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors feature an extremely forgiving sweeping beam contact design and an anti-snag feature that reliably protects the contacts from damage during deflection, as well as when static. The series also features ultra-robust and -reliable gold-plated beryllium copper (BeCu) contacts that deliver excellent electrical and mechanical performance for up to 5,000 mating cycles and optional plastic locating bosses and solder tabs that maximize the mechanical stability of the connector in high-shock and vibration environments, like automotive applications.

The series features flame-retardant (UL94 V-0) black, glass-filled Nylon 46 insulators, two to six BeCu contacts with either 0.4µm or 0.8µm of selective gold-over-nickel plating (the former of which is suitable for most commercial and industrial applications and the latter of which is suitable for harsh-environment applications), and pure tin tails. They are rated for 500VACRMS or the DC equivalent, up to 3A, and operating temperatures extending from -40°C to +125°C. They are also REACH and RoHS compliant and shipped in tape and reel packaging in quantities of 800 for automated pick and place assembly.

Ideal applications for the new 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors extend throughout the industrial, automotive, datacom, household appliance, and consumer electronics markets and include handheld and portable industrial and consumer electronics devices that require docking or cradling, such as charging stations, internet and home appliances that require battery backup, and automotive applications that require the easy installation and removal of modules or battery packs, ranging from headsets, gaming controllers, and walkie talkies to automotive cooling fans.

“Traditional right-angle battery connectors with exposed contacts require pluggable modules to be inserted at an angle and then gently rotated into position to prevent contact damage. And while that may seem insignificant, the extra step required to safely and successfully mate traditional battery connectors increases the potential for mismating by half,” said Perrin Hardee, Product Marketing Manager at KYOCERA AVX. “Our new 9155-900 Series 2.5mm-pitch vertical-mate battery connectors are engineered to ensure proper mating from any angle and eliminate the possibility of inadvertently damaging the contacts during the process—regardless of user experience or skill level. They’re also compact and robust enough to withstand automotive levels of shock and vibration.”

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CHA0402 Microwave Resistors Deliver Stable High Frequency Performance Up to 50 GHz Under Harsh Environmental Conditions

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. announced that it has expanded its CHA Series of AEC-Q200 qualified thin film chip resistors with new devices in the 0402case size. Available with a wide range of resistance values from 10 Ω to 500 Ω, CHA0402 resistors provide high frequency performance up to 50 GHz for automotive, telecom, medical, space, avionics, and military applications.

Now available in the 02016 and 0402 case sizes, CHA series devices offer very low internal reactance and exhibit behavior close to a pure resistor over their large frequency range, with a nearly flat Z/R curve to 70 GHz and 50 GHz, respectively. The microwave resistors maintain their high frequency stability even after the most stressful AEC-Q200 tests — validated by their ΔR and Z/R measurements — guaranteeing high performance under harsh environmental conditions.

The CHA series is ideal for automotive ADAS, LIDAR, connectivity, and 4D radar systems; LEO satellites and space communication systems; X-ray, MRI, and CAT scan machines; 5G / 6G telecommunications equipment, base stations, and repeaters; military guidance and telemetry systems; drones; and RF antennas. For these applications, the CHA0402 resistors provide limiting voltage of 37 V, rated power of 300 mW at +70 °C, and a temperature coefficient of ± 100 ppm/°C, with ± 50 ppm/°C available on request.

To reduce development time and costs, the devices’ S-parameter data is available for electronic simulation, in addition to 3D models for Ansys HFSS, Modelithics Microwave Global Models (PCB and pad-scalable), and design kits. RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green, the resistors are offered in waffle pack and tape and reel packaging.

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EFFECT Photonics b.v. – a spin off from the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) in The Netherlands that provides next-generation coherent optical solutions for data-center and edge networks – has raised an additional $24m as part of its Series D financing round. This brings the total raised in the round to $62m...

InnoScience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd — which manufactures gallium nitride on silicon (GaN) power chips on 8” silicon wafers — and Midea (the largest producer of home appliances and industrial robots) have reached a strategic collaboration and agreed to jointly invest resources to focus on expanding the adoption of GaN in new applications such as home appliances, kitchen appliances and other fields...

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 closed its share purchase plan (SPP), raising $5.3m before costs. The SPP followed a $2.3m placement to institutional and sophisticated investors at the beginning of May, raising a total of $7.6m...

Among the Highlights were Special Sessions Detailing the Status and Future Directions of Technology in Key Areas

The 75th annual 2025 IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center here May 27-30, had record attendance, a record number of paper submissions/presentations, record international and student participation, and a record number of exhibitors in a sold-out exhibition hall:

• 2,518 attendees, the highest in the conference’s 75-year history and a significant increase over the 2,008 who attended last year, which itself was a record.
• The number of abstracts submitted was the highest ever (775), as were the 390 technical papers presented in 36 oral and 5 interactive presentation sessions, including one dedicated to students.
• Several paper presentations attracted more than 600 attendees, as sessions on topics of intense industry interest – such as hybrid bonding– were standing-room only.
• 16 professional development courses were attended by 596 participants.
• There were speakers from more than 20 countries globally.
• There was a record level of industry support, with 51 corporate sponsors and 138 booths in the exhibit hall.

Among the highlights were 11 Special Sessions. In these, panels of industry experts discussed the present status and future roadmaps of technologies essential for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC) and other fast-growing, evolving applications.

“Advanced chip packaging technologies are essential for the development of the electronics industry, and the ECTC conference has long been the world’s leading forum for advancements in microelectronics packaging and component science and technology,” said Przemyslaw Gromala, ECTC 2025 Program Chair and Chief Expert/R&D Project Leader at Robert Bosch GmbH. “ECTC serves as a collaborative global platform for exploring cutting-edge advancements in microelectronic packaging, fostering innovation and addressing key industry challenges. This year’s Special Sessions offered a rich selection of compelling topics and expert panelists.”

Here are highlights from three of the ECTC 2025 Special Sessions:

Advanced Materials for Enabling Co-Packaged Optics Integration – This Special Session was co-Chaired by Karan Bhangaonkar (Google) and Vidya Jayaram (Chipletz). Panelists were Mark Gerber (ASE), Z. Rena Huang (Rennselaer Polytechnic Inst.); Padraic Morrissey (Tyndall National Inst.), Kumar Abhishek Singh (Intel) and Christopher Striemer (AIM Photonics).

As modern computing strives for higher performance, co-packaged optics or CPO (i.e., the integration of optics and electronics on a substrate) is emerging as a solution to meet computing/communication demands for high bandwidth at low power. The innovations, challenges and future needs to realize CPO technology were discussed in this Special Session.

Gerber from ASE gave an overview of the system requirements that are driving CPO material considerations, noting that heat can have significant effects on photonic integrated circuits. He also identified other issues that increase thermal sensitivities in CPO architectures, such as flux outgassing, and described why the order in which assembly steps occur also has an impact.

Huang from RPI said that while much work is taking place to understand and address CPO packaging considerations, much more progress is needed, especially for AI chiplets for large-language models (LLMs), where the key concerns are speed, power and efficiency. She discussed the possibility to build optical networks on optical interposers/wafers/panels, noting that large chiplets could be optically connected with optical interposers, using optical waveguides to reduce loss.

Morrissey from Tyndall said that for optimum CPO performance, the optics must be moved closer to the edge of compute, and glass has great potential for use as a substrate because it’s optically transparent, has good RF behavior, and lends itself to fabricating high-quality vias. Glass also can work beyond wafers and with really large panels, he said, and can lead to pluggable connectivity. However, he noted that heat is an issue with glass.

Singh from Intel said CPO isn’t just desirable, it’s absolutely necessary to scale-up advanced packaging. He noted that CPO allows both edge and vertical interconnects, meaning there are many areas where materials come into play. He said that while CPO architectures face unique challenges – such as foreign particles blocking the light path – they also face many of the same issues as non-CPO architectures, such as misalignment and cracks. But these challenges bring opportunities to advance the state-of-the-art.

Striemer from Aim Photonics described why optically active materials will drive CPO, and also outlined the need for passive material innovations such as 3D printing and novel designs like suspended structures, although right now it’s unclear which ones will offer the most benefit.

Hybrid Bonding (HB): to B, or not to B? Needs and challenges for the next decade – This Special Session was co-Chaired by Benson Chan (Binghamton Univ.), Masha Gorchichko (Applied Materials) and Dishit Parekh (AMD). The panelists were Su Jin Ahn (Samsung), Anne Jourdain (imec), Chet Lenox (KLA), Laura Mirkarimi (Adeia), Masao Tomikawa (Toray Ind.) and Brett Wilkerson (AMD).

Hybrid bonding is the key technology for high-density 3D integration and advanced packaging, and in recent years, significant advancements were made in pitch scaling, die-to-die bonding, alternative materials, and low-temperature processes. But many engineering and technological challenges remain, such as defectivity, metrology, design challenges, and cost. This panel summarized recent advancements in HB, identified the most pressing issues limiting its adoption for mainstream electronics, and outlined its likely development over the next decade.

Gorchichko from Applied noted the different types of HB (wafer-wafer, die-wafer, die-die) and said that while HB debuted about 10 years ago in an image sensor from Sony, today the focus is on integrating DRAM memory. She said that advanced metrology is key, because we are now talking about molecular bonds, and therefore an understanding of all the relevant chemical and mechanical requirements is needed. Moreover, to get higher yields and more throughput, not just better but also faster metrology is needed. She noted that thermal concerns are an issue with increasing power density.

Su Jin Ahn from Samsung outlined major HB technology issues and challenges. One is that the many process steps required leave particles on the bonding surface, leading to potential failure. Another is that for AI, the wider, thinner dies used degrade bonding and lead to quality issues. She said what’s needed are advanced metrology/inspection tools and methods, along with design/process co-optimization for bonding. She said the main driver going forward is the need to combine chip and packaging technologies.

Jourdain from imec emphasized the need for fast, reliable metrology solutions, and discussed the pros and cons of copper interconnect and barrier metals.

Lenox from KLA noted the many needs and challenges that come with HB – interposers,  warpage control, dielectric interface profiles, clean singulation, bonding alignment – and said that while HB is important, there are other less complex and costly technologies that might preclude the need for HB, such as bridges. He also said that HB creates a need for advanced metrology and inspection capabilities all the way from the front end to packaging.

Mirkarimi from Adeia focused on three areas: metrology improvements for improved throughput and yield; the evolution of 2.5D/3.5D HB packaging technology; and thermal solutions for high power-density chipsets. With regard to metrology, she noted that HB architectural complexity demands a reliable “health of the line” metrology protocol for all process steps. Also, better ways to understand nanoscale topography and to detect surface defects are needed, as are ways to rework HB to reduce costs, such as bond energy engineering. Regarding HB packaging trends and challenges, she said that ultra-high bandwidth, inter-die communication at a 1µm die-to-wafer pitch will require system simplification, such as bonding dies directly to the substrate or using bridge dies to replace an interposer. For thermal management, she described a potential cooling solution that makes use of an integrated manifold and a cold plate bonded to an IC, among other features, and which can be custom-designed to manage specific heat maps.

Tomikawa from Toray said that as the need to bond chips to interposers increases, the need for HB processes that make use of polyimide (PI) resin will become more apparent. That’s because PI enables low-temperature, low-pressure HB processes which minimize warpage and device damage. Many challenges remain, though – precise copper protrusion control and low-temperature copper diffusion bonding are key factors for success.

Wilkerson from AMD spoke from a product perspective. He pointed out that HB requires complex processing. much time and many expensive fab processes, and that it can take several weeks to accomplish, which impacts a company’s time-to-market capabilities. He said thermal resistance is a critical issue, and that there’s a need for standards for the use of HB for memory integration with silicon.

Thermal Management Solutions for Next-Generation Backside Power Delivery – This Special Session was co-Chaired by Dwayne R. Shirley (Marvell) and Tiwei Wei (Purdue University/UCLA). The panelists were Muhannad Bakir (Georgia Tech), Dureseti Chidambarrao (IBM) and Herman Oprins (imec).

The increasing power density and thermal challenges in advanced semiconductor packaging have led to the development of backside power delivery (BPD) technology, where the power delivery network is relocated from the frontside to the backside of a silicon wafer. While it enhances power efficiency, performance, and design flexibility, BPD also introduces thermal management challenges and the need for innovative cooling solutions. Participants in this Special Session discussed the latest advancements and challenges in thermal management for next-generation BPD.

Bakir from Georgia Tech said that for 3D architectures, interlayer cooling is needed, but asked, how do we enable high-density interconnect within such a structure? He said the solution is to fabricate through-silicon via (TSV) structures with integrated cooling, electrical conductivity, and power, using vertical vias. He addressed the many issues that such a design brings – aspect ratios, TSV heights, etc.

Chidambarrao from IBM said that because there are lots of subtleties with BPD architectures, reducing the problem to important basics and solving it with enough accuracy is key. He noted that chip complexity significantly impacts thermal conductivity, and that level-to-level differences can be quite large. He said that an understanding of the entire chip overlay is needed, because there are tricky hot spots, and he described IBM’s strategy, which is to use machine learning plus FEA modeling to calculate the average properties of multiple levels together. He noted that BPD issues only become worse with 3D architectures.

Oprins from imec said it is absolutely critical to identify the basic problems with each particular BPD architecture, because there are so many different flavors of BPD.

Wei from Purdue/UCLA said that bond interfaces drive thermal impacts, and she gave an overview of research into different ways to deal with this issue, encompassing factors such as die thickness, CMOS-compatible structures like air gaps or glass bridges, trenches, copper/diamond microbump bonding, two-layer microchannel structures (i.e. manifolds), and others.

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