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Electronix Express Newsletter
April 2007 Issue
Welcome to the April 2007 Issue of the Electronix Express Newsletter
1. Innovation 'Is in our Blood'
"I did not fail. I just found something else that didn't work." In quoting what Thomas Edison said in response to another failing lightbulb filament, Sematech chairman O.B. Bilous was likening the statement to the semiconductor industry's ability to overcome manufacturing challenges. Made up of bright people from various backgrounds working together on common problems, the semiconductor industry is one that has encouraged innovation, even allowing people to fail so they can succeed sooner. Innovation is usually an incremental and collaborative process that builds on the work of others. "Innovation breeds innovation", said Bilous. The innovating tradition common in the semiconductor industry is one that will create a bright future for engineers. "The problems we are coping with today will be the solutions of tomorrow, and new ones will take their place," he said. "Thirty years from now, when we have made more progress than in the last 100, no one will want to go back to 2006. Life is good, and it is going to get better." It is our lifeblood; it is our culture. We thrive on innovation."
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2. Nanotechnology: Turning Nanoscience Into Nanomanufacturing
Despite nanotechnology's incredible promise, it will likely be 5-10 years before nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes and nanowires, become a staple of mainstream manufacturing. The original concept of nanotechnology was first described by Richard Feynman in 1959 in a now famous address at the California Institute of Technology to the American Physical Society. The comments made by Feynman are interesting in that he clearly differentiated between controlling things on a small scale and miniaturization. The concept of nanotechnology is now firmly embedded in modern culture. It is seen as the source of potentially dramatic advances in almost every field imaginable, including energy, health, the environment, defense and, of course, electronics. President Bush declared it a priority in 2006, as have CEOs of companies such as General Electric and Proctor & Gamble.
By 2014, according to a recent report from Lux Research, $2.6T in global manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology. In addition, governments, corporations and venture capitalists spent $9.6B on nanotechnology R&D worldwide in 2005, up 10% from 2004.
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3. Nano Breakthrough
Yale University engineers have developed a virus-sized sensor that could be easily incorporated into conventional microchips to produce instruments able to diagnose thousands of diseases with a single drop of blood, detect cancer cells and measure immune response. The Yale breakthrough is the first nano component that can be integrated directly into microelectronic systems, meaning that it could be used commercially in the not too distant future. Someday, the sensors might even be implanted in the human body to deliver medicine, monitor body functions, or defend the blood stream. "This sensor is essentially on the size scale of the molecules it is designed to sense," said lead author Eric Stern, a graduate student whose thesis research focused on building nanoscale chemical and biological sensors. The device has been patented to Yale.
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4. Silicon Valley Poised to Become Leader in Alternative Energy
After personal computers and the Internet, Silicon Valley is now set to become the leader in alternative energy sources. Clean technology, which is often described as the biggest opportunity of this century, helped fuel Silicon Valley's recovery last year after five years of job losses, according to the Silicon Valley Index.
The report revealed that investments in clean technology, including solar energy and hybrid cars, in Silicon Valley jumped to $300 million annually, recording 900 per cent increase and making the Valley the nation's prime spot for innovation in energy alternatives.
Miasole, a company which is developing an ultra-thin solar panel technology, is one of the many fledgling Silicon Valley companies that are trying to combine traditional Valley strengths in material science and low-cost manufacturing with alternative energy, "As we bring costs down, solar just has tremendous potential," according to a spokesperson. "Silicon Valley is at the forefront of these emerging technologies."
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5. Gateway Unveils New NAS Devices
PC maker Gateway recently announced five new Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices featuring Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 and a choice of Intel Xeon processors or AMD Opteron processors. NAS servers can act as file servers hosting files or as local print servers. The storage servers offer best-in-class storage technologies, including hot swappable high-capacity SATA or SAS hard drives and redundant hot swappable cooling and power options. An optional low-cost remote control KVM with media redirect features enables full remote control of a server. This capability allows customers to set up, manage or add applications from their desktop, notebook or another server through a floppy disk drive or CD. Pre-configured for simple plug and play installation, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway's new rack mount storage servers provide seamless integration into existing storage configurations, allowing customers to get up and running quickly, officials said. The new models with pricing beginning at $2,549 (U.S.) are the E-9422R; E-9425R, E-9522R, E-9525R and the E-9520T Storage Servers.
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6. HP Upgrades Digital Photography Offerings With New Technology
HP has made a series of announcements designed to make its digital photography offering the most complete and highly connected experience for consumers, professional photographers and graphic artists. Foremost among the announcements, the company introduced HP DreamColor Technologies, the industry's first highly integrated system that delivers the highest level of digital color consistency across a series of devices.
HP DreamColor is intended to make it easy for graphic artists and professional and advanced amateur photographers to accurately match color to prints or digital sources and automatically deliver predictable color in a wide variety of applications, from photos to marketing collateral to posters.
Over the coming year, the company plans to implement support for HP DreamColor across a range of markets and product categories, including PCs and monitors.
HP also launched 12 new digital photography products, technologies and services for home users as well as retailers. Highlighting this lineup, the HP Photosmart R837 Digital Camera is the first digital camera featuring the ability to tag photos inside the camera, which allows for easy searching and organization within Microsoft Windows Vista.
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