Electronic Components

In a 50 minute address at the 2009 IEEE International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC 2009), IBM Systems Fellow Dr. John Cohn provides his take on how critical the need is to get the younger American generation interested in engineering careers. In his plenary talk, Cohn emphasized the importance of reaching out to kids and getting them excited about science and technology. Can practicing engineers help get the word out? What other industry or corporate initiatives might help? Does your company offer any teaching or outreach opportunities?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electronic Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electronic Components today.

In an effort to bring silicon-on-insulator (SOI) into the integrated circuit design mainstream, the SOI Consortium is pushing a green message to promote SOI power savings. Although apples-to-apples comparison between SOI and bulk CMOS technologies are difficult to make, the consortium demonstrated tangible reductions in circuit area, static power leakage, and dynamic power. Could SOI give bulk silicon a run for its money? How would you make the switch? Is the product and its process green enough?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electronic Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electronic Components today.

The fabled Apple Tablet, already dubbed the "iTablet", may be more than just the rumor, according to The Financial Times (FT). Given the extraordinary success of the iPhone, electronic consumers are closely monitoring Apple's potential development of a portable, internet ready, full-featured, tablet-sized computer which sports a 10 in screen, making ideal for watching movies.

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electronic Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electronic Components today.

In a recent technical paper delivered at the 2009 Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (CS MANTECH) conference, researchers discussed how they developed and demonstrated transistor operation for two types of vertical gallium nitride (GaN) structures for power switching devices targeting automotive applications. Could GaN structures be used in inverters that will replace silicon inverters? What are the key requirements that GaN inverters must address?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electronic Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electronic Components today.

According to an article posted on Treehugger.com, there are five plausible ways of promoting a change to greener electronics. The article encourages consumer electronics users to be picky purchasers, better evaluate their own gadget needs, and switch from consuming products to services. Will the current state of the economy inspire consumers to make these philosophical changes in consumption? What other factors will drive the development of green electronics?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electronic Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electronic Components today.