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May 30
- Linear RF amplifier covers 3.3 – 4.2GHz
➀ Mouser Electronics now stocks Qorvo's QPA9822 linear RF amplifier, designed for 5G mMIMO systems in the 3.3-4.2GHz N77 band with 530MHz bandwidth;
➁ The device offers 38dB gain, 29dBm P3dB output power, operates at 5V, and uses a compact 3x3mm surface-mount package with integrated 50Ω matching;
➂ Despite being announced over a year ago, Qorvo has not released the full datasheet, while DigiKey recently expanded its partnership with Qorvo for RF component distribution.
- CHIIPS podcast features insights from Katalytik’s Jan Peters
➀ The latest CHIIPS podcast features Jan Peters from Katalytik discussing the importance of communication and teamwork in engineering;
➁ She shares insights on turning engineering concepts into reality and strategies to avoid manufacturing challenges;
➂ Peters, a STEM advocate and recipient of the 2024 Elektra Educational Support Award, highlights her role in fostering industry connections and supporting technical education.
- Tiny inductor-inclusive nano-power dc-dc IC
➀ Torex Semiconductor developed the XCL108, a nano-power boost DC-DC converter with an integrated inductor, requiring only 400nA quiescent current and operating from inputs as low as 650mV;
➁ It features fixed output voltages (3V to 5.5V) and high efficiency (up to 90.6%), using PWM-PFM control for optimal performance across load conditions;
➂ The ultra-compact 2.5x2x1mm package integrates critical components, enabling a total footprint of 7.7x3.1mm with external capacitors, ideal for space-constrained applications.
- Modular SiC inverter modules accompanied by reference designs
➀ Cissoid and Rhopoint Components collaborate to provide modular SiC-based intelligent power modules and inverter control platforms with reference designs for customization;
➁ Target applications include electric vehicles (cars, buses, trucks) and heavy-duty industrial equipment, aviation, and marine systems;
➂ The 1200V SiC MOSFET modules support up to 340A continuous current, operate at -40°C to 175°C, and offer open-source customization to accelerate development timelines.
- Most Read – 800Vdc data centres, CHERI-secured MCU, Foxconn bid
➀ Foxconn is reportedly bidding for Singapore-based UTAC to expand chip packaging capabilities, with a potential $3 billion deal;
➁ UK startup SCI Semiconductor raised £2.5M to develop CHERI-based secure microcontrollers, planning to expand its team in Sheffield;
➂ Nvidia partnered with Texas Instruments for 800Vdc data centers to enhance AI processor power efficiency, while Renesas abandoned SiC market plans due to Wolfspeed’s instability, and Dyson launched a slim vacuum cleaner with improved hair-cleaning features.
- Taoglas adds Thunder
➀ Taoglas launches Thunder Series, an outdoor antenna enclosure integrating industrial routers to reduce cabling and deployment costs;
➁ The solution supports 5G/4G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth across 600-6000MHz, leveraging co-located routers and antennas for minimized signal loss;
➂ IP67-rated directional/omnidirectional variants enable harsh-environment applications in smart cities, mining, and transportation systems.
- 2025 smartphone market to grow 0.6% y-o-y
➀ IDC forecasts 0.6% YoY growth in 2025 smartphone shipments to 1.24 billion units, citing market saturation and longer refresh cycles;
➁ China's 3% growth is driven by government subsidies benefiting Android, while Apple faces a 1.9% decline due to Huawei competition and subsidy ineligibility;
➂ The US market grows 1.9% despite trade war impacts, mitigated by carrier deals and premium device launches in late 2025.
- Q1 high end router market shows first growth since Q2 2023
➀ The Q1 2025 high-end router market achieved its first year-over-year growth since Q2 2023, rising 10% with strong performance across all segments, especially in service provider Core and Edge Routers;
➁ Huawei led the market with a 23% revenue surge, gaining 3% market share, while Juniper and Nokia grew 16% and 14% respectively, but Cisco declined despite growth in Core Router sales driven by its RON solutions;
➂ Market uncertainty remains due to potential U.S. government policies that could increase costs and hinder economic expansion.
May 29
- Fable: A Reffing Cock-Up With A Happy Ending
➀ A disputed goal in an 1889 football match between Everton and Accrington led to an engineer witnessing a referee's incorrect decision;
➁ The engineer, later a prominent civil engineer, invented a solution to prevent future disputes over goal decisions;
➂ The story emphasizes that short-term injustices can drive long-term innovations.
- i.MX 91 Cortex-A55 in 37 x 39mm system-on-module
➀ Myir launched a 37x39mm system-on-module (SoM) with NXP's i.MX 91 processor (1.4GHz Arm Cortex-A55 core), targeting applications like EV charging stations, smart homes, and industrial gateways;
➁ The module integrates 1GB LPDDR4 RAM, 8GB eMMC, and extensive interfaces (USB, Ethernet, CAN-FD, etc.), supporting Linux 6.6.36;
➂ A development board (MYD-LMX91) is available with M.2 slots, WiFi, and an optional 7-inch LCD for rapid prototyping.
- What caught your eye? (AI, EDA ban, Cheri MCU, Rosetta Stone payload)
➀ U.S. President Trump imposed a ban on the sale of EDA tools to China, impacting semiconductor industry relations;
➁ SCI Semiconductor secured £2.5 million funding for developing a secure microcontroller based on the 'Cheri' architecture, backed by Microsoft and Google, which enhances hardware security through metadata-bound memory pointers;
➂ iSpace EUROPE plans to deliver a UNESCO cultural heritage payload, the "Memory Disc V3," to the Moon via a lunar micro-rover, symbolizing a modern Rosetta Stone mission.
- Allegro adds Cortex-M4 to 90V motor driver ICs
➀ Allegro Microsystems launched standalone three-phase automotive brushless motor driver ICs with a 40MHz Arm Cortex-M4 core, supporting up to 90V rails and targeting external n-channel MOSFET control;
➁ The ICs feature 12-bit PWM, multiple ADCs, serial communication, and internal voltage regulation, available in 7x7mm QFN packages with variants for 60V/90V and different flash/I/O configurations;
➂ Debugging tools from Segger now support these ICs, and Allegro previously released non-MCU motor drivers and sensors in April 2025.
- DevBoard Watch: PocketBeagle 2 targets IoT, robotics, prototyping
➀ The PocketBeagle 2, a quad-core development board based on TI's AM6254 SoC, is introduced as an upgrade with 1.4GHz cores, a 3D GPU, and a Cortex-M4F processor;
➁ It targets applications in IoT, robotics, and prototyping;
➂ The board remains compact, following the PocketBeagle form factor for accessibility in embedded projects.
- SI forecasts 7% semi growth for 2025
➀ Q1 2025 semiconductor revenues reached $167.7 billion, up 18.8% YoY but down 2.8% QoQ, with mixed performance among major companies—NVIDIA rose 12% while STMicroelectronics and Kioxia saw >20% declines;
➁ Economic uncertainty and tariffs are dampening outlooks, though AI demand boosts NVIDIA and memory firms (e.g., SK Hynix expects 14.6% Q2 growth), while automotive and smartphone markets slow;
➂ Semiconductor Intelligence forecasts 7% 2025 growth, citing tariff risks potentially lowering TechInsights' projection from 14% to 2%, with weakness likely extending to 2026.
April 1
- TSMC ceremony marks early move to 2nm mass production
➀ TSMC held a capacity expansion ceremony at its 2nm fab in Kaohsiung to celebrate an early move to mass production.
➁ Mass production at the Kaohsiung fab and another in Hsinchu is expected to start in Q3, with a combined output forecast to generate $60 billion in revenue in Q3 and Q4.
➂ The two fabs have a maximum output of 80k wpm, with yields said to be 'well above' 60-70%. Initial clients include Apple, Nvidia, and Qualcomm.
- Bellezza process could replace copper with graphene in ICs
➀ Bellezza's 2D graphene fusion process is being used for CMOS chip assembly, replacing copper with graphene.
➁ The process operates at temperatures below 400 degrees Celsius and as low as 200 degrees Celsius.
➂ This innovation aims to extend Moore's Law and eliminate copper circuits due to their limitations in size and electrical resistance.
- Defence demand drives IR image sensor market to 5% CAGR 2024-30
➀ Yole Group reports that defense demand has driven the infrared image sensor market to exceed $1 billion in 2024, with a CAGR of over 5% from 2024 to 2030.
➁ By 2030, the SWIR market is expected to reach nearly $102 million, while cooled MWIR and LWIR are targeting $1,179 million and $249 million, respectively.
➂ The market is responsive to lower-cost technologies like Quantum Dots sensors and T2SL architectures.
- EW BrightSparks 2024 profile: Nathan Richardson
➀ Nathan Richardson, a UKESF Scholar and student at the University of Surrey, has achieved notable accomplishments in robotics and electronics.
➁ His final year project involved creating a robotic submersible for ecological research, using a Raspberry Pi and node.js for control.
➂ During his placement year at Infineon Technologies, he worked as a verification engineer, developing tests for a register block within the system.
- High-vacuum variable capacitors from EEV
➀ The English Electric Valve Co. has announced the first British commercially available high-vacuum variable capacitors;
➁ The capacitors, introduced 64 years ago, offer voltage ratings of 15kV, 8kV, and 10kV, with various capacitance ranges;
➂ The use of high-vacuum dielectric reduces plate spacing, leading to a compact design and lower stray capacitance and inductance.
March 31
- More on: Isolated ADCs measure mV with a ±200V offset
➀ Texas Instruments has introduced a series of isolated ADCs for robot motor control up to 60V;
➁ These ADCs feature 200V barriers and are available in 8pad 3.5 x 2.7mm VSON packaging;
➂ The devices offer various input ranges and resolutions, suitable for current sensing and other applications.
- Swansea University starts 4inch gallium oxide line for power research
Swansea University in Wales has installed gallium tri-oxide (Ga2O3) deposition equipment at its Centre for Integrated Semiconductor Materials (CISM). The material is an ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor suitable for high voltage applications. The university has added a close-coupled shower head deposition system to its MOCVD laboratory to grow crystalline gallium oxide thin films on 4 inch substrates. This new facility is expected to enhance research capabilities and collaboration opportunities.
- TI claims first fully functional isolated modulators
➀ Texas Instruments (TI) has developed what it claims to be the 'first fully functional isolated modulators';
➁ These modulators, AMC0106M05, AMC0136, and AMC0106M25, offer increased precision and resolution for phase current sensing and DC voltage sensing;
➂ The modulators are designed to be compact, enabling more precise motor control in robotics designs.
- Sub-100A IMC-Hall current sensor
Melexis introduces the MLX91218-LF, a sub-100A IMC-Hall current sensor designed for lower current applications. It supports smart energy monitoring in residential and small industrial power distribution units, micro-grids, and EV charging cables. The sensor features a 400 kHz bandwidth and 2 µs response time, with low thermal drift and high linearity for accurate measurement. It also includes dual internal and external threshold over-current detection for smart functions.
- MaiaSpace modular space launcher wins first commercial contract
MaiaSpace, a launch services startup, has signed its first commercial contract with Exotrail, a French space logistics specialist. The two companies plan to integrate MaiaSpace's modular launch services with Exotrail's spacevan platform for payload hosting and satellite delivery. MaiaSpace aims to support various satellite types, from nano-satellites to 1.5-tonne satellites, using a reusable engine with MethaLox fuel. The partnership is a significant step for MaiaSpace, demonstrating its commitment to competitive space launch services.
- Ed Sees The Greenland Opportunity
➀ Many people, including the author, sold quantum computing shares after Jensen Huang's CES remark;
➁ The author believes that tech shares may be overvalued due to the emergence of DeepSeek and the rise of open-source AI programs in China;
➂ The author suggests investing in Greenland's publicly traded companies, which have seen significant growth in the past year.
March 29
- 2.1MHz low-side current sense amplifier
➀ STMicroelectronics has introduced a 2.1MHz bandwidth low-side current-measurement amplifier in a 6-lead SOT23 package.
➁ The TSC1801 is aimed at motor control, solar power and automotive power conditioning.
➂ It provides 20V/V gain and 0.15% accuracy over the entire temperature range, with a maximum offset voltage of ±200μV.
March 28
- M8 connectors from Inelco Hunter
➀ Inelco Hunter can now ship the Conec M8 range of circular connectors and sockets.
➁ The sockets are available with up to eight poles and various mounting options.
➂ The connectors come with different keying options and matching over-moulded plugs, offering a mating life of over 100 cycles.
- When Will We See A 90nm SoC?
21年前，在Globalpress 'Leading the Recovery'会议中，一个小组讨论了'何时会有量产的90nm SoC'的问题。
来自Cadence Design Systems的高级副总裁Ted Vucurevich表示，预计最早在2004年将出现基于90nm工艺的FPGA设计。
来自Synopsys的Anton Domic认为，到2004年，将会有非FPGA芯片在90nm工艺上实现量产。
台积电的Andrew Moore也提到，公司的发展路线图显示，90nm工艺将在2004年实现。
量产90nm设计面临的挑战包括预期良率问题、客户信心问题、验证问题和成本问题。
- GaN picked for Mazda automotive power project
➀ Mazda and Rohm have signed a deal to develop GaN-based automotive power electronics.
➁ GaN can reduce power conversion losses and contribute to the miniaturisation of components through high-frequency operation.
➂ The collaboration aims to unveil a demonstration model within FY2025 and practical implementation for FY2027.
- Farnell signs global distribution deal with MCC
➀ Farnell与Micro Commercial Components (MCC)签署全球分销协议；
➁ MCC提供包括二极管、MOSFET、IGBT、SiC器件等在内的多种半导体产品；
➂ MCC将超过10万种半导体产品带入Farnell，其中25%为汽车级组件。