http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- In the push toward ever-smaller and ever-faster data transmission technology, a team of Stanford electrical engineers has produced a nanoscale laser that is much faster and vastly more energy efficient than anything available today. http://phys.org/news224827864.html Physics Tue, 17 May 2011 05:11:35 EST news224827864 Transforming solar energy into a usable form is a real challenge. One technique is to use semiconductors to store the energy as hydrogen. Unfortunately, the most efficient semiconductors are not the most stable. An Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland) team has just discovered that it is possible to protect the semiconductor with a uniform layer just a few nanometers thick. http://phys.org/news224253567.html Nanotechnology Tue, 10 May 2011 13:39:50 EST news224253567 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in China and the US have modified a common thermoelectric material to vastly improve its thermoelectric properties. The development could lead to new devices capable of converting waste heat into useful amounts of electricity. http://phys.org/news223877532.html Physics Fri, 06 May 2011 06:30:01 EST news223877532 Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a machine already in use for the measurement of impurities in semiconductors and used it to analyze immune cells in far more detail than has been possible before. The new technology lets scientists take simultaneous measurements of dozens of features located on and in cells, whereas the existing technology typically begins to encounter technical limitations at about a half-dozen. http://phys.org/news223821882.html Chemistry Thu, 05 May 2011 14:00:01 EST news223821882 Researchers here have created the first electronic circuit to merge traditional inorganic semiconductors with organic "spintronics" – devices that utilize the spin of electrons to read, write and manipulate data. http://phys.org/news221918302.html Physics Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:59:01 EST news221918302 A report, published in the March 14 edition of the Journal of Materials Chemistry, announced the successful fabrication and testing of a new type solar cell using an inorganic core/shell nanowire structure. http://phys.org/news221817703.html Nanotechnology Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:02:08 EST news221817703 NXP Semiconductors today unveiled its groundbreaking UCODE I2C chip, which features an integrated I2C interface and a large 3,328-bit user memory. The UCODE I2C IC brings the power of Gen2 UHF to embedded systems, enabling bidirectional communication between a wireless reader and a microprocessor via an I2C bus. Using UCODE I2C, electronic devices can be configured and customized remotely, enabling wireless data exchange and product provisioning even while the device is powered down. NXP will showcase UCODE I2C at RFID Journal LIVE! next week in Orlando, Florida. http://phys.org/news221302127.html Technology Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:49:04 EST news221302127 NXP Semiconductors, the RFID leader for multi-applications, announced that ClearCount Medical Solutions has selected NXP RFID solutions to enable its SmartSponge System. The SmartSponge System can easily and accurately detect and account for surgical sponges placed in a patient’s body when undergoing surgery, so that no items are “left behind,” thus improving patient safety. http://phys.org/news221226837.html Technology Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:54:11 EST news221226837 Computer chip maker Texas Instruments said Monday it would buy California rival National Semiconductor for $6.5 billion in an all cash deal. http://phys.org/news221155373.html Technology Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:03:10 EST news221155373 (PhysOrg.com) -- Focusing on interdisciplinary research is now leading to breakthroughs in bio-nanotechnology research. A new method for drug development has become a reality. http://phys.org/news220874341.html Nanotechnology Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:10:01 EST news220874341 NXP Semiconductors today announced a new generation of GreenChip power solutions which feature the lowest standby capability in the industry, reaching levels below 10mW. The NXP GreenChip power ICs, also known as Switch Mode Power Supply controller ICs, are designed for adapters for mobile devices such as cell phone chargers, tablets and notebooks, as well as major home appliances or white goods. http://phys.org/news218884719.html Technology Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:18:56 EST news218884719 (PhysOrg.com) -- A newly discovered technique makes it possible to create a whole new array of plastics with metallic or even superconducting properties. http://phys.org/news217580130.html Chemistry Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:55:50 EST news217580130 Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited today announced the development of 6MHz buck-boost DCDC convertor IC "MB39C326" for radio frequency power amplifiers in mobile phones, smart phones, e-books and other handheld mobile devices. Sample shipments for the new IC product, MB39C306, will start from June 2011. http://phys.org/news215949699.html Technology Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:01:58 EST news215949699 (PhysOrg.com) -- Steam engines, combustion engines, and diesel engines are all different types of heat engines, which operate by converting heat energy into mechanical work. Although heat engines have existed for a long time, reducing their size down to the microscale is very difficult since both their efficiency and power density greatly decrease when their size decreases. In a new study, scientists have designed and built a miniature heat engine with a displacement volume of just 0.34 cubic micrometers, possibly making it the smallest heat engine ever built. http://phys.org/news215865837.html Physics Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:45:06 EST news215865837 Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and researchers from Stanford University have developed a novel combination of elements that yields a unique nanostructure material for packaging. This advance should allow longer life for semiconductor devices while costing less than current state-of-the-art materials. In addition to chip manufacturers, several other industries could also gain greater product efficiencies from related thermal energy management technology. http://phys.org/news215098292.html Nanotechnology Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:32:19 EST news215098292 (PhysOrg.com) -- "There is a lot of interest in creating more efficient solar cells that are also simpler than many of the designs common now," Wladek Walukiewicz tells PhysOrg.com. "We think that, through the mixing of certain semiconductors, this is possible." http://phys.org/news215073089.html Physics Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:30:01 EST news215073089 NXP Semiconductors today announced the availability of the SAF356x series, a flexible digital radio co-processor for car entertainment systems supporting DAB, DAB+ and T-DMB reception, as well as HD Radio. All standards are supported for both single- and dual-tuner applications. The SAF356x is the market’s first multi-standard baseband processor for digital terrestrial radio systems, with software that can be modified to support additional features in the future, including standards such as DRM or DRM+. http://phys.org/news211531390.html Electronics Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:10:01 EST news211531390 (PhysOrg.com) -- "With density functional theory, we are able to put different elements in a computer simulation and do calculations based on quantum mechanics to find out about their different properties," Maria Chan tells PhysOrg.com. However, density functional theory is not entirely helpful in identifying all the properties associated with different compounds. http://phys.org/news209715354.html Physics Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:50:01 EST news209715354 There's good news in the search for the next generation of semiconductors. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley, have successfully integrated ultra-thin layers of the semiconductor indium arsenide onto a silicon substrate to create a nanoscale transistor with excellent electronic properties. A member of the III–V family of semiconductors, indium arsenide offers several advantages as an alternative to silicon including superior electron mobility and velocity, which makes it an oustanding candidate for future low-power, high-speed electronic devices. http://phys.org/news209663331.html Nanotechnology Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:49:28 EST news209663331 IBM announced a new chip-making technology that can be used to create advanced semiconductors that can keep pace with the exploding number of internet-connected devices and the tidal wave of data they are generating. http://phys.org/news208603740.html Technology Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:29:25 EST news208603740 Thanks to a microwave oven, the fundamental nanotechnology process of self assembly may soon replace the lithographic processing use to make the ubiquitous semi-conductor chips. http://phys.org/news207235337.html Nanotechnology Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:23:09 EST news207235337 Japanese electronics giant Toshiba on Thursday almost trebled its profit projections for the first half, thanks to strong sales of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays. http://phys.org/news206857555.html Technology Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:26:29 EST news206857555 Diamonds are known as a girl's best friend due to their splendid sparkle, but they are also held in very high regard by industrialists, who prize their unmatched density, excellent thermal conduction and other properties. http://phys.org/news206625941.html Chemistry Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:50:02 EST news206625941 EM773 based on Cortex-M0 is world?s first 32-bit ARM-based solution for non-billing metering applications. http://phys.org/news206005670.html Technology Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:48:09 EST news206005670 German and Canadian scientists on Monday announced plans to open an advanced research center on semiconductors, metals, magnetic materials and other aspects of quantum physics. http://phys.org/news205397804.html Physics Mon, 04 Oct 2010 07:57:14 EST news205397804 Worldwide semiconductor revenue is expected to grow 31.5 percent this year to 300 billion dollars, technology research firm Gartner said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news202581453.html Technology Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:10:01 EST news202581453 Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 37 percent in July over a year ago and were 1.2 percent higher than the previous month, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday. http://phys.org/news202408931.html Technology Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:42:22 EST news202408931 Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the National Science Foundation and researchers from the University of Connecticut and Duke University have found a new way to significantly improve the screening of small delay defects (SDDs) commonly found in semiconductors. http://phys.org/news199362652.html Technology Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:31:32 EST news199362652 Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 47.6 percent in May over a year ago and were 4.5 percent higher than the previous month, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news197636328.html Technology Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:01:34 EST news197636328 Researchers from SEMATECH's 3D Interconnect program based at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex have reported advances in wafer-to-wafer bonding alignment accuracies through a series of tool and process hardening improvements. http://phys.org/news195403101.html Technology Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:39:07 EST news195403101