Articles – Page 52

Nick Tredennick: Requiem for a Heavyweight

August 3, 2022

I recently got the news that my friend Nick Tredennick had passed away in an accident on his property in the hills above Los Gatos, California. I’ve known Nick for nearly a quarter of a century, and he was one of those people who were larger than life. Nick was always upbeat and full of life. So with that in mind, I would like to use this platform to celebrate his life.

You may well know Nick. He was a fixture at Microprocessor Forums for many years in the 1990 … Read More → "Nick Tredennick: Requiem for a Heavyweight"

STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries Jointly Press on with FD-SOI in a New Fab Near Grenoble

by Steven Leibson

August 1, 2022

STMicroelectronics (ST) and GlobalFoundries (GF) have just signed a memorandum of understanding to create a new, jointly operated 300mm semiconductor fab to be located alongside ST’s existing fab in Crolles, France. The new fab will support multiple semiconductor technologies and process nodes, including FD-SOI (fully depleted silicon on insulator). ST and GF expect that the fab will start producing chips in 2024 and will ramp to full capacity, producing as many as 620,000 300mm wafers per year, by 2026.

The Grenoble area in southeastern France, not far from the Italian border, has … Read More → "STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries Jointly Press on with FD-SOI in a New Fab Near Grenoble"

Let’s Read Our Little Cotton Socks Off! (Part 1)

by Max Maxfield

July 28, 2022

Earlier today as I pen these words, I was video conferencing with one of my friends regarding a project on which we’re working. We’ll call my chum Brian (because that’s his name). Although he’s a young whippersnapper who has braved only a scant 55 cold and gray winters, Brian told me that he’s becoming increasingly conscious as to how fleeting is our time in this plane of existence. “Tell me about it,” I thought, “just wait until you get to my age!”

Our conversation reminded me … Read More → "Let’s Read Our Little Cotton Socks Off! (Part 1)"

Melting Metal on Plastic Without Melting the Plastic!

by Max Maxfield

July 26, 2022

Just to put you out of your suspense, the tantalizing topic of this column is that a company called PulseForge has developed a technology that allows us to solder surface-mount components onto conductive inks pads and tracks which are themselves printed on thin, flexible polymer (plastic) substrates. This is quite a trick when we remember that the melting point of lead-free solder is around 227°C ± a dibble and a dab, while the maximum working temperature of many low-cost, lightweight polymers is typically around 150°C. Based on these numbers, it would seem that the idea of melting … Read More → "Melting Metal on Plastic Without Melting the Plastic!"

Voyagers 1 and 2 Take Embedded Computers into Interstellar Space

by Steven Leibson

July 25, 2022

The July issue of Scientific American magazine has a terrific review of the Voyager space mission that details the trips Voyagers 1 and 2 have made through the Solar System. The article is titled “Record-Breaking Voyager Spacecraft Begin to Power Down.” Both spacecraft have now entered interstellar space and are the first human artifacts to do so. Tim Folger wrote the article for Read More → "Voyagers 1 and 2 Take Embedded Computers into Interstellar Space"

Mixed-Signal Simulation in the 21st Century

by Max Maxfield

July 21, 2022

Sometimes when I’m writing an article, the title doesn’t come to me until after I’ve finished the main body of the piece. Other times—as in the case of this column—the title writes itself and all I have to do is flesh out the words that follow (I make it sound easier than it is LOL).

Now that I’m reading the title, I’m thinking “Wow, rounding up with gusto and abandon, we’re almost a quarter of the way through the 21st Century.” I … Read More → "Mixed-Signal Simulation in the 21st Century"

Tektronix Architects New 2 Series MSO Family Around Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC

by Steven Leibson

July 18, 2022

Saying that Tektronix has a new ‘scope is like saying that Toyota has a new car. These are “dog bites man” stories. They all happen with great regularity. Nevertheless, Tektronix has a new ‘scope. Actually, it’s a family of new ‘scopes: the Tektronix 2 Series Mixed signal Oscilloscope (MSO) family. This new MSO family is worthy of discussion for two main reasons. First, the instruments have been designed from the ground up as portable instruments with optional cordless operation using hot-swappable batteries. The product features alone make the 2 Series MSO family worthy of discussion. Second, the 2 … Read More → "Tektronix Architects New 2 Series MSO Family Around Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC"

Did the Metaverse’s Holy Grail Just Arrive?

by Max Maxfield

July 14, 2022

As is usually the case, my head is currently jam-packed full of thoughts about all sorts of stuff, including consciousness, pain, octopuses, robots, holograms, Monty Python, the metaverse, and whether or not the word “metaverse” should be capitalized (you should consider yourself lucky that you’re not trapped in here with me).

Let’s start with pain. I, for one, don’t like it. This reminds me of the old chestnut that goes: “Beat me,” begged the masochist. “No” replied the sadist (which also reminds me of another oldie but … Read More → "Did the Metaverse’s Holy Grail Just Arrive?"

Samsung Announces 3nm Process Node, the First with Gate-All-Around FETs

by Steven Leibson

July 13, 2022

It appears that Samsung is the – ahem – first out of the gate with a gate-all-around (GAA) FET IC process technology. The company recently announced initial semiconductor production with its 3nm process node. Samsung’s trademarked name for its version of a GAAFET is “MBCFET,” which stands for “Multi-Bridge-Channel FET.” Since a picture is often worth 1000 words, and this is supposed to be a 1000-word article, here’s a picture showing the evolution of FET architecture that presently culminates in GAAFETs. … Read More →

SpinDance Has You Covered From Embedded Firmware to the Cloud

by Max Maxfield

July 12, 2022

As usual, there are so many things going on in my life that I no longer know whether I’m coming or going. A few weeks ago, for example, I presented BeBop RoboSkin, which is a skin-like covering that can provide humanoid robots with tactile awareness that exceeds the capabilities of human beings with respect to spatial resolution and sensitivity. The example that really took my breath away was seeing a robot’s finger reading braille.