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From an Unearthed Time Capsule, MIT Discovers Replacement for Josephson Junctions

From an Unearthed Time Capsule, MIT Discovers Replacement for Josephson Junctions

Termed the "tiny switch that almost made it big," MIT's long-forgotten cryotron has inspired a possible replacement to Josephson junctions for quantum computing.


News Feb 15, 2021 by Jake Hertz
How Chip Researchers Have Led the Charge in COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

How Chip Researchers Have Led the Charge in COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

Electrical engineers have been hard at work contributing to the fight against coronavirus—through medical and diagnostic devices alike. Here’s a look at a few "lab-on-a-chip" highlights.


News Feb 13, 2021 by Luke James
New PMOS Devices Take a Note on the Low On-Resistance of NMOS

New PMOS Devices Take a Note on the Low On-Resistance of NMOS

Many current P-channel MOSFETs don't cut it for high-voltage applications. To meet the challenge, a new family of PMOS is claimed to feature 62% lower RDS(on) than comparable devices.


News Feb 12, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Event-Triggered Smart Cameras Equals Major Power Savings, Says ON Semi

Event-Triggered Smart Cameras Equals Major Power Savings, Says ON Semi

ON Semiconductor’s new smart camera is a blend of many of the company's embedded devices, including sensors, cameras, and BLE connectivity.


News Feb 10, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Xidas Creates New Battery Hybrid: Supercap and Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Xidas Creates New Battery Hybrid: Supercap and Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Supercapacitors and batteries often work in unison as discrete components. Now, Xidas is augmenting their roles by integrating these devices together.


News Feb 08, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Can Solar Electric Vehicles (sEVs) Actually Become a Reality?

Can Solar Electric Vehicles (sEVs) Actually Become a Reality?

One of the prevailing issues with solar electric vehicles (sEVs) is range. What design obstacles must be overcome to make this future vehicle tech a widespread reality?


News Feb 05, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar
Renesas Hails Fast Wake-Up Times as Key Factor in Low-Power MCUs

Renesas Hails Fast Wake-Up Times as Key Factor in Low-Power MCUs

Renesas recently released 12 new MCUs for IoT and industrial use cases—the key focal point being its wakeup time, along with high performance, low power, and enhanced security.


News Feb 04, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Xiaomi Says “Revolutionary” Long-Range Wireless Charging is Here—Critics Say Otherwise

Xiaomi Says “Revolutionary” Long-Range Wireless Charging is Here—Critics Say Otherwise

Xiaomi claims its new smartphone-compatible technology offers wireless charging at a distance—with no stands or charging pads necessary.


News Feb 02, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Can Sodium-Ion Dethrone Lithium-Ion as a Dominant Battery Technology?

Can Sodium-Ion Dethrone Lithium-Ion as a Dominant Battery Technology?

One possible alternative for lithium-ion batteries is sodium-ion batteries. Here's an update on how Na-ion batteries are developing in the research realm so far.


News Feb 01, 2021 by Tyler Charboneau
As GaN Adoption Accelerates, an Industry Expert Offers Three Design Tips

As GaN Adoption Accelerates, an Industry Expert Offers Three Design Tips

GaN FETs aren't a perfect drop-in for their silicon counterparts—without board-level modifications, that is. We spoke with Alex Lidow, CEO of Efficient Power Conversion, to get his advice on how to make the transition.


News Feb 01, 2021 by Jake Hertz
2021 Starts With a Hot Streak for Silicon Carbide

2021 Starts With a Hot Streak for Silicon Carbide

From industry to academia, silicon carbide has been making headlines in the first month of 2021.


News Jan 31, 2021 by Jake Hertz
As Data Centers Expand, How are Engineers Upping AC/DC Conversion Efficiency?

As Data Centers Expand, How are Engineers Upping AC/DC Conversion Efficiency?

The demand for data center efficiency is only expanding in 2021. Here are some methods that EEs use to increase A/C/ power conversion efficiency—including a new option of GaN-powered AC/DC power supplies.


News Jan 21, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Miniaturized Fuel Cells Maximize the Flight Time of Drones for Humanitarian Missions

Miniaturized Fuel Cells Maximize the Flight Time of Drones for Humanitarian Missions

One of the prevailing challenges of drone electronics is extending battery life. In a new announcement, researchers in Korea say they've found the key: miniaturized fuel cells.


News Jan 19, 2021 by Jake Hertz
Energy Harvesting Spotlight: Maxim Claims “Smallest Solar Harvesting Solution”

Energy Harvesting Spotlight: Maxim Claims “Smallest Solar Harvesting Solution”

IoT designers are commonly plagued with the issue of long-term deployment. Energy-harvesting paradigms, including a new solar harvesting device from Maxim, may be a promising supplement to battery cells.


News Jan 18, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons
The Rollout of Wi-Fi 6E-Compatible Devices Has (Slowly) Begun

The Rollout of Wi-Fi 6E-Compatible Devices Has (Slowly) Begun

The CES 2021 stage has debuted the hardware of some of the first Wi-Fi 6E devices. What are the benefits and challenges of this new connectivity protocol?


News Jan 15, 2021 by Tyler Charboneau
Two Up-and-Coming Companies Collaborate to Make Battery-Less IoT a Sustainable Reality

Two Up-and-Coming Companies Collaborate to Make Battery-Less IoT a Sustainable Reality

Current energy-harvesting designs have their limitations. e-peas and Sequans are coming up with what they call a "non-stop, zero-maintenance" solution.


Integrated Laser-on-Silicon Photonics Gets a Boost from DARPA

Integrated Laser-on-Silicon Photonics Gets a Boost from DARPA

Partially funded by DARPA, Tower Semiconductor is creating a new foundry process for integrated-laser-on-silicon photonics.


News Jan 12, 2021 by Luke James
New Reference Design Bridges the Gap Between Primary and Secondary Windings for Low-Voltage Applications

New Reference Design Bridges the Gap Between Primary and Secondary Windings for Low-Voltage Applications

Combining a new AC-DC controller and patented "Inde-Flux" transformer technology, Microchip and Würth Elektronik eiSos aim to help designers create reliable bi-directional communication between the primary and secondary elements in isolated applications.


Allegro Packs Power, Voltage, and AC/DC Current Monitoring Into New Hall-Effect IC

Allegro Packs Power, Voltage, and AC/DC Current Monitoring Into New Hall-Effect IC

Many Hall-effect sensors specialize in one area of power monitoring—voltage, current, or power from either AC or DC signals. Allegro says its new IC monitors all of these metrics in one chip.


News Jan 11, 2021 by Jake Hertz
ST Packs the Power and Connectivity Strengths of STM32 Into a Wireless MCU Module

ST Packs the Power and Connectivity Strengths of STM32 Into a Wireless MCU Module

Designing a transceiver and antenna is no small feat. A new module from ST is designed to help small companies to spend less time on the hardware and more time on the Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, or Thread application itself.


News Jan 07, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar