November 06, 2006

Keyword .  .  .  p. 10

Lithium Ion Secondary Battery

What’s New .  .  .  p. 26

• Sony Explains Their Battery Defect: The Problem Results from Ni Particles Embedded in a “Triangle”
• FPD International 2006 : A Stream of Thin Panels for Mobile Phones Appear
• Mobile Phone Manufacturers Get Serious about Mobile WiMax
• The 4th Generation of Optical Discs Comes to a Crossroads
• An Ex-Hitachi Employee Sues for 0 Million for Invention Compensation
  
  

Leading Trends

Getting Away for “Spec Wars,” White Goods Manufacturers Venture into the Luxury Market.  .  .  p. 51
White goods are approaching an important juncture. “Luxury appliances,” surpassing even the top-selling high-end models from the last few years, seem set to revitalize the market. Manufacturers are trying to sway the minds of consumers by offering products to suit a particular status or taste.

Who Will Make the Market for Electric Cars?.  .  .  p. 61
Electric cars have taken the first steps toward widespread use on several occasions in the past, and yet the market’s lack of diffusion is still the status quo. Now electric cars are grabbing the spotlight once again. How will they fare this time?

Buyers’ Guide

Wireless USB Components.  .  .  p. 71
Commercialization of Certified Wireless USB, the wireless version of the universal serial bus specification, is drawing near. Guidelines for use of the Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless communication technology employed in Certified Wireless USB are entering the clarification phase in countries around the globe, and certification of devices is also underway. At the earliest, we can expect to see wireless hubs and PC dongles bearing the Certified Wireless USB logo on the shelves during 2006.
Already samples of components such as ICs and antennas are being offered to support the market in its initial stages. Early products operated in a “low frequency band,” 3.1-5.0 GHz, but that is shifting to a high frequency band (6.0-10.6 GHz), which some countries find easier to use. Component development from now on is likely to focus on supporting these higher frequencies.

Cover Story

It’s 1 Chip for Both Mobile Phones and Digital Consumer Electronics.  .  .  p. 105
Mixed analog/digital circuits incorporating analog-to-digital converters (ADC) and phase-locked loops (PLL) are playing an active role in the field of system LSI, which forms the heart of digital consumer appliances and portable devices. As a result, analog circuits are being dragged down the path of miniaturization in the footsteps of digital circuits and will need to be able to operate at low voltage. Analog circuits, however, do not easily run at voltages under 1V. Will they eventually be detached?


Part 1   Changes in Perception .  .  .  p. 108
Maintaining “one chip” at all costs—the birth of a new analog

Part 2   Temporal Resolution the Key.  .  .  p. 114
Properties improve with miniaturization
Time-to-digital converters (TDC) suddenly a hot target

Part 3    The Changing ADC.  .  .  p. 122
Towards post-pipeline—the spotlight goes on “op-amp free” design

Interview

Toshiba’s General Manager, Intellectual Property Division, Taisuke Kato: “Intellectual Property and Business Are Assimilating into Each Other” .  .  .  p. 129

Tech Tale

Making W-ZERO3 in 8 Months: “Don’t Worry, We Definitely Won’t Make It in Time” .  .  .  p. 132

Guest Paper

Developing a Flash Memory Capable of Writing at 100MBps.  .  .  p. 137
From digital cameras to portable music players and mobile phones; the spread of flash memory to new applications shows no sign of slowing down. Next in line is application as a substitute for hard disk drives (HDD), such as those found in notebook PCs, or as space for storing video from camcorders and other devices. One technology that could potentially provide a tremendous boost to this expansion of flash memory applications has been developed by Japanese start-up, GENUSION, Inc. The technology apparently increases write speed to 100MBps, which is ten times faster than existing NAND flash memory, or a hundred times faster than NOR flash memory. These speeds were made possible through an overhaul of memory operation principles. And in addition to fast write speeds, random access time can be kept to a level similar to existing NOR flash memory. The technology possesses the hidden potential to revolutionize memory configurations in a wide variety of devices.

NETs Seminar

Interactive Interface Functionality for Next Generation Optical Disks (Final): How to Create an HDi Application .  .  p. 150
The previous installment explained the systems and folder structure used to play HD DVD content that is based on HDi applications, as well as the five types of files required to build an HDi application. This final installment illustrates the HDi application authoring process with simple examples.

Basics of TDR/TDT Measurement (Part 2): Perfecting the Use of 2 Modeling Methods .  .  .  p. 159
US-based Tektronix, Inc. continues its explanation of transmission path measurement methods employing time domain reflectometry (TDR) and time domain transmission (TDT) techniques. The second part looks at areas to pay attention to during measurement as well as modeling methods tailored to the transmission path.