May 7, 2007

News      p. 7

Intel Corp.’s Expectations and Risk in Building a Fab in China

Sony Chemical’s Optical Plastic with Improved LCD Visibility and Impact Resistance

SK Corp. Develops a Li-Polymer Rechargeable Battery for Hybrid Cars

Murata Manufacturing’s Band Pass Filter Using Boundary Acoustic Waves

NE Interview

IBM Corp., IBM Venture Capital Group, Managing Director, Claudia Fan Munce: “The Goal of Venture Investment Is Raising Partners”             p. 38

IBM Corp. has made an impressive recovery from its crisis of the 1990s.  The secret lay in its break with dependence on proprietary technology.  The IBM of today, at the same time as having a powerful research and development department, has transformed itself into a company that does not hesitate to incorporate technology developed by startup businesses.  Japanese businesses too could do with a few lessons on the assessment methods that would allow them to flexibly combine use of in-house and external technologies and on methods for discovering promising new technology.  IBM’s Venture Capital Group is in charge of discovering and investing in venture businesses in possession of new technology, where it also adopts a somewhat different strategy to other companies.

Key Person

Making an Engineer’s Paradise: Techwell Japan’s President, Shigemitsu Yamaoka            p. 43

Keyword

Consumer Product Safety Law         p. 45

Cover Story

The Blue-Violet Laser Market Will Be 100 Million Units in 2010   p. 47

The question is whether next-generation DVD devices can achieve the magic price of 40 US dollars.  What would allow the price of core parts and blue-violet semiconductor lasers to be cut by 90%?  We look at the conditions required if the next-generation DVD is to become the main contender of the optical disk.

Now is the chance              p.48

Trends in standard features of next-generation DVDs—prospect of a 100-million unit-a-year market

Competing in technology   p.52

From the optical head to the substrate —bold measures aimed at low price and high speed

Report from a laser developer          p.64

210mW output and useful life of 10,000 hours by reducing cracks in crystal

Special Feature

No Time to Waste for Embedded Device Security         p. 87

Household electrical appliances the next target. Malware, unauthorized access, and other phenomena which have so far been a threat mainly to computers and server devices now seem set to cause serious problems for digital household electrical appliances and other embedded devices.  An attack risks causing a whole range of problems, such as appliance misfunction or leak of personal data, which could result in major damage to appliance manufacturers. To prevent this negative scenario becoming a reality, appliance manufacturers need to set to work right away on serious measures to improve security.

Very Small Pump without Moving Parts Brings a Fresh Wind for Cooling Systems             p. 97

Pumps can be found left, right and center in both commercial and development electronic devices and function to circulate coolants and transport other liquids.  Typical examples include fuel cells that contain liquid fuels such as methanol, and water-cooled systems.  However, regular pumps require moving parts to transport the liquid, which tends to increase overall size.  Moreover, breakdowns are not uncommon, and noise is also an issue.  Research and development of pumps without moving parts aims to overcome these issues.

Documentary

Bonanza: The Computer Program Based on 400 Years of Shogi Wisdom p. 103

The hall echoes to the distinctive sound of Japanese chess counters in play.  During the game, Akira Watanabe, who holds the rank of Dragon King, one of the seven major titles of Japanese chess, looks flushed at times and at other times scratches his head.  His opponent is the Japanese chess computer software Bonanza.

Academy

Tutorials of Embedded System (Part 8): Realtime OS (Part 3)     p. 148

Tutorial

A-D Converters: The Development Trends Show Miniaturization and Low Voltage p. 156

The miniaturization of the CMOS process is also affecting analog circuits in a variety of ways.  International conferences related to circuit technology have seen a succession of presentations regarding A-D converters that can operate at lower supply voltage, at higher speed, and so on.  We hear from an analog circuit specialist about the latest achievements and trends. 

Parts for Reducing Energy Consumption in Wireless Circuits: Polar Modulation Technology (Part 3)              p. 164

Polar modulation is a technology through which signals are amplitude-modulated while the power amplifier is saturated.  As there is no need for a high-linearity power amp, the method can be counted on to lower power consumption.  In the last installment in the series, we focus on technology related to polar modulation, issues for the future, and other aspects.

An Intellectual Property Course (Part 3): Utilizing Patents Generates Profits          p. 172

In this tutorial, we explain the intellectual property basics for engineers by solving problems at the level of an intellectual property exam (level 2) run by a private sector organization.  In the third tutorial, we look at patent exploitation.  Engineers need to learn not only about the decisions they need to make when concluding licensing contracts, but also about the appropriate usage in the event of being charged with patent infringement by another company.

Watcher / Samsung

Competitive Power Is Seen to Come from Parts Selection and Packaging              p. 183

For further information, please contact:

Nikkei Electronics

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