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Electronics April 25 2005 Issue
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Nikkei Electronics |
April 25 2005
Issue
What’s New.
. . p. 22
- HGST to Use Perpendicular Recording Technology for an HDD with
a Density of 230Gbit/inch2
- Taiwanese LCD TV Manufacturer TECO Sues Sharp for Damages
- Matsushita Announces PDP and LCD TV’s Containing the Latest
Technology
- QRIO to Gain Mental Capacity Starting as a Baby
- Bendable Multilayer Boards to Increase Flexibility in Designing
Devices
- Nokia and Microsoft Pay Attention to Less Invasive UIs
- The Inner Structure of Fujitsu’s 32-Processor IA Server
Leading Trends
Li-Ion Battery Materials to Change Along with Device Specifications
. . . p. 51
Rapid charging up to 80% of capacity in one minute, 70A high output, and compact
and lightweight at just 5 kg—as a result of battery manufacturers starting
to change electrode materials, lithium ion secondary batteries that overturn
the accepted wisdom of batteries are appearing on the market.
The distinctions
in usage of the likes of electric double layer capacitor and Ni-Cd secondary
batteries are breaking down, and it appears that meaningful differentiation between
products will come down to the difference between which type of battery is employed.
A Strategy Appears to Take Care of “Unstoppable” Whiskers . .
. p.
61
Metal crystals that form on plated surfaces known as whiskers are a cause of
headaches for device designers.
This is because they reduce the distance between
electrodes on lead-free narrow connectors and flexible printed circuit boards.
Dark clouds are forming with full compliance with the RoHS Directive just one
year away.
However, solutions to this problem seem to be coming into sight.
Cover Story
LED’s Will Surpass Fluorescent Lights . . . p. 79
(Part 1)
Manufacturers of lighting equipment have started to put their full energies into
development of devices that use white LEDs. In 2005 and 2006, luminous efficiency
will exceed 60 lm/W, and luminous flux will greatly surpass 60 1m.
These results
will be achieved because the replacement of fluorescent lights will finally start.
The driving force behind development of white LED technology is the shift from
low-output products for mobile phones to high-output products of illumination.
Competition between veteran makers and new market entrants is likely to heat
up in the emerging market for illumination devices that use white LEDs.
(Part 2)
Some of the innovations devised to give white LEDs brightness and power consumption
superior to those of fluorescent lights are limiting increases in temperature,
providing a long life span, improving the luminous efficiency, and making the
illumination properties uniform. Increases in LED chip temperature is prevented
by reducing the package temperature resistance.
The element life span is lengthened
by reviewing the sealing and package materials. Luminous efficiency is increased
by revamping the chip shape and adopting a small chip.
And variations in color
temperature are avoided through innovations to the white LED mounting method.
These improvements will be incorporated into the white LEDs appearing in 2005
and 2006.
(Part 3)
Nichia Corporation has developed a white light source using a semiconductor laser.
A key feature is the small area of the light emission—just 1.25 mm in diameter
with and luminous output of 50 lm, the same as a high-output white LED.
Moreover,
the brightness is a whole digit greater than that of a white LED. It is now possible
to obtain bright light sources equivalent to halogen and HID lamps.
Sample shipments
are to begin in the second half of 2005 for application in automobiles, projectors,
and other devices.
Guest Paper
RF Circuitry and Digital Circuitry for Mobile Phones to be Integrated
into 1 CMOS Chip . . p. 101
Infineon Technologies AG of Germany has developed an LSI that integrates the
majority of mobile phone transmission and reception functions. In order to reduce
mounting area and component costs, the radio frequency (RF) circuitry and the
base band processing circuitry are integrated into a single CMOS chip.
CMOS technology
is becoming more miniaturized, and development was driven by the realization
of transistor cutoff frequencies (fT) and maximum oscillating frequencies (fMAX)
in the tens of GHz. Transmission and reception functions can be integrated by
using a multi-chip module that incorporates multiple chips in a single package
and other methods. Infineon decided, however, that from the perspective of yields
and mounting dimensions, single-chip integration is a superior method.
Using
CMOS technology also affords the new chip pricing benefits. Developers discuss
details of the new product as well as the supporting technologies and technological
issues faced during the development process.
NET's Seminar
The History of Benchmark Testing (Part 3): DSP and Processor Manufacturers
Started to Use It . . . p. 110
Benchmark testing is seen as a tool for promoting the developer’s own microprocessors,
but tests developed by fair and impartial third parties only started to be widely
used by device designers in the 1980s.
At the same time, benchmarking expanded
to a diverse range of different chips including DSPs and processor cores.
How to Control Leak Current (Part 7): Parallel Use of Vth and Vdd Controls Reduces
Leak Current . . . p. 121
In the previous installment, we examined the basic structure of circuit technologies
used to control threshold voltage and to reduce leak current using body bias
technology.
In this installment, we examine methods of enhancing the effects
of body bias control technology by combining threshold voltage control with power
supply voltage control.
Comparing the Approaches of Electronics Manufacturers as Adhering to the RoHS
Directive Hits the Final Stretch . . . p. 127
There is only a little more than a year before the RoHS Directive comes into
effect. The efforts of electronics manufacturers to comply are entering the homestretch.
We surveyed the status of compliance with the directive by 12 leading makers
and the content of their green procurement efforts, revealing a number of problems
challenging onsite engineers.
Tech Tale
DLP — the People Who Inherited Light (Part 5): “So, Please Tell Me
What’s Wrong with It” . . . p. 165
Awareness of DLP technologies is finally on the rise thanks to the development
of ultra-compact front projectors by Plus Vision Corp. The next challenge will
be adoption for use in rear projection televisions.
In this field too, Plus’s
joint development partners are Japanese manufacturers. Texas Instruments Incorporated
personnel explain to makers with extensive expertise in television development.
The company is confronted, however, by demands that greatly exceed its proposals.
Interview
Nichia’s Executive Vice President, Noboru Tozaki: “If there’s
a Car, then there’s Light” . . . p. 170
Nichia Corporation has seen its patent dispute unfold in Japan, the U.S., and
Europe because of its refusal to license its patents, but now the company, which
has manufactured and sold blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and white LEDs using
only its own technology, has reversed its intellectual property strategy.
Faced
with the expansion of the market for white LEDs used in automobiles and for illumination
and the approaching footfalls of Taiwanese, Korean, and Chinese makers, Nichia
has decided to collaborate with competing mobile phone and electronics manufacturers.
| What's New: |
22 |
For further information, please contact:
Nikkei Electronics
2-1-1, Hirakawacho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8622, Japan
Vox: +81-3-5210-8141, Fax: +81-3-5210-8510
http://ne.nikkeibp.co.jp/ |
| Selected Shorts: |
37 |
| New Products: |
45 |
| Leading Trends: |
51 |
| Cover Story: |
79 |
| Guest Paper: |
101 |
| NET's Seminar: |
110 |
| Tech Tale: |
165 |
| Interview: |
170 |
| Coming Next: |
157 |
| From the Readers: |
158 |
| From the Editors: |
159 |
| Calendar: |
160 |
| Announcement: |
163 |
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