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Nikkei Electronics

January 02 2006 Issue

Keyword .  .  .  p. 10

Fuel Cell

What’s New .  .  .  p. 28

• A Spherical Si Solar Cell which Cuts Amount of Si Used by 80%
• A Steady Stream of Projectors Using LEDs as the Light Source Appear
• Limits on HDTV Output to Analog Interfaces for Next Generation DVD Are Expected to Be Avoided in Japan
• Honda’s New ASIMO Robot Shows Greater Physical Ability
• Semiconductor Energy Laboratory and TDK Develop a Flexible CPU Core with RF Circuitry
• NEC’s New PC That Handles OTA Digital TV Relieves Frustration over Boot-Up Time
  
  

Leading Trends

“ISSCC 2006” Preview.  .  .  p. 43
The International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2006 will be held in February 2006.  A total of 680 papers have been submitted, a significant increase from the 578 papers for last year’s conference.  It appears that new fields such as organic electronics will attract considerable attention.

A Succession of Electric Paper Technologies Move into the Market.  .  .  p. 55
Applications for electric paper, previously limited to e-Book readers and other devices, are likely to expand greatly.  The reason is that advanced manufacturers have overcome problems such as afterimages and that there has been a number of new market entrants, leading to a wider variety of electric paper properties.

Cover Story

R&D: A Return to Physics.  .  .  p. 65
Manufacturers are starting to return to physics.  Existing methods of materials development such as repeated trial and error and of improving properties such as miniaturizing devices and reducing impurities have reached dead ends, so manufacturers are returning to basic principles in a search for new research and development methodology. 
This is not research for the sake of research as in the past, but a strategic return to the fundamentals with an eye towards development of desired devices and products.  Within the latest research results in the field of physics is a mountain of rough stones that can sparkle brilliantly when shined. 
Even materials and phenomena that until recently were thought impossible have appeared.  Examples include man-made “left-handed meta materials with negative indices of refraction, spin torque transfer whose direction of magnetization is controlled by a current rather than a magnetic field, and strongly-correlated materials that use the unique actions of a collection of electrons.  
A number of manufacturers are already conducting applied research with a focus on the hidden potential of such materials and devices.


Return to Basic Research.  .  .  p. 68
Returning to Basic Principles to Unearth a Mountain of Hidden Gems in Physics

Left-handed meta materials, spin torque transfer, strongly-correlated materials . . .
Numerous materials and phenomena that until now were thought impossible have appeared.  There are a number of electronics manufacturers that have begun development in order to put to practical use as soon as possible physical results that have just been discovered.  Underlying this move is the fact that it has become extremely difficult for a company to distinguish its products from others simply by extending its existing technologies. 
The rapid development of physics in terms of theory and application is seen as a means of overcoming this hurdle.  Research and development that returns even a step closer to the basic principles of physics has the potential to bestow significant benefits.


Left-Handed Meta Materials.  .  .  p.75
Creating Components that Overturn the Conventional Wisdom; Cutting Insertion Losses Is the Hurdle

Spin torque transfer.  .  .  p. 82
MRAM to Become Ultimate High-Speed Memory; Colliding Electrons to Invert Magnetization

Strongly-Correlated Materials.  .  .  p. 86
The Key to Ultra-High Density Memory is the Pursuit of Materials and Principles


Interview with Senior R&D Personnel.  .  .  p. 90
Senior R&D personnel from 14 companies discuss R&D for the next generation.

Pursuing Speed and the End of General Purpose Applications
Susumu Furuike, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd..  .  .  P.91

Greater Freedom and Concentration of Potential Group Capabilities
Junzo Kawakami, Hitachi, Ltd..  .  .  P.92

Large-Scale Projects Begin to Produce Concrete Results
Katsuaki Tsurushima, Sony Corp..  .  .  P.93

Creating the Seeds of Non-Commodity Products
Makoto Azuma, Toshiba Corp..  .  .  P.94

Enhancing International Competitiveness through Collaboration Outside the Group
Kaoru Yano, NEC Corp..  .  .  P.95

Research and Development Consists of Science, Technology, and Business Models
Kazuo Murano, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd..  .  .  P.96

Creating “Only One” Products through Collaboration with Other Industries
Toru Chiba, Sharp Corp..  .  .  P.97

Courage to Jump into New Fields
Hitoshi Ogata, Mitsubishi Electric Corp..  .  .  P.98

Seeking Double and a Half
Hiroshi Ono, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd..  .  .  P.99

Focusing Steadily on a Theme without Haste
Toshiyuki Komatsu, Canon Inc..  .  .  P.100

Overcoming the Limitations of Communications to Take on Interesting Projects
Yuji Inoue, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp..  .  .  P.101

Strengthening Internal Collaboration to Produce Results
Harushige Sugimoto, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd..  .  .  P.102

Commercialization Speeds Research and Development
Masao Akabane, Seiko Epson Corp..  .  .  P.103

Actively Sowing the Seeds for 10 Years into the Future
Haruichi Arai, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd..  .  .  P.104

Interview

Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Research’s Senior Vice President, Rick Rashid: “IQ Is Gravity”.  .  .  p. 105

Sales revenue for 2005 increased 8% compared to the previous year, to approximately US$40 billion.  Microsoft Corp. has entered the ranks of the world’s leading companies, but it still uses its solid business foundations in the PC field to maintain growth. 
The company is also reinforcing its position in non-PC fields through, for example, the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005. 
What supports Microsoft’s strength is Microsoft Research (MSR), its research and development arm. 
We asked MSR Senior Vice President Rick Rashid, who founded MSR in 1991 and today oversees research and development of the company, about the current status of R&D and future prospects.

Tech Tale

The Refrigerator that Increases Vitamin C Using LEDs (Part 2): “This Is It, What I’ve Been Searching For”.  .  .  p. 108

Guest Paper

Virtualization Technology to Support Debugging for a Linux and Multicore Environment.  .  .  p. 115
Changes in the software operating environment designed to increase programming efficiency or raise system performance are making debugging environments more complex. 
When operating systems employing virtual memory methods and multi-core multiprocessors are used for embedded equipment, conventional debugging environmental cannot be operated efficiently.  In response, Kyoto Microcomputer developed a debugging system with embedded software operated by Linux and multi-core microprocessors in mind. 
One of the key features is the ability to simultaneously debug multiple processes generated by the operating systems as well as operating systems and processes executed in parallel by multiple CPU cores using a single JTAG-ICE.  To achieve this, the concept of “virtualization” was introduced.  We received an explanation of debugging virtualization technology and how it is used to debug Linux and multi-core environments.

NETs Buyers’ Guide

Acoustic Materials.  .  .  p. 124
The noise generated by a product under development exceeded the internal standards by 1dB to 2dB.  There is no longer any time, however, to obtain the sources of the noise such as the motor.  How to address this issue quickly and easily? 
What is used in such cases is sound absorbent material.  Sound absorbent material with foam or non-woven fabric structures reduces noise by using inner spaces or covering them with a thin film to absorb acoustic energy and convert it to heat energy. 
In this article, we discuss the products of acoustic material manufacturers for use as noise countermeasures in household appliances such as DVD recorders and dishwasher dryers.

NETs Seminar

Usability Seminar for Embedded Engineers (Part 4): The Operation and Design of “Style Guides”.  .  .  p. 129
The fourth article in a series on methods for making embedded devices easier to use.  In this article, we discuss some ideas for making user interfaces more user-friendly.  We explain methods of using style guides for setting requirements for systematic design of user interfaces and examples of specific areas of caution when designing interfaces.

Fuel Cells for Mobile Device Move Closer to Commercial Viability.  .  .  p. 136
The practical application of fuel cells for portable devices is coming closer to being a reality.  Various manufacturers have produced prototypes for use by general users at exhibitions and in-house trial operation, and they are intently making final checks for practical use. 
An engineer from Toshiba, which is conducting research and development on fuel cells for a wide range of devices, explains the current status of development.

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Keyword:	10
News Ranking	12
What's New:	28
Selected Shorts:	37
Leading Trends:	43
Cover Story:	65
Interview:	105
Tech Tale:	108
Guest Paper:	115
NETs:	124
Calendar:	188
From the Readers:	192
From the Editors:	193