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Nikkei Electronics

June 06 2005 Issue

Keyword . . . p. 10

perpendicular magnetic recording

What’s New. . . p. 32

• Sony to Market World’s Smallest HDTV Video Camera
• 2005 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPOSITION Shows Small Cars Are Moving to Electric
• NHK Develops a New Content Protection Technology
• SII Develops an IC that Can Step Up from +0.3V
• Baron Hydride Fuel Cells Make a Bid for Use in Mobile Devices
• TDK Shows a 150 Gb/in2 HDD Using Vertical Recording Technology
• Japanese Startup Develops a Random Number Generator Based on Radon
  
  

Leading Trends

Memory Cards used in Mobile Phones Go from “Swappable” to “Semi-Embedded” . . . p. 51
Memory cards so small they can fit on a fingertip are appearing on the market one after another. It seems that they will become standard items in mobile phones.
These recording media are used as semi-embedded devices that are not inserted and removed frequently.

Optical Transmission Within Devices Starts with Routers and Mobile Phones . . . p. 59
Development of optical transmission technologies for linking LSI on boards is heating up. It is possible that optical transmission will begin to replace electrical transmission on a major scale as early as 2010.

Cover Story

Whether or Not They can Design a Board Exceeding 1GHz Will Clearly Show the Differences in Technological Capabilities Between Electronics Manufacturers . . . p. 89
Signals are starting to travel on printed circuit boards at frequencies in excess of 1GHz. Designers are being confronted by higher hurdles than ever, including countermeasures to rapidly increasing transmission losses and skew control. There is a strong possibility that the presence or absence of strong technological capabilities evolved through development of mainframes and communications devices will give rise to significant differences among manufacturers.

(Part 1)
Differences in Technological Capabilities Revealed as the Curtain Opens on the Era of GHz Transmissions . . . p. 90

(Part 2)
Technologies Accumulated over Many Years Put to Use in Increasing Added Value of LSI and Circuit Boards . . . p. 96

(Part 3)
25 Gbit/s Comes in Range with the Introduction of Wireless Technologies . . . p. 104

Interview

The Intellectual Property High Court of Japan’s Chief Judge, Katsumi Shinohara: “As the Main Force in Intellectual Property, Engineers Should Put Their Efforts into Creation, not Battles” . . p. 115

Tech Tale

The Engineers Who Created Cell (Part 2): “IBM’s Indignation” . . . p. 118

Guest Paper

The Combination of Lithography and Machining Opens Up New Ground for Die Machining . . . p. 123
Far from reaching the limits of making electronic devices smaller, thinner, and lighter, this trend is in fact continuing to accelerate. These changes in devices not only spur changes in components, but have also started to have an impact on the dies used to manufacture components.
Die machining has for some time been largely automated, such as for cutting, but demand is increasing for complex forms that are difficult to create using machine processing such as detailed patterns with high aspect ratios. ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. has improved existing machine processing technology and combined it with photolithography technology to develop a nano-machining process, a new type of die machining technology.
This process compensates for the weaknesses of both photolithography and machine processing while maximizing their advantages. ALPS Electric engineers in charge of photolithography and machine processing explain the new die machining technology that they have developed.

NETs Buyers’ Guide

How to Select Stepping Motors . . . p. 132
Stepping motors are used in a wide range of applications from driving digital camera lenses and feeding paper in printers to driving optical heads and automobile odometers. One of the features of these motors is the lack of need for an external position detector.
They incorporate position adjustment functions in a compact package and at low cost. We report on stepping motors used in digital camera and mobile phone camera modules. Materials and processing technologies developed for these compact devices have been adopted from other applications to enhance the performance of motors.
Many of the motors used in digital cameras have gone from 10mm in diameter to just 6mm. The motors used in mobile phone camera modules, demand for which is increasing, are extremely compact—just 4mm or so in diameter.

NETs Seminar

Methodology for Testing Wireless LAN (Part 2): Arrange the Required Items for Measurements . . . p. 138
Last time, we discussed the radio laws adopted in various countries and regions, a requirement before the installation of wireless LAN testing systems.
This time, we take a look at wireless LAN testing systems as a whole and explain key points in the construction of testing systems during each phase of installation.

Starting a “Standard for Embedded Software Skills” (2nd Half): Expectations Are that It Will Be a Model for Appropriate Utilization . . . p. 142
Last issue, we received an explanation of reasons for and the value of the formulation of standards for embedded software skills.
In this installment, we receive an explanation of what has been defined to date and how to assess accurately the skills of software engineers based on these standards. If careful attention is paid to usage of the standards, certain results can be achieved even at this early stage.

Next 2 Weeks	8	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/
Keyword:	10
News Ranking:	12
What's New:	32
Selected Shorts:	43
Leading Trends:	51
Cover Story:	89
Interview:	115
Tech Tale:	118
Guest Paper:	123
NETs:	132
Calendar:	188
From the Readers:	192
From the Editors:	193