Gigahertz speed at room temperature
At PC Expo in New York, Alpha Processor, Inc. (API, Concord, MA) debuted what
the company says is "the world's first room temperature 1 GHz microprocessor."
This full-function Alpha processor required no special cooling enhancements. It
was incorporated into API's new Alpha Slot B packaging technology running on the
company's dual-processor platform, UP2000. "This is truly an exciting
demonstration for API, Samsung, and quite frankly, the industry as a whole,"
says KP Suh, the Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., general manager for CPU
business, API's manufacturing partner. API also announced the Alpha 750 MHz
21264, a 64-bit processor. FAX: (978) 371-3177 or e-mail: bruce.bradshaw@alpha-processor.com.
Alliance accelerates light-emitting polymer technology transfer
UK-based Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Covion Organic Semiconductors
GmbH, developers of light emitting polymer (LEP) devices, recently formed the
Polymer Display Alliance (PODIA), aimed at accelerating the technology transfer
of companies looking to develop products in this area. PODIA intends to make
available all the necessary technology such as polymer materials, device
architecture, process know-how, and device prototyping to companies wishing to
evaluate LEP display technology. PODIA will use its Web site, www.podia.net, as
the primary channel for communication with target companies. Initially, members
of the alliance intend to publish the availability and sale of LEP evaluation
kits online. Once purchased, companies can get technical support, access
frequently answered questions, and enter dialogue with support engineers through
a common point of entry. "Not only are LEPs set to displace traditional display
technologies such as LCD and CRT, but they will also enable a whole series of as
yet unknown applications. We have formed this alliance to provide support to
developers at every stage of the supply chain, from display designers, product
developers and manufacturers," says Mark Gostick, marketing director, CDT.
E-mail: ccapperauld@cdtltd.co.uk.
Technology 'beams home' noise-free voice recognition
One of my favorite scenes in the movie, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, was
when Scottie tried unsuccessfully to talk to the computer and finally had to
resort to the "old-fashioned" keyboard. If Scottie returns to this century any
time soon, he would be pleasantly surprised. Speech recognition is arguably one
of the fastest growing segments of the technology industry, making inroads into
everything from consumer electronics to computer applications. But the
technology is far from perfect, especially in noisy environments. In an attempt
to solve this, Sensory Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) will embed a noise reduction
technology from Sarnoff Corp. (Princeton, NJ) into its interactive speech ICs
and software products. Voice control of cell phones, home appliances,
automobiles, and other consumer products may soon find their way into the
mainstream with VoiceThruTM. VoiceThru lessens or eliminates noise
through a family of speech-enhancement algorithms. "Solutions span
low-complexity, spectral-based methods to multiple microphone/statistical
beamforming techniques," says Bill Porter, VoiceThru general manager for
Sarnoff. The first speech recognition ICs, the RSC-364 and RSC-264T, to utilize
VoiceThru, will be available sometime this fall. E-mail: bruce@sensoryinc.com.
Toothless but tough
Tungsten grit bandsaw blades new from C4 Carbides cut hard and abrasive
materials that cannot be cut efficiently, if at all, by traditional toothed
blades. Tungsten grit, metallurgically bonded to an alloy steel blade, cuts
metals as hard as 65 RC. The blade also slices through new composite materials
developed for the construction and aerospace industries, as well as
steel-reinforced tires, special alloys, carbon and graphite, and foamed glass.
C4's bandsaw blades are available in seven widths, two edge styles, and
coarseness grades to suit all applications. Call +44 223 240135, fax +44 223
410703.
Giants target faster memory
Working together to speed introduction of next-generation memory technology,
Fujitsu Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. announced a joint effort to introduce a
high-speed memory device called Fast Cycle RAM. FCRAM technology will adopt a
new memory architecture to achieve operating cycle times 2 to 3 times faster
than conventional DRAMs. The agreement calls for joint development of 64, 128,
and 256 MBit devices. Potential applications: computer graphics, buffer memory
for printers, telecommunications products, and other areas where the high-speed
advantage of FCRAM technology can be fully utilized. For further information
visit www.fujitsu.co.jp/index-e.html.
Software builds virtual machines
Providing detailed mechanical stress analysis of parts as well as entire
systems is the focus of a new simulation program from Silux AG. Based on a
finite difference algorithm allowing for the exact simulation of nonstationary
mechanics, the software lets users 1) build virtual machines and watch how they
operate on screen, 2) carry out measurements on the virtual machines while they
are running, and 3) see how the machines respond to given controls to optimize
operation. "We want to be able to simulate on the computer any machine that
anyone can dream up," says Chief Technology Officer Fritz Leibundgut. The
package runs on Windows NT and Power Macs; Silux interfaces with DXF and IGES
for data exchange. Call +41 52 366 0330, visit www.silux.com, or Circle 704.
NOx killer
Fuel-efficient engines can reduce carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions,
but produce more nitrogen oxide (NOx when drivers accelerate or
travel at high speeds. A ceramics-based catalyst system, from Best Envirotech
Co. Ltd., is said to capture and dissolve these pollutants. Called "Electric
Stone," the catalyst's ionizing effect promotes the oxidation-reduction reaction
in the fuel to reduce nitrogen oxides by nearly 70%. The company also takes
credit for a 30% drop in fuel consumption. Placed in the fuel tank of a gas or
diesel motor vehicle, the product is said to be effective for three years. Fax
+81 45 4021161, or E-mail naoi@mail.webnik.ne.jp.
Seeking Y2K help?
The millennium problem is presenting industry and government agencies with
the largest software-maintenance problem in digital history. SYSTEMS 99 supports
those who are interested in or directly affected by this problem with online
help. Anyone who visits the www.systems.de/jahr2000 web site can participate in
the Millennium Special, which includes a variety of articles and useful links
that can help optimize a company's approach to Y2K. An online discussion forum,
furthermore, lets visitors converse about this subject interactively.
Build ICs on balls, not wafers
Instead of manufacturing ICs on flat chips, why not use silicon spheres as a
substrate? "As chips increase in complexity, the processes used to create them
undergo a corresponding complexity increase," says Alex Freeman, R&D manager
of BALL Semiconductor (Allen, TX). "Moving to larger wafer sizes helps from a
productivity standpoint, but will antiquate existing manufacturing
technologies." Rather than placing more and more functions on one chip, the BALL
approach would produce spheres with different functions in a uniform process,
and then cluster the spheres needed to build a system. "Because this technology
will enable production in a single, enclosed process," adds Freeman,
"manufacturing fabs can shrink accordingly." E-mail afreeman@ballsemi.com.
Sound surpasses light
An ultrasonic barrier device offers a maintenance-free alternative to
light-barrier technology that can be sensitive to dirt, dust, humidity, and even
extraneous light. Such contamination does not affect the Siemens Sonar Ber
proximity switch. Good for detecting objects with widely differing properties,
even under difficult ambient conditions, the device offers a switch frequency
fast enough for counting closely placed products moving on high-speed conveyor
belts.
Norwegians Think electric
Ford Motor Co. is hoping to bring its Think electric car to the U.S. market
in 2000, with sales scheduled to begin in Norway at the end of 1999. Developed
by the Norwegian company Pivco Industries, Think has a one-piece, pre-painted
plastic body mounted on a steel and aluminum frame. The Norwegians claim that
the car is as safe as a metal-bodied vehicle, while significantly less expensive
to produce, because it eliminates the need for a paint shop in the factory and
for tooling of sheet-metal parts. Think uses Ni-Cd batteries and can go 100 Km
before needing to be recharged. Its top speed is 90 Kmph, although it is
intended to be used in city traffic at lower speeds. Ford became majority owner
in Pivco last year, with the aim of putting Think into mass production. The plan
is to produce 1,500 cars in 1999, eventually working up to 5,000. The price has
not yet been set, but, in Norway, Ford believes the car will be competitive
because electric cars don't pay. Call +47 815 44 415 or e-mail think@think.no.
Push-together cold welding
A metal joining method that uses anti-lubricant materials causes rapid
seizure between interfering metal parts when a wheel is forced onto a shaft, for
instance. Trib-joints (from tribology) fill the gap in the mechanical joining
spectrum between adhesives and fusion welds. As the high points of the
microscopic surfaces plastically deform, the anti-lubricant scavenges oxygen,
causing parts to seize up with predictable force. Trib- joints can be made from
a line of chemical products: Trib-Gel is a consumable in a syringe; Trib-Paste
is a blend for joining wire cables; and Trib-Tools are impregnated abrasive
tools for surface preparation. Find out more from glinzell@aol.com.
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