FormFactor, Livermore, Calif., and Keystone Microtech, Taiwan, partnership expands semiconductor probe card manufacturing and test capabilities to support advanced semiconductor applications
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Bruker Corporation, Billerica, Mass., announced accelerated development of its photothermal AFM-IR spectroscopy capabilities to address research challenges facing the semiconductor industry as device architectures continue to shrink and systems become increasingly more complex.
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Researchers at the University of Southern California have unveiled a new memristor memory device that continues to operate at 700 degrees Celsius (~1300 degrees Fahrenheit), marking it as the most robust high-temperature memory technology ever demonstrated.
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Researchers at Rice University, Houston, Texas, have developed a 3D-printing process that utilizes focused microwaves to selectively heat functional inks, enabling the direct integration of electronics onto temperature-sensitive materials such as biopolymers and living biological tissue without damaging the underlying substrate.
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Camtek Ltd., Israel, a leading developer and manufacturer of inspection and metrology equipment for the semiconductor industry, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Visual Layer, a Tel Aviv-based AI company specializing in visual analytics.
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Researchers at The University of Osaka, Japan, have developed an outdoor wireless EEG transmission system using energy harvested from the temperature difference between the human body and surrounding air, even under hot summer conditions.
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A $10 million programmatic increase at the Army Research Laboratory for rapid deposition research is anticipated to support cold spray engineering research at Florida International University.
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An E190 airliner had a slat failure on approach to Launceston, Tasmania, Australia after a torque tube was incorrectly installed during recent maintenance, an ATSB investigation report details.
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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., are automating 3D printing with a new large language model that fixes printer errors in real time without the need for any pre-training.
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Through continued collaboration with TSMC, Ansys, Canonsburg, Pa., announced enhanced AI-assisted workflows for radio frequency design migration and photonic integrated circuits, and new certifications for its semiconductor solutions.
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Sigray, Inc. of Benicia, Calif. has launched the Apex-Hybrid, a breakthrough X-ray system designed to revolutionize failure analysis in semiconductor and electronics labs with interchangeable laminography and tomography modes, delivering exceptional speed and 350nm high-resolution imaging for everything from large packages and PCBs to the smallest components.
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Scientists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, recently discovered that Mn3Si2Te6 changes from an insulator to an electrically conductive metal when exposed to a magnetic field.
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Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a high-pressure liquid seal technique that eliminates bubble formation in PDMS-based PCR chips by proving that water vapor diffusion—not air expansion—is the main cause of bubbles.
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Celera, Alameda, Calif., the leader in fully automated, AI-enhanced analog design, is now sampling the first ever analog IC completely designed by an autonomous software platform.
Using Celera’s ChipHUB platform, the company improved engineering productivity by 10x, allowing the design of a high-performance buck (DC-to-DC) converter from specification to manufacturing release in a matter of days.
“This is a major milestone for Celera and an important breakthrough for our customers,” said Pat Brockett, Celera’s CEO. “Celera has demonstrated that end-to-end automated design of high-performance analog ICs can be done.”
“Using our patented digital twin Nesto technology, we enable our customers to achieve full custom analog IC design in days, at a fraction of the of the cost of current design methods,” said Alberto Viviani, Celera’s COO. “It’s very important to note that the resultant product designs are more than competitive with regard to die size (cost) and performance.”
Ramesh Giri, the head of product definition and applications at Celera highlighted a critical benefit to business managers – “Our design flow integrates an auto-generated behavioral model at the front-end that is tuned to actual silicon behavior. This allows system designers to do a comprehensive virtual bench road test, helping to reliably identify real-world system level issues at the front-end of the design process. This eliminates post-silicon fixes and enables faster time to market.”
“This first customer product is a state-of-the-art high voltage step down converter for industrial and automotive applications,” said Calum MacRae, CTO and founder at Celera. “Our Nesto technology simplifies analog IC design, enabling even non-IC designers to generate custom silicon. A huge benefit of our Nesto technology is that the same algorithm can be used to quickly produce whole families of buck converters in hours.”
Calum added, “Our IP is all in digital form. This allows us to train machine learning (ML) models, producing AI agents for analog design, layout, and modeling. The ability to generate large amounts of synthetic data positions Celera as the only company able to apply ML to analog design.”
“Celera’s patented technology will revolutionize the analog IC industry by making analog custom design available to all,” said Pat Brockett. “We are already engaged with major customers designing products for consumer, data center, wireless, industrial, solar and automotive applications. This is a real example where AI is changing a hundred-billion-dollar industry and we are proud to say Celera is leading that change.”
For more information:
Celera
https://www.celeratechnologies.com
Minnesota-based startup Maxwell Labs has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia and the University of New Mexico to demonstrate laser-based photonic cooling for computer chips that may help save energy and water.
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Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, IN, announced that it has received the 2025 Moving the Needle Award and Bronze-Level honors from the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne. The recognition was presented at the annual Women in the Workplace Luncheon held on March 12 at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation.
The Moving the Needle Award is given to the organization that demonstrates the most notable progress across four areas: leadership, compensation, benefits and policies, and recruitment and retention. The selection is based on data collected through the Women’s Fund’s annual Compass Survey, which evaluates local employers’ efforts toward achieving gender equity.
This year, a record 75 organizations participated in the survey, reflecting growing engagement across the community. Fort Wayne Metals’ recognition underscores its focused efforts to foster equitable workplace practices and support the advancement of women in its workforce.
Heat treatment simulation can be a tool for optimization of heat-treatment processes, but at the present this method is still limited. Therefore most HTS is based on rough simplifications of the process. Simplifications can involve the process, number of phases, transformation kinetics, continuums models instead of micro-mechanical models, etc. These simplifications also result in inaccuracies in the calculations.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 16. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014 https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980
ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, WI, announced the official launch of its new Mexican subsidiary, ECM Mexico, operating as MEXVAC ECM, S.A. DE C.V. This development marks a significant step in expanding ECM’s presence and service capabilities within the Mexican heat treatment industry.
The ECM Mexico team is led by operations manager Juan Cruz and field service and PLC engineer José López, under the direction of Pierre-Loic Rousset and Dennis Beauchesne. The team will work closely with ECM USA to provide localized support, reflecting ECM’s long-term commitment to strengthening service infrastructure for customers across Mexico.
The new entity will serve as a dedicated supplier of vacuum furnace technologies and support services, aiming to meet growing demand in the region for high-performance thermal processing equipment.
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Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, announced its membership with the Energy Industries Council (EIC), a leading global trade association for the energy sector. This move strengthens Bodycote’s strategic alignment with the evolving needs of the industry and reinforces its role as a provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services across power generation and energy infrastructure markets.
Through its membership, Bodycote gains broader access to key industry stakeholders, enabling stronger supply chain collaboration and the pursuit of new business opportunities within the energy sector. The company serves a wide range of EIC members, fostering synergies that support innovation and operational excellence.
Bodycote’s engagement with the EIC supports its commitment to sustainability, particularly in nuclear and renewable energy markets. The partnership enhances customer access to Bodycote’s services via EIC platforms and events, further promoting solutions that improve performance, efficiency, and reliability in critical energy applications.
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Researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science have developed a real-time diagnostic system for semiconductor plasma process parts which is expected to enhance yield, stability, and cost efficiency by preemptively preventing contaminant particles generated from component corrosion.
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Andes Technology Corporation, Taiwan, and proteanTecs, Israel, have partnered to integrate proteanTecs’ on-chip monitoring IP into Andes’ RISC-V processor cores, enabling customers to enhance performance and reliability monitoring in advanced electronics.
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Keysight Technologies, Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif., has enhanced its double-pulse test portfolio enabling customers to benefit from accurate and easy measurement of the dynamic characteristics of wide-bandgap power semiconductor bare chips.
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Norman Noble, Highland Heights, Ohio, announced advancements in its laser welding technology to support the precise manufacturing needs of next-generation medical implants and devices. The company’s state-of-the-art fiber laser systems are engineered to deliver exceptional power and positioning accuracy, resulting in highly precise and repeatable welds.
The enhanced laser welding capabilities enable superior joint integrity for complex geometries, with optimized parameters for weld penetration, width, and positioning. These processes are rigorously developed and tested to meet stringent tensile and fatigue requirements for thin-walled and miniature components, while minimizing visual imperfections in the welds.
Jeff Miller, laser process development manager at Norman Noble, emphasized the company’s ability to weld various materials in intricate applications, such as Nitinol-to-Nitinol joints in orthopedic implants and platinum marker welding for stent-like devices. He highlighted the team’s expertise in creating custom solutions tailored to complex medical device manufacturing.
Norman Noble’s ongoing investment in laser technology, including custom fixturing to ensure alignment and repeatability, reinforces its position as a trusted partner for original equipment manufacturers requiring high-quality components in the medical sector.
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The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and several collaborating institutions have successfully demonstrated a machine-learning technique to accelerate discovery of materials for film capacitors and used it to screen a library of nearly 50,000 chemical structures to identify and synthesize a compound with record-breaking performance.
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Penn State researchers have discovered that “atomic spray painting” of potassium niobate can precisely manipulate a material’s properties by altering its atomic arrangement, potentially leading to environmentally friendly innovations in consumer electronics, medical devices, and quantum computing.
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Ironwood Electronics, Eagan, Minn., is now producing elastomer sockets which include a protective “P” layer that allows for more insertions by protecting the elastomer from erosion and debris build up, extending the life of the elastomers to 200,000 plus insertions.
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Researchers at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, have successfully demonstrated a groundbreaking zero-gravity 3D printing technology using electrohydrodynamic printing and nanoink, paving the way for on-demand manufacturing and electronics repair in space.
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Heat treatment of tool steels means several phase transformations. Every phase transformation must be described by start amount, end amount, and kinetics (change of phases depending on temperature and time). Start and end amount can be calculated with different thermodynamic software. For example, Thermocalc is well validated for tool steels. The most common method for determining the transformation kinetics of main phases (e.g. ferrite, austenite, martensite, bainite) is to use dilatometric investigations. TTT (time-temperature-transformation) diagrams obtained from dilatometer measurements can be easily implemented in HTS software. An example is shown in the figure.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 14. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014 https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980
Nitrex, Quebec, announced that it has implemented a new nitriding system at Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) Romania, marking a significant step in advancing the sustainability of aluminum extrusion production. This installation aligns with HAI’s corporate commitment to environmental leadership and operational modernization.
HAI Romania, a subsidiary of Austria-based Hammerer Aluminium Industries, operates a state-of-the-art extrusion plant in Chișineu-Criș, near the Hungarian border. The facility features five extrusion presses, including a recently added 10-inch press, and serves key industries such as automotive, construction, and packaging, with strategic access to both Western and Eastern European markets.
The newly installed Nitrex NX-815 nitriding system replaces the traditional salt bath nitriding process. Unlike its predecessor, which generates environmentally challenging waste, the gas nitriding process offers a sustainable alternative. The system utilizes Nitreg® controlled nitriding and Nitreg®-C ferritic nitrocarburizing technologies, ensuring superior and consistent performance while minimizing environmental impact. With a 3,300-pound load capacity, the furnace is specifically designed for treating extrusion dies.
By adopting Nitreg® technologies, HAI Romania eliminates hazardous waste, reduces energy consumption, and enhances the durability of aluminum extrusion dies. This shift not only supports eco-friendly practices but also optimizes production efficiency by eliminating costly post-finishing operations, contributing to the company’s sustainability and operational goals.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Germany, is pioneering a new approach in fuel cell production by using extreme high-speed laser material deposition to create wear-resistant functional metal layers on low-cost structural steel, replacing traditional milling methods and significantly reducing costs, construction time, and tool wear.
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