Materials Analysis Technology Inc., Taiwan, and Swiss SGS Taiwan Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with the goal of providing comprehensive ISO 26262 functional safety product certification services, AEC-Q automotive electronic component reliability verification services, and soft error rate assessment and analysis in the automotive semiconductor and electronic component industries in Taiwan.
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Faraday Technology Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a leading application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) design service and IP provider, is expanding its use of Ansys technology to enhance its capabilities in developing advanced designs for multi-die 2.5D/3D-ICs — critical for artificial intelligence (AI), IoT, and 5G applications. With support from Ansys, Faraday will empower its customers to explore more robust design options for more innovative products.
Faraday recently announced a 2.5D/3D-IC advanced package service to address exploding demand for multi-die designs that target products with better performance and lower power consumption. To meet this demand, engineers need the right multiphysics analysis tools to verify that chip designs include reliable signal and structural integrity and reliable power distribution before it goes to fabrication. This challenge is compounded by the trend toward developing denser chips that are more vulnerable to EM issues.
Adding RaptorX into the design flow will enable Faraday to increase precision and efficiency in its development process. Moreover, it enables predictively accurate EM modeling and analysis for advanced 3D-IC products, ensuring data transfer meets stringent modern standards. This will improve the design’s fidelity, enhance performance and reliability, and accelerate time-to-market.
“Our extensive silicon IP allows our customers to start designing from a solid foundation, enabling them to focus solely on innovation and differentiating themselves in the market,” said C.H. Chien, vice president of R&D at Faraday. “Fabrication is exceptionally expensive and there is no room for error. So, keeping the overall project cost low is paramount, and it starts with the initial design. With the addition of RaptorX in this phase, we can offer customers an efficient workflow that includes design verification and signoff as well as access to top-tier test and fabrication services, removing doubts about the chip’s performance and longevity.”
“Ansys’ focus on multiphysics platforms enables innovators like Faraday to address key challenges for 3D-IC and accelerate their time-to-market,” said John Lee, vice president and general manager of the semiconductor, electronics, and optics business unit at Ansys. “Our industry-leading tools facilitate meticulous modeling and analysis of electromagnetic phenomena, helping our customers remain at the forefront of technological advancements in 5G, AI, and IoT.”
Image – EMag extraction of an interposer lane, including 48 signals in the presence of their respective VDD/VSS network and indicative simulation results, and S-Parameter analysis and transient (eye diagram) analysis of a signal line.
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Cornell University researchers, Ithaca, N.Y., in collaboration with a team at the Polish Academy of Sciences, have developed the first dual-sided – or “dualtronic” – chip that combines photonic and electronic functions simultaneously, an innovation that could shrink the size of functional devices, make them more energy efficient and reduce manufacturing costs.
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Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discovered that ordered defect pairs in solution-deposited semiconductors lead to record-high transistor performance, challenging conventional wisdom in semiconductor manufacturing.
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Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, Pa., announced that it has shipped two Mentor Pro vacuum furnaces to a customer focused on developing advanced renewable energy technologies for large-scale industrial applications. The furnaces were selected after a collaborative process with the customer’s engineers, supported by the Research and Development team from Solar Manufacturing’s affiliate, Solar Atmospheres. The customer valued the furnace’s capabilities and compact design.
The Mentor Pro furnaces feature a molybdenum shielded hot zone, a maximum temperature capacity of 2500°F, and a workload capacity of up to 1000 pounds. They are equipped with SolarVac Essentials, a PLC-based control system, and include an internal gas quenching system with a 50 HP motor and variable frequency drive (VFD), offering flexibility in using nitrogen or argon gas for optimal metallurgical results. These features make the Mentor Pro well-suited for a variety of metallurgical applications in renewable energy development.
Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, WI, has announced the shipment of a gas-fired walk-in batch oven to a prominent manufacturer in the defense industry. The oven is designed for curing filament wound composite materials and is capable of processing a 78,000-pound load on a 40-foot long mandrel carried by a load car.
The work chamber measures 10 feet wide, 42 feet long, and 9 feet high, with a qualified work zone of 8 feet by 40 feet by 8 feet. The oven includes a rotation system to prevent drooping of uncured composites during the heating process, offering speed control flexibility through a variable frequency drive.
This oven operates at a maximum temperature of 500°F, with temperature uniformity of ±10°F at multiple setpoints. Equipped with a PLC-based Wisconsin Oven Premium Control System and an IoT system, it allows for real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote fault diagnosis.
Additional features include split-line construction for easier shipping, two powerful recirculation blowers, interior lighting, and safety-compliant railings and ladder access.
Global Advanced Metals, Boyertown, Pa., a leading global producer of metallurgical products, announced a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to re-establish defense-critical niobium oxide production.
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Researchers at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., will soon help prepare turbine equipment for lower-emission electricity generation thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., have developed a novel method combining cold spray deposition and friction stir processing to produce oxide dispersion strengthened steel, providing a proof-of-concept for fabricating higher-quality materials for future fusion power plants at reduced manufacturing costs.
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Integer, Plano, TX, announced that its Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors had the honor of ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
The event marks a significant moment for Integer as the company continues its growth trajectory, focused on better serving customers and improving patient outcomes worldwide. The recognition reflects Integer’s commitment to innovation and progress in the medical device industry.
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, developed a new chip that uses light waves rather than electricity to perform the complex math essential to training AI.
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Controlling out-of-roundness is important for certain precision applications, such as class C and D cutting hobs made of high-speed steels. Class C and D hobs must be held close to size limits because they are not ground to size after heat treatment, but rather are used in the unground condition.
Normal size distortion in hardening and tempering can be accommodated by making the tool slightly oversize or slightly undersize, as required, before heat treating. High-speed steel bars, however, have been observed to go out-of-round as much as 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) during heat treatment. The pattern of size distortion shown in Fig. 8 can occur. It appears to be related to the initial shape of the cast ingot and to the specific primary-mill processing used to reduce the ingot into bars.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 8. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014 https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980
Constellium, based in Paris, announced that its collaborative research project, Aluminium Intensive Vehicle Enclosures (ALIVE), has achieved weight savings of 12 to 35 percent for electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosures. The project, led by Constellium’s University Technology Center at Brunel University London, focused on optimizing the design and manufacturing processes for structural aluminum enclosures in EVs.
Launched in 2020, the £15 million initiative was partially funded by the UK government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The project involved six industrial partners, including BMW, Volvo, and Innoval Technology, along with university technology partners from Brunel University London and the University of Warwick.
The ALIVE team developed new aluminum designs using Constellium’s high-strength alloys, HSA6® and HCA6®, while implementing advanced joining and forming technologies. Full-scale prototypes were produced and successfully passed rigorous testing for performance, safety, and fire resistance. The project also generated cost models to support future industrialization of the designs.
The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy announced $9.9 million for 7 projects involving emerging phytomining technologies that seek to create low-carbon, cost-competitive U.S. Nickel supply chain and reduce imports.
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Innovative Space Carrier Inc., Japan, has partnered with WAAM3D, UK; Cranfield University, UK; and Aichi Sangyo Co Ltd., Japan, leveraging Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing technology to accelerate the development of propellant tanks for space transportation systems.
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Plasmatreat Gmbh, Germany, presents plasma as a pretreatment method in the manufacture of fuel cells.
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SECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, has announced plans to expand its manufacturing facilities to enhance service for North American customers. The expansion involves relocating part of its manufacturing operations and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces from Poland to Crawford County, PA.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will support this initiative with a $2 million grant under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), which SECO/WARWICK will match. Additionally, $69,000 in matching funds will be provided for job training through the Workforce & Economic Development Network (WEDnet).
The expansion will occupy a 120,000 sq. ft. facility in the Crawford Business Park, a site redeveloped from the former American Viscose Corporation mill. This development is expected to benefit the community and bolster SECO/WARWICK’s capabilities in producing heat-treating and aluminum melting furnaces.
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Amkor Technology Inc., Tempe, Ariz., signed a preliminary agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce for up to $400 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to create a new $2 billion semiconductor packaging facility in Peoria, Arizona, the largest outsourced advanced packaging and test facility in the United States, generating approximately 2,000 jobs.
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Oxford Instruments plc, United Kingdom, a leading provider of high technology products and services to industry and scientific research communities, completed the acquisition of FemtoTools AG, Switzerland. The acquisition was first announced on 11 June 2024, and has been completed following the satisfactory conclusion of closing conditions.
FemtoTools specializes in measuring and imaging the properties (primarily the hardness and stiffness) of materials for research and semiconductor applications at very high resolution via a technique called nanoindentation. It joins Oxford Instruments’ Imaging & Analysis division, where its products will be sold in conjunction with the Group’s existing range of materials analysis tools, including electron microscope micro-analyzers and Raman microscopes.
Richard Tyson, chief executive officer, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of FemtoTools. We welcome our new colleagues and look forward to working with them to integrate nanoindentation – a new technique to Oxford Instruments – into our extensive portfolio of materials analysis capabilities.”
Christian Lang, managing director, Materials Analysis, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We’re so pleased that the FemtoTools team have chosen to join Oxford Instruments. We’ve had a number of very positive meetings since the announcement and are already making plans for our future together.
“I’m looking forward to integrating FemtoTools’ brilliant technology into our wider product range, and to working with this talented group of people.”
Felix Beyeler, co-founder of FemtoTools, said: “The team and I are very excited for the journey ahead as part of Oxford Instruments. Working together will enable us to extend the reach of our technology and provide even richer analysis to our combined customer base. We’re also looking forward to learning from the hugely experienced Oxford Instruments team.”
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Oxford Instruments plc
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory joined with Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., to identify collaborative areas in technology and research as a springboard for new joint microelectronics projects, taking a multidisciplinary approach to studying everything from materials and devices to software and manufacturing techniques.
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Researchers at Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., used artificial intelligence to identify 23 promising battery materials from more than 32 million candidates in just 80 hours, creating a working prototype that could significantly reduce lithium use and advance sustainable energy storage solutions.
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A team from Trinity College Dublin has innovated a microscopic imaging technique that lowers radiation exposure and speeds up the process, enhancing safety and efficiency in imaging sensitive materials.
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Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, has helped determine the viability of pressure relief valves for liquid natural gas tanks in the event of a train derailment for the Federal Rail Administration.
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Nikon Metrology, Inc., Japan, and Hyundai Motor North America, Fountain Valley, Calif., announced that Hyundai has purchased and installed Nikon’s X-ray computed tomography system in its newly opened $51.4 million Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory in Superior Township, Mich.
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Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have discovered why and how one of the more promising cathode materials in lithium ion batteries – single crystalline nickel-rich lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide – degrades with use.
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Penspen, United Kingdom, a leading global energy consultancy, has opened a new strategic base in Peru following significant growth in the Latin American region.
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Nano Dimension Ltd., Waltham, Mass., and Desktop Metal, Inc., Burlington, Mass., announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Nano Dimension will acquire all outstanding shares of Desktop Metal.
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Federal agencies would be prohibited from using certain products if they were purchased from an entity other than the original manufacturer or an authorized reseller under a new bipartisan Senate bill.
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New research at the University of Kansas partially explains the exceptional performance of a new class of organic semiconductors called non-fullerene acceptors.
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Beta (β)-type titanium (Ti) alloys are renowned for their strength, formability, and resistance to harsh environments, making them ideal for implants and prosthetics. However, under certain conditions, a brittle omega phase can form, making the material prone to breaking. While it is known that adding tin (Sn) negates this, and makes β-type Ti alloys stronger, the exact mechanics behind this continued to puzzle scientists. That is until researchers recently discovered a metallurgical cocktail effect to explain it.
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