Fourth-generation Intel Core processor enables 50% longer battery life
December 12, 2014 Source: ASM International
Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., has introduced the 4th generation Intel Core processor family, with power levels as low as 6 watts, up to 50% improvement in battery life over the previous generation in active workloads, and two to three times improvement in standby battery life.
Continue readingCadence system SoC verifier enables up to ten times improvement in productivity
December 11, 2014 Source: ASM International
Cadence Design Systems Inc., San Jose, Calif., has developed the Cadence Perspec System Verifier platform, a software-driven system-on-chip (SoC) verification solution.
Continue readingCrystal growth furnace can produce 660-lb sapphire boules
November 4, 2014 Source:
ARC Energy, Nashua, N.H., has announced the CHES 500 crystal growth furnace, designed to produce the world's largest-ever sapphire boules with a mass of 660 lb and diameter of 500 mm. This new furnace will also have the lowest cost per unit for critical growth markets, yielding up to 6000 smartphone covers, up to 5600 mm of 4-inch LED wafers, or up to 2500 mm of 6-inch LED wafers per boule.
In 2009, ARC's first-generation Ches furnaces yielded 75% crystal utilization by growing on the C-axis for the emerging LED solid-state lighting market. Ches technology focused on enabling lower-cost production of large diameter wafers. Advances included ease of installation, precision controls, automated re-start and power-off modes, and full safety interlocks for low operator costs.
Another market for sapphire is durable transparent material for mobile devices, such as smart phones and watches. CHES 500's 660-lb/500-mm diameter boule is set to give the standard throughput with a yield of up to 6000 smartphone covers per run.
In addition, the new field-tested CHES HZ technology, which handles the process of melting sapphire above 2040°C and re-solidifying it, has reduced both consumable material and energy costs, and delivered the repeatable and reproducible performance required for large scale materials manufacturing.
ChES 500 will provide the lowest cost of ownership for sapphire boules on multiple axes (A, R, or C) for all applications including mobile, LED, optical, RFIC, and power electronics. The new Ches 500 crystal growth furnace, will be available starting Q2 2015.
www.arc-energy.com
ARC Energy, Nashua, N.H., has announced the CHES 500 crystal growth furnace, designed to produce the world’s largest-ever sapphire boules with a mass of 660 lb and diameter of 500 mm.
Continue readingFlexible grid and segmented silver fingers cut cost and weight in solar panels
September 8, 2014 Source:
GT Advanced Technologies Inc., Merrimack, N.J., announces that solar modules incorporating its new Merlin metallization and interconnect technology have met the requirements of several PV industry certification standards. With Merlin technology, segmented silver fingers are printed onto the cell, and a flexible plated copper grid is attached to the segmented fingers on top of the solar cell, replacing the three traditional silver busbars and cutting panel weight by almost 50%.
A key component of Merlin is the flexible grid that replaces the three silver bus bars. The novel attributes of the technology are expected to significantly reduce the amount of expensive silver paste while improving panel efficiency. The resulting modules are expected to be more reliable and durable and enable form factors that are lighter and easier to handle, resulting in lower shipment and installation costs.
The certification testing was performed by RETC (Renewable Energy Test Center), an independent certification testing provider. Conformance to the certification standards was verified by the Canadian Standards Association and TUV-Sud. The results confirm that cells and modules incorporating Merlin's novel approach to metallization and module interconnect meet the performance, safety, and quality requirements outlined by the IEC 61215, 61730-1, -2 and UL1703 tests. The tests are designed to determine long-term reliability of silicon-based modules.
"Meeting these industry standard reliability criteria is an important milestone as we move toward commercial availability of our Merlin metallization and interconnect technology," said Venkatesan Murali, senior vice president and general manager of advanced systems development at GT. "Going forward, we plan to continue reliability testing these modules to failure to validate that the Merlin-based modules are substantially more robust by design than what is required."
GT Advanced Technologies Inc., Merrimack, N.J., announces that solar modules incorporating its new Merlin metallization and interconnect technology have met the requirements of several important PV industry certification standards.
Continue readingArmy Research Laboratory project to develop U.S. supply chain for rare-earth elements
June 10, 2014 Source:
A team led by Technology Metals Research LLC, Carpentersville, Ill., has been awarded $1.2M in funding from the U.S .Army Research Laboratory, to help develop the key components for a domestic rare-earth supply chain for heavy and other critical rare-earth elements. The funding was awarded through a sub-award agreement with Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The project involves a dozen companies and research institutions in the United States, Canada, and Australia,
In recent years the rare-earth sector has been dominated by China, which provides approximately 90% of global supply. The heavy rare earths dysprosium and yttrium were recently mandated for inclusion in the DOD's National Defense Stockpile, despite not being produced in the United States from U.S.-based sources.
Project partners include Innovation Metals Corp.= and researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of South Australia, and the ARL itself. A number of 'stealth-mode' companies and researchers with promising new technologies will also participate in the program.
Gareth Hatch, co-founder of TMR and president of IMC, is the Principal Investigator for the 12-month program. "Besides validating IMC's process-flow diagrams for the bulk solvent extraction of heavy and critical REEs," he says, "this award from the ARL will allow the team to evaluate new process technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the speed and efficiency of REE extraction and separation. These are exciting, materials-science-based approaches that have not been seen by the rare-earth sector before."
In addition to coordinating the existing program activities, TMR remains open to looking at additional processes and to collaborations with other groups, which could contribute to the overall objectives of the project.
A team led by Technology Metals Research LLC, Carpentersville, Ill., has been awarded $1.2M in funding from the U.S .Army Research Laboratory, to help develop the key components for a domestic rare-earth supply chain for heavy and other critical rare-earth elements.
Continue readingLockheed Martin opens materials and thermal sciences R&D lab in Palo Alto
March 26, 2014 Source:
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto, Calif., has opened an Advanced Materials & Thermal Sciences Center for research and development. Engineers will focus on 3-D printing, thermal sciences, nanotechnology, and high temperature materials.
With 82,000 square feet of floor space, it will house 130 engineers, scientists and staff. Advanced materials include CuantumFuse nano-copper, which promises to make more reliable electrical connections in space and other applications. The new microcryocooler is said to be the smallest satellite cooler ever developed.
This building replaces two other buildings that are each 50 years old, and will save $1 million in annual maintenance costs and cut energy costs by more than 60% percent.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto, has opened an Advanced Materials & Thermal Sciences Center for research and development.
Continue readingIHEA announces 2013-2014 board and officers
December 4, 2013 Source:
The Industrial Heating Equipment Association, Taylor Mill, Ky., recently announced its 2013-14 Board of Directors and Officers. Serving as president (shown in the photo) is Tim Lee of Maxon, a division of Honeywell. Bob Green of Bloom Engineering was named IHEA Vice-President, and B.J. Bernard of Surface Combustion was elected Treasurer. Outgoing president Mike Shay of Elster Kromschröder, assumes the role of Past President.
IHEA is very pleased to re-elect Jay Cherry, Wellman Furnaces, and Doug Glenn, BNP Media, each to serve another three-year term. Continuing their service on the Board of Directors for 2013-2014 are Keith Boeckenhauer, Seco/Warwick; David Bovenizer, Selas Heat Technology Co.; Mike Chapman, Vulcan Catalytic Systems; Daniel Llaguno, Nutec Bickley; John Podach, Fostoria Process Equip. - a Division of TPI; John Searle, Eclipse, Inc.; and John Stanley, Karl Dungs, Inc.
IHEA's new president Tim Lee states, "It is an honor and privilege to serve as President of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association's Board of Directors, which consists of so many highly respected leaders in our industry. I believe the ongoing quality and expertise of our board members positions IHEA for continued success and future growth potential. I look forward to continuing on the path carved by my predecessors which has established IHEA as the entity where all manufacturers of process heating equipment and associated service providers work together for the benefit of the industry. IHEA continues to follow the bold mission statement of 'Driving Members Success by Providing the Knowledge Base and Authoritative Voice for Industrial Process Heating Worldwide.' We look forward to another successful year of providing valuable benefits and services to our industry."
The Industrial Heating Equipment Association, Taylor Mill, Ky., recently announced its 2013-14 Board of Directors and Officers. Serving as president (shown in the photo) is Tim Lee of Maxon, a division of Honeywell. Bob Green of Bloom Engineering was named IHEA Vice-President, and B.J. Bernard of Surface Combustion was elected Treasurer. Outgoing president Mike Shay of Elster Kromschröder, assumes the role of Past President.
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