EE Times: Slow But Smart Builds The Grid

SLOW BUT SMART
BUILDS THE GRID

EETimes
THE NEWS
SOURCE FOR THE
CREATORS OF
TECHNOLOGY
ISSUE 1608 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 WWW.EETIMES.COM
Intel: Android on X86 coming in 2012 7
22
September 26 , 2011 Electronic Engineering Times 3
CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
OPINION
4 Commentary: Picking up
the pieces after Solar-gate
54 Last Word: Navigating the
changes in U.S. patent law
NEWS OF THE TIMES
7 Android on X86 in 2012?
8 IC forecast sees hard year
14 Snapshots from IDF
GLOBAL WATCH
18 Dialog wagers on DECT ULE
COVER STORY
22 Slow buildout begins
on smart grid
INTELLIGENCE
30 IBM to report 2-GHz
graphene IC
32 MIT design simplifies
energy harvester
DESIGN + PRODUCTS
35 Global Feature
Wireless BANs: What you
need to know
41 Planet Analog
Reinforced isolation
for data couplers
EE LIFE
51 The creative destruction
of electronics
52 GeekDown gallery
53 Drive for Innovation
The racers edge
14 An UBM Electronics Publication
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NEWS DIRECTOR
George Leopold
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COMMENTARY
U.S. companies involved in produc-
ing materials and other solar compo-
nents are voting with their feet. Big
suppliers, like Applied Materials, and
smaller startups, such as Evergreen
Solar, have shifted operations to China.
Massachusetts-based Evergreen laid off
800 workers last
winter and shifted
production to a
joint venture in
China. Evergreens
excuse? More sup-
port from the Chi-
nese government.
Solyndras col-
lapse after receiv-
ing a $535 million
government loan,
which taxpayers
will now have to
pick up, will likely
undermine eco-
nomic stimulus
efforts designed to
boost the domestic
solar industry.
Smaller U.S. opera-
tors will remain,
but most manufacturingand jobs
will go to China.
U.S. oil companies are laughing all
the way to the bank.
The House Energy and Commerce
Committee appears to have the goods
on the Solyndra loan, including a raft of
White House e-mails the panel leaked
to the Washington Post and other
media outlets. That newspaper appears
at least to have done some legwork,
reporting that Solyndras biggest
investors were funds controlled by
billionaire, and
Obama campaign
fundraiser, George
Kaiser. Kaiser has
denied any undue
political influence
in gaining approval
of Solyndras gov-
ernment loan.
The big culprit in
Solar-gate is Solyn-
dra CEO Brian Har-
rison, who failed to
inform even com-
mittee Democrats
of his companys
perilous condi-
tion prior to its
collapse. Harrison
exited by the back
door as the feds
were carrying out
boxes of documents through the front
entrance, with most of the Bay Areas
TV stations filming the proceedings.
The Republican leadership of the
House energy panel is, and always has
been, hostile toward solar energy
development. It also views the Obama
administrations economic stimulus
efforts as picking winners and losers.
But that tired debate is irrelevant as
American manufacturing continues
its precipitous decline.
If the American solar energy industry
is in fact on its deathbed, where can we
still lead in energy R&D and manufac-
turing? I would argue that the best
place is battery technology. Several U.S.
companies and a growing list of start-
ups are either squeezing more energy
density out of lithium-ion batteries or
targeting new combinations, such as
lithium air. Venture capitalists are
pouring a sizable amount of money
into these companies, many of which
are spinoffs from university labs.
Despite all the gloom, there are still
plenty of good ideas emerging from
these technology incubators.
Moreover, the U.S. military is invest-
ing heavily in battery research as it
strives to deliver more power to mobile
sensors and communications gear.
Well-heeled Chinese investors have
turned an eye to American battery devel-
opers as indigenous energy storage
development has faltered. A case in
point is the $125 million investment
by Chinese fund GSR Ventures and oth-
ers in Boston-Power Inc. (Westborough,
Mass.) announced on Sept. 20. Boston-
Power, which focuses primarily on elec-
tric vehicle battery development, said
the growth capital and Chinese gov-
ernment incentives will be used pre-
dominantly to scale manufacturing,
research and development, and busi-
ness development activities in China.
If the United States does not match
the growing Chinese investments in
the strategic battery market, overseas
investors will soon begin cherry-pick-
ing the best U.S. companies and relocat-
ing their manufacturing operations.
If the United States fails to back the nas-
cent battery segment, that sector could
suffer solars fate.
Lets mourn the solar industry, then
refocus our efforts on other energy tech-
nologies, like advanced batteriesand
begin again to restore U.S. manufactur-
ing and energy independence.
p
By George Leopold (george.leopold@
ubm.com), editor in chief of EE Times
Confidential.
With the high-profile collapse of solar
manufacturer Solyndra, the demise of the U.S.
solar industry is nearly complete. Theres no
denying the domestic industrys persistent
inability to compete with heavily subsidized
Chinese manufacturers. The largely justified
but calculated partisan attacks on the adminis-
trations funding of the doomed California
solar startup only compound the damage..
Picking up the pieces
after Solar-gate
If we dont move fast,
the advanced battery
sector could suffer
Solyndras fate
September 26, 2011 Electronic Engineering Times 5
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OF THE TIMES News
Intel:
Android on
X86 coming
in 2012
By Rick Merritt
SAN FRANCISCO Multiple handset
makers will ship Android phones using
Intels X86 chips starting next year,
Intel chief executive Paul Otellini
vowed in a keynote speech here at the
Intel Developer Forum.
To enable the handsets, Intel and
Google expanded their collaboration to
deliver optimized versions of Android
on the X86 platform. Googles vice presi-
dent of mobile, Andy Rubin, briefly
joined Otellini on stage at IDF to talk
about the companies efforts.
The pledge marks the latest twist in
Intels long road to finding significant
design wins in the booming mobile
market. Years ago, the company worked
on an integrated applications processor
with flash that failed to gain traction,
and more recently it worked with Nokia
to design a handset using Atom and
MeeGo mobile Linux software.
Under new CEO Stephen Elop, Nokia
shifted its plans to using Windows
Phone 7 and ARM. In Q4 2011, [the
Atom/MeeGo handsets] were supposed
to ship from Nokia, so weve lost six
months. But we found new customers,
and we are off and running, Otellini
MOBILE
The pledge by Intel
CEO Paul Otellini
(r.), shown at IDF
with Googles Andy
Rubin, is the latest
twist in Intels long
road to amassing
design wins in the
mobile market.
NEWS OF THETIMES
said in a press Q&A session. The smart-
phone business is not established, and
the ultimate shakeout is yet to come for
who wins and loses. So good products
can still make a difference, and we hope
to be one of them.
MeeGo, Otellini said, is still alive
and well in embedded and the automo-
tive industry, where its a major asset
for us. We also are working with hard-
ware vendors around the world to opti-
mize [MeeGo] for tablets and phones.
There remains a continuing interest
among handset makers and carriers to
have an additional ecosystem that is
open, and that is the value proposition
for MeeGo.
Otellini and Rubin offered few details
on the Google-Intel collaboration other
than to say the companies would deliv-
er versions of Android optimized for the
X86 from the lowest to the highest lev-
els of the software stack.
Otellini also showed working ver-
sions of a smartphone reference design
based on the Medfield version of Atom,
and a Medfield tablet running the Hon-
eycomb version of Android.
The company had shown the smart-
phone reference design at an analyst
meeting.
On ARM and ultrabooks
The annual IDF event took place as
Microsoft revealed first details of
Windows 8including news about the
first versions of Windows to run on
ARM processorsat a separate event
in Anaheim, Calif.
From my perspective, nothing has
changed; you always have to have the
best chips to win, said Otellini.
Microsoft could energize the tablet mar-
ket [with Win8], and the value of the 6
million apps [on X86] is pretty substan-
tial. I dont think end users will walk
away from that. So, I like our chances.
Separately, Intel has completed the
design of Haswell, a next-generation
notebook chip expected to power 2013-
class ultrabooksPC notebooks that
are thin and light, like the Apple Mac
Air. Intel held a public session at IDF on
a new system-level power management
framework for components used in
Haswell-based ultrabooks.
Otellini promised that Haswell sys-
tems would have a twentyfold reduc-
tion in power consumption as a result
of the new framework. The systems
should last 10 days in standby mode on
a single charge, he said.
Intel is also working on a handful of
apps to let smartphones, TVs and PCs
share data. The first of the apps, called
Pair and Share, will be available in OEM
systems this year.
Otellini also announced that later
this year, Intels McAfee division would
ship a new product called Deep Safe,
which can use a combination of McAfee
software and Intel processor hardware
to detect and eliminate previously
unidentified malware rootkits.
In other news, an Intel researcher
demonstrated a Pentium-class sys-
tem running off a postage-stamp-sized
solar cell.
Finally, Otellini said Intel already
has line of sight on its 14-nm process
technology and would be tooling facto-
ries for it in 2013. Intel is expected
to use existing, 193-nm immersion
lithography initially at 14 nm; extreme-
ultraviolet systems are still in early
development, and throughput is far
below commercial needs.
p
8 Electronic Engineering Times September 26, 2011
Forecast sees hard year, fewer chip makers
By Rick Merritt
MARKETS
SAN JOSE, CALIF. Under clouds of
uncertainty about the global economy
and mobile systems transitions, semi-
conductor sales will muddle along to
growth of no more than 5 percent this
year. But next year, chip sales will
nudge toward double-digit growth, and
in the long term the consolidating
industry should be able to sustain mod-
est expansions, according to the fall
forecast from IC Insights.
Our view is the [semiconductor]
market this year is flat to up 5 percent,
Bill McClean, president of IC Insights
(Scottsdale, Ariz.), said in an annual Sili-
con Valley talk here.
The company halved its 10 percent
chip forecast earlier this year when the
Japan earthquake hit and the U.S. econ-
omy softened. If we get 3.8 percent
global GDP growth this year, well get a
little better than average system sales of
7 percent growth, nudging up the chip
forecast, McClean said.
Despite the short-term clouds,
McClean said he sees no long-term
change in the traditional average of
8 to 9 percent growth.
Projections for the U.S. economy
slumped from 4 to 1.7 percent GDP
growth earlier this year, driving down
chip forecasts. The United States is
expected to recover to 2.85 percent GDP
growth in 2012, but it may only reach
2.2 percent if Congress fails to pass pay-
roll tax breaks and extend unemploy-
ment benefits, he said.
The global GDP should return to
a more typical growth rate of about
3.6 percent next year, buoyed by recov-
eries in Japan and the United States, and
by continued strong growth in emerg-
ing countries such as China.
China became the worlds largest
buyer of PCs this year; it had already
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NEWS OF THETIMES
become the leading purchaser of cars
and cell phones, McClean said.
Rising oil prices present the biggest
risk to GDP growth. They soared 17 per-
cent on a compound basis from 2002-
2011, compared with just 3 percent from
1988-2002. I am surprised the world
economy is doing as well as it is, said
McClean. We dont see global GDP hit-
ting 4 percent over the next five years,
because we are caught on oil prices.
Reelection years can bring upside sur-
prises. McClean speculated that Presi-
dent Obama could, by administrative
action, approve a broad 4 percent home
refinancing program next year to give
the economy a quick jolt.
Mobile shifts in systems sales
Electronic system sales growth is
expected to clock in at a typical 6 per-
cent this year, nudging up to about
7 percent next year. The telecom sector
leads the growth, at about 12 percent
this year, followed by automotive, at
about 6 percent.
Mobile devices are also on the rise.
Smartphones are growing not only in
units, but also as a percentage of all cell
phones (30 percent by the end of 2011).
And the average selling price of a smart-
phone is at $118, up from $107 last year.
If you are not in the smartphone
business, you are out of the cell phone
business at this point, said McClean.
He noted a 14 percent decline in cell
phone sales at Nokia, which was late to
enter the smartphone market. Mean-
while, sales have almost doubled for
Taiwans HTC Corp., which has focused
on high-end smartphones.
IC Insights projects small, steady
Electronics industry interdependence
Worldwide electronic system production
Semiconductor market
Semi cap spending
$25.7B
$53.0B
13%
25% 7%
106%
$59.8B
$34.8B
$43.6B
$46.5B
Semi materials market
2011F worldwide GDP = $55.8 trillion
2009 2010 2011F
2009 2010 2011F
2009 2010 2011F
$238.4B
$314.2B
$328.8B
32% 5%
2009 2010 2011F
$1,116B
$1,237B
$1,315B
11% 6%
Source: IC Insights
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NEWS OF THETIMES
increases in PC sales for the next two
quarters. Annual sales will rise from
3 percent growth this year to 5 percent
in 2012, with most of the expansion
coming from business buyers.
Uncertainty over how the rise of
tablets will affect notebooks is especial-
ly high. Tablets are so new that people
dont know how theyre going to play
out. This is really important for the
semiconductor industry, McClean said.
People seem to be buying tablets
instead of upgrading notebooks or buy-
ing netbooks this year, but its unclear
whether that trend will continue, he
said. But you know Intel is going crazy.
If people buy tablets instead of a PC,
thats a disaster for them, he added.
Tablets use a quarter of the DRAM
memory used in a laptop, but they build
in more NAND flash. If tablets sell in
increasingly high volumes, IC Insights
projects the total amount of chips used
in mobile systems will lift all boats.
DRAMs drag down prices
The market watcher projects IC sales of
$270.5 billion this year, up 4 percent,
with average selling prices down 3 per-
cent. It forecasts sales will rise 10 per-
cent next year, to $298.7 billion, with
ASPs up 1 percent.
DRAM is driving down ASPs this
year. Take DRAMs out, and ASPs would
be flat, said McClean.
He predicted that Elpida Memory
Inc., Nanya Technology Corp., ProMOS
Technologies Inc. and Powerchip Tech-
nology Corp. wont be able to keep pace
with other DRAM makers to get the
estimated $5 billion needed to build a
next-generation fab.
The good news is that vendors dont
have much excess inventory on hand.
Tablet makers Research in Motion Ltd.
and Acer Inc. are exceptions to the rule,
sitting on unfulfilled sales expectations
that range from about 1 million to
5 million tablets.
Fewer, bigger chip makers
Worldwide semiconductor capital
equipment sales continue to fluctuate
widely, from a low of $25.7 billion in
2009 to more than double that
$58.9 billionthis year. IC Insights pre-
dicts the segment will dip about 8 per-
cent next year before starting a more
moderate three-year rise, to about
$72.9 billion in 2015.
The 2015 figure marks an extra boost,
folding in expectations that spending
on 450-mm wafer fabs will begin in
earnest that year. Intel and TSMC are
talking about it, McClean said.
In the short term, we are seeing
some buildup of excess foundry capaci-
ty, and demand is softening, so we
expect to see some utilization decline
[at foundries], he said.
Thats not surprising, given foundries
are spending an estimated $18.6 billion
on gear this year, up from $13.8 billion
last year.
Globalfoundries, in particular, lit
a fire under TSMC by spending more
than 100 percent of sales on capex, said
McClean. Next year they will probably
be one of the biggest capex cutters; they
are spending way too much.
Long term, foundry capex spending
needs to average about 9 percent
growth per year to track chip unit
volume rises and keep prices stable,
the analyst said.
For its part, Intel Corp. is expected to
double capex this year. They think this
is going to get them ahead of ARM and
into mobile systems, so they are step-
ping on the gas, McClean said.
Samsung will cut DRAM capex but
continue spending on flash. The compa-
ny spent almost $20 billion on gear in
the past two years. Thats four big
$5 billion fabs, McClean said.
Sony Corp. is increasing capex spend-
ing in a focused two-year program to
take a lead in image sensors; otherwise,
it is maintaining plans to go to a fab-lite
model, he added. Overall, Japan is
spending a lot less in fab gear, while the
United Statesin the form of Intelis
spending more.
The megatrend in chips is consolida-
tion. As we move to the 450-mm
wafer generation, the IC market will
be in the hands of 10 companies world-
wide, and they will not sell cheap,
McClean said. So pricing will stabilize
in the long term.
That dynamic will put a damper on
economic development plans in India
to get into the chip business. The start-
ing point is $5 billion, so the door is
closed, and there are no openings,
McClean said.
p
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NEWS OF THETIMES
Chief executive Paul Otellini (r.) kicked off the 2011 Intel Developer Forum
in San Francisco by promising the company would plant its Atom
processor in multiple Android smartphones that will ship next year. Its a
story we have heard before, but Otellini was pretty candid about Intels
struggles with smartphones, MeeGo and moreand he got Googles
mobile chief, Andy Rubin, on stage to talk about work delivering an X86-
ready version of Android. We snapped a few pictures of key moments from
IDF keynotes and goodies found on the show floor.
Snapshots from IDF
By Rick Merritt
GALLERY
bUltra boards for ultrabooks
Panasonic showed two novel pc boards geared
to be great ingredients for ultrabooksthin and
light notebook PCs that aim to imitate the
Apple Mac Air. Panasonic is now shipping a
board (top) that can embed dice into its surface
to help keep chassis razor thin. The company is
also developing a flexible board technology
(bottom) that will support six layers.
hNext stop: Ivy Bridge ultrabooks
The next stop in the ultrabook evolution is a class of
systems using Intels upcoming Ivy Bridge processors.
At IDF, Intel described for the first time the chips that will
be the first processors to use its 22-nm process with tri-
gate transistors. Intel showed a handful of prototype Ivy
Bridge ultrabooks (pictured) from Taiwan-based ODMs
such as Pegatron.
NEWS OF THETIMES
kHaswell gets rock
star treatment
The tech paparazzi at IDF
covet shots of gadgets,
next-generation chips and
wafers, and Mooly Eden,
the beret-clad general
manager of Intels client
group known for his candor
and enthusiasm. So when
Eden showed Haswell,
Intels next-gen, 22-nm
chip, the flashes were
popping. The chip is the
first to drive the center of
gravity for Intel from 35 W
down to a 15-W CPU as
the desktop giant aims
to become more
mobile- friendly.
vDriving ultrabooks forward,
Intels plans for driving its concept of ultrabooks
forward were the focus of a second-day keynote
by Mooly Eden (l.). Early systems, such as the
Acer Aspire S3 (r.), are already shipping and look
remarkably like the Mac Air. But this design and
others like it from Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba
are just the start of things to come.
The end goal is a 2013-class machine using Intel's
next-generation, 22-nm Haswell CPU and a new,
systemwide approach to power management that
will show significant advances in battery life
without sacrificing performance, Eden said.
kNew spec for LCD panels
As part of its efforts to slash notebook
power, Intel introduced what it called
the panel-self-refresh spec. The design
calls for using embedded Displayport,
rather than LVDS, as the LCD module
interface and adding a frame buffer
of 2 to 12 Mbytes to the display
control electronics.
LG Display is said to be a lead partner
in the work, targeted for 2013-class
ultrabooks. The spec is one part of a
broad system-level power management
initiative Intel is driving for all systems
starting in 2013.
Intel showed a demo of the panel
technology, pictured here. The aim is
to store display images in the panel
buffer memory, thereby eliminating the
need to use the host electronics to
refresh the display.
NEWS OF THETIMES
AS5410 a new dimension in linear position sensing
Hall
www.austriamicrosystems.com/5410
All in one.
Multiple 3D Hall cells
Congurable output characteristic
High accuracy
vDeep in the transistors
Intel fellow Mark Bohr gave
a talk describing details of
the 3-D FinFET transistor
structures used in the
companys upcoming
22-nm process. In response
to a question, he indicated
Intel is on track to ramp a
14-nm process for products
that could ship in 2014.
The initial process will not
use extreme-ultraviolet
lithography, which Bohr
characterized as not
ready; instead, Intel has
figured out how to use
existing, 193-nm immersion
litho machines to create
14-nm chips. But Bohr
would not comment on how
much double- or triple-pat-
terning may be needed in
the process.
hHaswell lives!
IDF is well known as the place where Intel
shows the first working samples of its
next-generation processors. So it was no big
surprise when Mooly Eden demonstrated a
working version of Haswell, Intel's next-
generation, 22-nm design, running in a
conventional desktop (above).
The new chip family will be the first to drive
power consumption down from an average
35 W to 15 W as Intel gears up for the
needs of mobile systems and cooler data
centers. Intel says the change is as
fundamental as the Banias processor-driven
launch of Centrino notebooks a decade ago.
Although the design is now done, Haswell is
not expected to ship until 2013.
hSouped-up graphics
MSI of Taiwan was one of at least two system makers
to show souped-up motherboards on the IDF show floor.
The model shown here uses a novel dual-fan enclosure
MSI designed to pack multiple high-end graphics cards
on a single system. But the graphics enthusiast market is
increasingly looking like a niche for PC makers, as a
growing majority of systems get by just fine with the ever
more beefy graphics cores that Intel and AMD are
packing on their processors.
AT THE HEART OF
EVERY DESIGN...
...THERE IS A NEW SOLUTION.
Dont miss the details, come to the unveiling at ARM TechCon
2011
Register today www.armtechcon.com
Brought to you by
Global
WATCH
THE INTERNET OF THINGS is the
new catchphrase among chip compa-
nies chasing sockets for sensors and
connectivity ICs. The latest company to
join this high-stakes game is Dialog
Semiconductor, a relative newcomer
to wireless ICs thats rolling the dice on
a variation of Digital Enhanced Cord-
less Telecommunications (DECT), the
platform underlying most cordless
home phones.
Dialog (Kirchheim unter Teck-
Nabern, Germany) earlier this month
announced what it says is the first
family of IC-based devices interoperable
with the DECT Ultra Low Energy
(ULE) standard. Its going after a mar-
ket for self-configuring wireless sensor
network devices used in remotely man-
aged home automation, health care,
security and energy monitoring con-
sumer applications.
DECT ULE is a loca area network
technology designed for wireless low-
power applications within a 300-meter
range that can provide sustained
longevity for battery-powered con-
sumer equipment such as burglar
alarms, smoke alarms and doorbells.
The technology has the blessing of
the International Telecommunication
Unions Telecommunication Standardi-
zation Sector, and its expected to
become a European Telecommunica-
tions Standards Institute spec by years
end. But in some respects the approach
has come out of left field, and a bit late
to boot.
In the past decade, the industry has
seen its share of incompatible low-pow-
er wireless technologies, notably Blue-
tooth, ZigBee and Z-Wave. Dialogs
competitors in the burgeoning market
include Freescale, NXP Semiconductors
and Texas Instruments. No one but Dia-
log, however, has launched a DECT
ULE-based device.
Its far from clear whether DECT ULE
can catch up with the low-power wire-
less technology products that have been
in the market for a while in certain seg-
ments. Even Dialog must prove itself;
connectivity wasnt the companys core
business until it bought SiTel Semicon-
ductor earlier this year.
AUTOMATED
HOME
Dialog wagers on DECT ULE
for short-range wireless
By Junko Yoshida
The stakes are high for Dialog and
the rest of the field, because short-range
wireless devices are a volume market
proposition for those that succeed. IMS
Researchs senior market analyst Lisa
Arrowsmith, for example, pegs growth
in the residential automation and light-
ing segment at more than 30 percent
CAGR from 2009 to 2015, with more
than 200 million ICs shipped for appli-
cations in this sector.
IP-based devices
The concept of remotely managed
home automation and security has
been bouncing around for decades.
Two developments, however, have kick-
started the market: the emergence of
Internet Protocol-based devices, and the
ubiquity of Internet-connected devices
such as smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Dialog CEO Jalal Bagherli explained
his reasons for going with DECT ULE in
an exclusive interview with EE Times.
The obvious sell is that the technology
is low energy; its not on all the time,
he said, noting that Dialogs data-only
or data and audio wireless sensor nodes
can run for up to 10 years on a single
AAA battery.
But more importantly, this is com-
patible with the Internet, Bagherli
said. DECT ULE reportedly offers native
Internet support; other wireless tech-
nologies do not.
Residential automation systems have
traditionally been high-end, whole-
home approaches requiring installation
by a specialist; today they are becoming
increasingly modular, according to IMS
Arrowsmith. Thus, many consumers
can set up [such systems] themselves,
Options stack up
for low-energy wireless
SOURCE: Dialog Semiconductor
and can order either online or via stan-
dard DIY stores, she said.
The proliferation of IP-based devices
has fueled that modularity; its easy for
consumers to use a smartphone at
home, for example, to control IP-based
devices remotely over the Internet.
Critical to this scenario, in Dialogs
take on the technology, is the installa-
tion of a DECT basestation at home.
That can be an Internet access device
(IAD), such as a DSL or cable modem
featuring a DECT chip, or a Wi-Fi router
integrated with a DECT chip.
With cordless home phones having
pushed landline models toward irrele-
vance, the use of an IAD with a DECT
chip for voice-over-IP is gaining popu-
larity in Europe, according to Jos van
der Loop, product marketing manager
at Dialog. The company is already
working on a reference design for such
a system with modem chip leader
Broadcom, van der Loop said.
DECT ULE is backward-compatible
with DECT, although the DECT chip
inside the IAD will require a software
upgrade. The ULE platform builds on
the mature DECT technology with
proven range and simple plug-and-
play connections, while running in a
swath of spectrum that is interference-
free worldwide.
Dialog is banking on DECTs name
recognition and perceived ease of use to
advance the wireless ULE version of the
technology. Bagherli said DECT ULEs
point-to-point tree topology is easier for
consumers to configure than other
wireless technologies mesh-network
solutions. Further, for security or per-
sonal applications that may require
voice communicationssuch as a
homebound patient talking to a para-
medic whos trying to gain entry to the
home in an emergencyDECT
has a clear edge over ZigBee, Z-Wave
and Bluetooth. Dialog notes that a
DECT-enabled broadband modem in
the home could handle such voice
transmissions without requiring receiv-
er-transceiver pairing.
IMS Arrowsmith echoed Bagherlis
comments. DECT ULE has the oppor-
tunity to penetrate the residential
automation and consumer health moni-
toring markets for a number of rea-
sons, she said, citing consumer
familiarity with DECT technology and
its proven performance in residential
environments; the existing installed
base of DECT/CAT-iq gateways [which
could be remotely upgraded to support
DECT ULE devices]; and the potential to
also enable voice capability.
But none of this makes DECT ULE a
sure winner in the already crowded
low-power wireless market.
During an interview with EE Times in
New York City last May, NXP CEO
Richard Clemmer demonstrated com-
pact fluorescent lamps and LED bulbs
that could be remotely controlled
via a smartphone, tablet, PC or TV.
Thats precisely the kind of capability
Dialog hopes to enable with its DECT
ULE devices.
Low-power RF and mesh-network
solutions developed by Jennic, a start-
up NXP bought in July 2010, underlie
NXPs vision of the Internet of things,
Clemmer said. NXP uses 802.15.4
short-range wireless, the same 2.4-GHz
frequency in which ZigBee operates,
for the remote-lighting-control solu-
tion. But NXP is ditching ZigBees pro-
tocols in favor of the IP-based protocol
stack, embracing IPv6 over low-power
wireless personal area networks
(6LoWPAN).
IMS analyst Arrowsmith cautioned,
As with any new technology, DECT
ULE will need to be carefully marketed
to gain acceptance. It will be a case of
finding the appropriate segment of the
market upon which to focus efforts.
With the integration of Bluetooth 4.0
in cellular handsets, she said, Bluetooth
Low Energy promises to be a strong
PAN technology for portable consumer
health devices. ZigBee, meanwhile, is
gaining ground in the home area net-
work market through its inclusion in
smart meters and associated devices,
such as thermostats.
The good news for Dialog is that
none of these markets have yet lived up
to their advance buzz.
Just as NXP has bet its future on
Jennic, Dialog is counting on its SiTel
acquisition to lead it into the low-power
wireless market. Choosing a less-trav-
eled road is always a gamble, but Dialog
is making a calculated move. Rather
than dive into Bluetooth or ZigBee mar-
kets already crawling with established
players, the company is betting that its
better off innovating new markets.
NXP today styles itself as a company
with no big chip in the middle; Dia-
logs strategy is similar. We did not
want to compete in the pure digital
apps processor market, said Bagherli.
Dialogs core business encompasses
power management for mobility, inter-
nally developed low-power audio
codecs, driver ICs for next-generation
mobile displays and 3-D video conver-
sion IC for mobile.
Missing from the companys portfo-
lio before the SiTel purchase was a tech-
nology that could connect high-volume
consumer devices. The SiTel acquisition
has allowed Dialog to chart a high-
growth path, said Bagherli. He cited
several areas of synergy, noting that the
Netherlands-based operation is cultur-
ally relatively close to Dialog and thus
presents a cross-selling opportunity;
that SiTel, like Dialog, tapped Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
for foundry services; and that the com-
bined entities can now share CAD
licensing expenses.
But the Dialog CEO acknowledges
the challenges ahead. To energize the
low-power wireless home automa-
tion, security and energy markets,
Dialog needs willing partners, large
guys who enable the industries, he
said. The key is to develop complete
reference designs for DECT ULE-based
devices, along with software support,
so that new customers can easily add
applications.
Dialog has predicted 15 percent
growth for the third quarter, ending
this month. While the rest of the semi-
conductor world remains flat at best,
we are confident that we will meet the
guidance, said Bagherli.
p
GLOBAL WATCH
Dialog is banking
on DECTs name
recognition and
perceived ease of
use to advance
the wireless
low-energy version
of the technology
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voltages to dc and ac power appropriate for residential and
commercial use. Unlike conventional, copper-and-iron trans-
formers, the IUT deploys solid-state high-frequency switching
and fast-computing digital control technologies to control
and shape its output characteristics.
For future smart grid applications, the IUT can be used to
connect distributed renewable generation capabilities to the
distribution grid without the distribution-voltage swings
allowed by conventional transformers.
EPRI has been working on the IUTs solid-state technology
for a number of years and has completed a proof of concept
and various prototype designs that are ready for field demon-
strations and early deployment. The institute successfully
demonstrated a working IUT in December 2010 at its labora-
tory in Knoxville, Tenn. Earlier this year, a field prototype
2.4-kV, 25-kVA model with enclosure, packaging, and high-
and low-voltage bushings was deployed for evaluation. IUT
field demonstration projects at multiple host sites are sched-
uled through 2012 to finalize the design, specifications and
manufacturing requirements.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energys National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, with industrial partner
Semikron, has developed a prototype 50-kW inverter using
National Instruments tools. The inverter contains a 50-kW
modular power block thats roughly the size of a microwave
oven. NREL predicts the design, when produced in volume,
will come in at one-third the cost of other integrated power
electronics of the same rating, and foresees its use in such
applications as photovoltaics, wind turbines and batteries.
The design and commercialization of grid-tied power elec-
tronics control systems was historically hampered by a lack
of rapid control prototyping and real-time hardware-in-the-
loop simulation capabilities, Bill Kramer, R&D manager for
energy systems integration technologies at NREL, said in a
presentation at NIWeek last month.
Smart grid:
Slow buildout begins
By Nicolas Mokhoff
THE BUILDERS OF THE SMART GRID KNOW theyre run-
ning a marathon, not a sprint.
Just as we saw cell phone technology leapfrog the old
wire-based systems, we should anticipate that new power
technologies will give rise to innovative systems that may
leapfrog our familiar lineup of power plants, wires and
meters, Theodore F. Craver, Jr., chairman of the Electric
Power Research Institute, in EPRIs State of the Technology
2011 report. But the buildout is a monumental task that will
take decades to accomplish.
The to-do list items for the smart grids architects include
integrating communications across the grid; developing
advanced control methods; tackling advanced sensing, meter-
ing and measurement issues; designing advanced grid compo-
nents that incorporate superconductive materials, power
electronics and microelectronics; and hammering out a sup-
port and human interface methodology.
Meanwhile, as renewable energy sources are developed and
deployed, industry participants must find ways to connect
those sources to the current, aging national electric grid. At
its most basic level, the task involves converting solar and
wind energy sources to the U.S. 60-Hz ac standard, using pow-
er converter technology such as an inverter to transform dis-
tributed energy and into grid-compatible ac power. The
search is on for inverters that are smarter, more flexible and
much cheaper than those used today.
EPRI has developed a solid-state intelligent universal
transformer (IUT) prototype for voltage conversion. Com-
bined with communications technology, the solid-state trans-
former becomes a smart node within the smart grid that can
detect metering problems, track asset loading, and serve as a
data source for real-time condition monitoring and load mod-
eling. It will also help integrate distributed resources such as
energy storage, photovoltaics and plug-in electric vehicles.
The IUT converts ac power at various distribution-level
COVER STORY
Between 2009 and 2010,
renewable energy
consumption rose by
6 percent, to more than
8 quadrillion Btu.
Source: U.S. Energy Information
Administration
Between 2006 and 2010, the
biomass share of renewable
energy consumption
increased from 49 percent
to 53 percent, winds share
increased from 4 to 11 per-
cent, and conventional hydro-
electrics share decreased
from 43 to 31 percent.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Renewable energy consumption
in the U.S. energy supply, 2010
Total: 97.892 quadrillion Btu Total: 8.049 quadrillion Btu
Wind 11%
Solar 1%
Biomass 53%
Coal 21%
Renewable
energy 8%
Nuclear electric
power 9%
Natural gas 25%
Petroleum
37%
Geothermal 3%
Hydroelectric 31%
Renewable energy consumption
by energy source
2006 Total: 6.659 quadrillion Btu 2010 Total: 8.049 quadrillion Btu
Wind
11%
Biomass
53%
Biomass
49%
Geothermal 3%
Solar 1%
Wind 4%
Geothermal 3%
Solar 1%
Hydroelectric
31% Hydroelectric
43%
COVER STORY
MOST DISRUPTIVE IDEAS, like the PC and the smart-
phone, combine existing elements in a way that provides
a dramatically better solution. The same holds true for the
smart grid.
The proliferation of smart networked embedded sys-
tems, widely distributed throughout the grid, will revolu-
tionize the way electricity is produced, consumed and
distributed. Like the IT revolution that drives it, the energy
technology (ET) revolution will bring
dramatic innovations that make energy
cheaper, cleaner and more abundant.
The American electrification efforts
that began in the 1870s were extended
segment by segment to reach almost the
entire U.S. population by 1950. Like the
United States, most countries around the
world incorporated technologies span-
ning generations when building their
electrical grids. Today, these grids are
some of the most complex, interconnect-
ed machines in the world. Many power-
ful transformations, driven by new
technologies, have occurred since the
start of electrification; now technology is
poised to revolutionize the grid itself.
Smart grid technologies are tackling
technical challenges that limit the open-
ness, reliability and efficiency of energy
production and distribution. One chal-
lenge is that electrical energy is not
stored in significant quantities today,
which makes it difficult for grid opera-
tors to manage the peaks and valleys in supply and demand
that occur on the hottest and coldest days of the year. The
emergence of electric vehicles will dramatically increase
the amount of storage capacity on the grid, but it will also
increase the peak demands for charging the vehicles.
For grid operators, that creates both a challenge and
an opportunity that smart grid technology will address.
Energy storage will make it easier to manage large
amounts of energy from solar and wind sources, which
are inherently variable in their production.
Another major challenge is grid reliability. The United
States has 300,000 miles of interconnected power lines.
Imbalances in supply and demand result in wasted power
and often lead to interruptions that cost roughly $150 bil-
lion a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Smart grid technology will address those issues by auto-
matically predicting and responding to shifting loads,
rerouting power around obstructions, introducing distrib-
uted storage and renewable generation, and even identify-
ing and locating faults to dispatch repair crews with the
appropriate equipment.
Smart instruments
Reconfigurable embedded instrumentation and control sys-
tems such as CompactRIO provide an ideal combination of
technologies and features to address the most difficult
smart grid challenges. Powered by Lab-
View and reconfigurable FPGAs, these
user-programmable, field-updateable
smart devices can perform multiple digital
signal processing and control tasks in par-
allel and in real-time. Modern analog-to-
digital converters and sensors, meanwhile,
provide high-fidelity electrical measure-
ments while synchronizing on a global
scale. In addition, emerging network com-
munication protocols such as IEC 61850
are being defined to ensure network inter-
operability and compatibility from the
smart sensor to the cloud.
For example, reconfigurable I/O technol-
ogy is improving grid efficiency in India,
where NexGen Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. uses
LabView and CompactRIO for a substation
automated meter reader (AMR) with
advanced power measurement capabilities.
The system monitors both the 11-kV
incoming transmission line power and the
440-V outgoing power to characterize the
efficiency of the substation transformer. It
also monitors the transformer oil level and temperature,
and it communicates via cellular networks to a central
supervisory control and data acquisition system.
NexGen is deploying a version of this system built on NI
Single-Board RIO hardware to 2,820 substations through-
out the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Installing distributed smart sensors is the only way to
fully characterize the efficiency of the grid. The NexGen
AMR system promises to improve power distribution in
India, reducing the estimated 30 percent power losses that
the current distribution system incurs.
p
Brian MacCleery is the principal product manager for clean
energy technology at National Instruments. He holds bachelors
and masters degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech.
Matt Spexarth is a product manager for NI Single-Board RIO at
National Instruments. He holds a bachelors degree in electrical
engineering from Kansas State University.
Smart grid taps evolutionary concepts for radical change
By Brian MacCleery and Matt Spexarth
Brian MacCleery
Matt Spexarth
Advanced semiconductor solutions to fuel your creativity.
Come to Mouser rst for whats next from these industry leaders.
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COVER STORY
NIs recently upgraded reconfigurable I/O (RIO) platform,
based on a 400-MHz Intel Corei7 processor and Xilinx Spar-
tan-6 FPGA, targets embedded monitoring and control appli-
cations in such fields as energy and medicine.
NREL is working directly with National Instruments to
develop advanced power electronics inverter control hard-
ware based on reconfigurable FPGA technology for renew-
able, electric-vehicle and smart grid systems, said Kramer.
With the high-bandwidth connector on the NI single-board
RIO devices, and with LabView programming tools, we now
can take our simulations and advanced algorithms from pro-
totype to high-volume, deployable targets more quickly.
Michelle Tinsley, general manager of the Intel Embedded
Computing Division, said at NI Week, By combining the
power of the Intel Core i7 processor and the productivity of
National Instruments integrated CompactRIO hardware and
LabView software, we are giving engineers a high-perfor-
mance solution to quickly solve their advanced control and
monitoring problems.
Raft of projects
The NREL/NI collaboration exemplifies the multiple projects
aiming to link clean technologies to an aging U.S. energy
infrastructure.
The Recovery Act of 2009 invested $685 million in smart
grid regional and energy storage demonstration projects; that
total was matched by more than $1 billion from utilities and
industry. This past summer, the Obama administration
announced a number of initiatives designed to accelerate the
modernization of the nations electric infrastructure, bolster
grid innovation and advance the
cleantech economy.
Aimed at building the necessary
transmission infrastructure and
developing and deploying digital
information technologies, the ini-
tiatives are expected to facilitate
the integration of renewable
sources of electricity into the grid.
A new report by the National Sci-
ence and Technology Council
(NSTC) delineates four overarching
goals: better alignment of econom-
ic incentives to boost development
and deployment of smart-grid tech-
nologies; a focus on standards and
interoperability to smooth the path
for innovation; enhanced informa-
tion exchange, empowering con-
sumers to manage their energy use
and contain costs while preserving
their privacy; and improved grid
security and resilience.
DOEs Office of Electricity
Delivery and Energy Reliability is
conducting R&D to create next-
generation devices, software, tools
and techniques to modernize the
grid. Priorities include renewable and distributed systems
integration, energy storage and power electronics, advanced
system monitoring and visualization, and development of
control systems.
The Department of Defense also has a vested interest in the
smart grid buildout. The DOD is piloting microgrid technolo-
gy at the Marine Corps Twentynine Palms, Calif., installation
in a bid to assess the true costs, benefits and security of the
system; if it passes muster, the microgrid technology might
be deployed at other DOD installations.
Market potential
A recent update of a forecast in a fourth quarter 2009 Pike
Research report on the smart meter market points to the
significant headway made since the original study was pub-
lished. Pike notes, for example, that China is deploying
smart meters at an astonishing rate, well in excess of initial
forecasts.
The updated report predicts the global installed base of
smart meters will reach 535 million units by 2015, up from
the 251 million units projected in the 2009 forecast. Pike fur-
ther projects that the installed base of smart meters will con-
tinue its robust growth beyond 2015, reaching 963 million
units by 2020.
The industry has made significant headway during the
past two years, and the growing installed base of smart
meters will be an important precursor of more diverse energy
management solutions in the years to come, stated Pike
research director Bob Gohn.
Gohn forecasts that smart meters will represent the
The Open PV Project is a collaborative effort among government,
industry and the public that aims to compile a comprehensive database
of photovoltaic installation data for the United States. The interactive
map gives an up-to-date snapshot of the U.S. solar power market.
Go to http://openpv.nrel.gov/visualization/index.php.
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
COVER STORY
majority of all installed electrical meters by 2018 and that the
smart meter penetration rate will reach 59 percent by 2020.
Pikes updated report lists Certicom, Digi International,
Ember, Sierra Wireless and Texas Instruments as among the
chip and component participants in the smart grid build-
out. All are embarking on simplified solutions that are cost-
effective across the board of utilities and end customers,
according to the study.
Analog Devices Inc. recently introduced an energy meter-
ing chip that offers real-time harmonic analysis for energy
meters and power-quality monitoring equipment. Designed
for polyphase meters, the chip offers magnitude and phase
information, and is said to deliver better than 1 percent accu-
racy over a dynamic range of 2000:1 up to the 63rd harmonic.
The new device is the first to use ADIs proprietary adap-
tive real-time monitoring (ARTM) harmonic analysis technol-
ogy, which eliminates the need for custom development of
sophisticated digital signal processing and reduces the
demands on the system microcontroller.
The presence of harmonics is a growing concern for ener-
gy systems worldwide, as excessive harmonic currents can
cause overheating of power transformers and false tripping of
protective relays, said Ronn Kliger, Energy Group director at
Analog Devices. Harmonic pollution is growing as grid-con-
nected loads and sources increasingly rely on power electron-
ics that generate or consume harmonic power. The ADE7880
enables smart grid systems to accurately monitor harmonic
pollution so that corrective action, when necessary, can be
taken by utilities and their customers.
Smart meter specialist ADD Grup recently selected the
ADE7880 for its new three-phase industrial meter. Our
high-end industrial meter required harmonic analysis along
with traditional energy metering and power quality features,
said Vladimir Culiuc, head of the Electric Meter Design
Department at ADD Grup. We chose the ADE7880 to build
our design because it saved us considerable software develop-
ment and validation time.
Storing for a rainy day
The sun doesnt shine all the time, nor does the wind blow
with consistency. Technologies that harvest energy from
those renewable sources thus require an effective storage
mechanism. At NIWeek, Carlos Coe, chief executive officer of
Xtreme Power, reported on grid-level energy storage projects
during a smart grid panel discussion.
Earlier this year, Xtreme Power, developer and manufactur-
er of the Dynamic Power Resource large-scale energy storage
and power systems, commissioned a 15-MW system at wind
energy provider First Winds 30-MW Kahuku Wind project
on Hawaiis Oahu island. The project marks Xtreme Powers
largest commercial DPR currently in operation and is the
largest battery energy storage system integrated on a wind
farm in North America, said Coe.
Alison Silverstein, project director at the North American
Synchrophasor Initiative (NASPI), elaborated at the NIWeek
panel on the role of synchrophasors, which are precise grid
measurements available from phasor measurement units
(PMUs). Phasor technology offers great benefit for integrat-
ing renewable and intermittent resources, [supporting] auto-
mated controls for transmission and demand response,
increasing transmission system throughput, and improving
system modeling and planning, Silverstein said.
PMU measurements are taken at high speed (typically
30 observations per second, compared with one observation
every 4 seconds using conventional technology). Each meas-
urement is time-stamped according to a common time refer-
ence. Time stamping allows synchrophasors from different
utilities to be time-aligned (or synchronized) and combined,
providing a precise and comprehensive view of the entire
interconnection. Synchrophasors enable a better indication
of grid stress, and can be used to trigger corrective actions to
maintain reliability, said Silverstein.
NASPI is a collaborative effort among the DOE; North
American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC); and North Ameri-
can electric utilities, vendors, consultants, federal and private
researchers, and academics. NASPI activities are funded by
DOE and NERC.
This month, the U.S. Commerce Department's National
Institute of Standards and Technology and the European
Unions Smart Grid Coordination Group jointly announced
their intention to work together on smart grid standards
development, emphasizing common goals and areas of focus.
The collaboration is meant to ensure that smart grid stan-
dards on both continents have as much in common as possi-
ble, so that devices and systems that interact with the grids
can be designed in similar fashion.
And the beat goes on.
p
TOWARD A SMARTER TRANSMISSION GRID
The following tech enablers are required for deployment of a
smart electric transmission grid:
integrated communications across the grid;
advanced methods of control;
devices that sense, meter and measure electric power
parameters; and
analytical software and hardware to aid decision-making.
The next generation of the electrical grid will need to take
full advantage of innovative materials, nanotechnology,
superconducting technologies, advanced computing, parallel
processing and fast simulation. The Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) is at work on a suite of sensor technologies to
address transmission applications.
At the heart of the emerging smart grid, according to EPRI,
will be a network of communication devices that will more
precisely monitor grid parameters and provide a path toward
an aware network capable of self-diagnostics.
The challenge is to plan and coordinate the steps that
will safely, reliably and securely move the industry toward
that goal.
Nicolas Mokhoff
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Intelligence
AT THE UPCOMING Interna-
tional Electron Devices Meet-
ing, researchers from IBM will
describe their achievement of
a 2-GHz frequency doubler RF
circuit in a CMOS-compatible
process technology.
IEDM is slated for Dec. 5-7 in
Washington, D.C.
Graphene, comprising a
honeycomb lattice of carbon
atoms in a single sheet,
demonstrates not only an elec-
tric field effect but also ballis-
tic electronic transport. The
electron mobility of graphene
is higher than that of silicon
by at least a factor of 40. While
its high current density, mobil-
ity and saturation velocity
make graphene an attractive
material for high-performance
circuits, working with carbon
in a wafer fab has proved diffi-
cult. As a result, single devices
and simple integrated circuits
have marked the state of the
art to date.
IBMs development
advances graphene toward a
manufacturable technology
based on CMOS-compatible
fabrication on 200-mm diameter
wafers, according to the abstract
released by IEDM organizers.
Because all of the carbon chemical
bonds are used within a perfect
graphene sheet, the material has an
inherently inert surface, complicating
the fabrication of a gate-insulating
dielectric layer on top of it. IBM's
approach inverts the usual manufac-
turing process, first defining gate
structures on silicon wafers and then
transfering the graphene layers, fabri-
cated using chemical vapor deposi-
tion, to the silicon. After defining the
areas of graphene, IBM attaches
source and drain contacts to com-
plete the FET structure, according to
the abstract.
The experimental frequency
doubler, integrating multiple FETs
and RF passives, demonstrated a con-
version gain of approximately 25 dB
at an output frequency of 2 GHz,
according to data released by the
IEDM organizers.
p
IBM to report 2-GHz graphene IC
By Peter Clarke
MATERIALS
The four images show: (a) an 8-inch graphene FET wafer; (b) a single die;
(c) a SEM image of a typical fully processed device and (d) an enlarged view
of the device, showing the embedded gate structure with two-finger design.
Except for the CVD graphene transfer, all processing was done in a
conventional 200-mm fab.
IBMs approach
inverts the usual
manufacturing
process
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RESEARCHERS AT THE Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology have
designed a MEMS energy harvesting
device for wireless sensors that report-
edly can generate two orders of magni-
tude more power than current designs.
Departing from the cantilever-based
approach commonly used for energy
harvesters, the MIT team engineered a
microchip with a small bridgelike
structure thats anchored to the chip at
both ends. The researchers deposited a
single layer of piezoelectric material
(PZT) on the bridge, then centered a
small weight on the PZT layer.
In vibration tests, the device was able
to respond not just at one specific fre-
quency but at a wide range of low fre-
quencies, according to the researchers.
Wireless sensors are widely avail-
able, but there is no supportive
power package, said Sang-Gook Kim,
a professor of mechanical engineering
at MIT and co-author of a paper detail-
ing the development. I think our
vibrational energy harvesters are a solu-
tion for that.
Energy harvesting designs commonly
consist of a small microchip with layers
of PZT glued to the top of a tiny can-
tilever beam. As the chip is exposed to
vibrations, the beam flexes like a diving
board, stressing the PZT layers. The
stressed material builds up an electric
charge, which can be picked up by
arrays of tiny electrodes. But such
designs could be too costly for sensor
nets involving millions of sensors,
said Kim. A single-layer MEMS device
can be fabricated for less than $1.
The MIT design increases the fre-
quency range while maximizing the
power density, or energy generated per
square centimeter. The team published
its results in the Aug. 23 online edition
of Applied Physics Letters.
p
MIT design
simplifies energy
harvesting device
By Nicolas Mokhoff
WIRELESS SENSORS
INTELLIGENCE
SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH Corp.
(SRC), a U.S. university research con-
sortium, and the National Science
Foundation are funding 12 four-year
nanoelectronics research grants at a col-
lective cost of $20 million. The 12 inter-
disciplinary research teams, working at
24 participating U.S. universities, are
being asked to find a nanoelectronic
switching mechanism that could
replace the transistor.
U.S.-based chip manufacturing
leaders Globalfoundries, IBM, Intel,
Micron Technology and Texas Instru-
ments are assigning researchers to
interact with the university teams
under the program, dubbed Nanoelec-
tronics for 2020 and Beyond.
The search for a new semiconductor
device that will provide the U.S. with a
leadership position in the global era of
nanoelectronics relies on making dis-
coveries at advanced universities, said
Jeff Welser, director of SRCs Nanoelec-
tronics Research Initiative (NRI).
NRI has a goal of demonstrating the
feasibility of novel computing devices
in simple computer circuits within the
next five to 10 years.
The joint NSF-NRI grants were award-
ed to the nanoelectronics research proj-
ects listed below. Details of the projects
can be viewed at the accompanying
links. Peter Clarke
Scalable Sensing, Storage and
Computation with a Rewritable Oxide
Nanoelectronics Platform, directed by
Jeremy Levy at the University of Pittsburgh
http://tiny.cc/w69kw
Integrated Biological and Electronic
Computation at the Nanoscale, directed
by Timothy Lu, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology http://tiny.cc/ac6uk
Developing a Graphene Spin Computer:
Materials, Nano-Devices, Modeling, and
Circuits, directed by Roland Kawakami
at the University of California-Riverside
http://tiny.cc/cf9pv
Meta-Capacitance and Spatially Periodic
Electronic Excitation Devices (MC-SPEEDs),
directed by Jonathan Spanier at Drexel
University http://tiny.cc/5esrv
Hybrid Spintronics and Straintronics:
New Technology for Ultra-Low Energy
Computing and Signal Processing Beyond
the Year 2020, directed by Supriyo
Bandyopadhyay at Virginia Common-
wealth University http://tiny.cc/65kdu
Charge-Density-Wave Computational Fab-
ric: New State Variables and Alternative
Material Implementation, directed by
Alexander Balandin at UC-Riverside
http://tiny.cc/jekvr
Ultimate Electronic Device Scaling
Using Structurally Precise Graphene
Nanoribbons, directed by Paulette Clancy
at Cornell University http://tiny.cc/5060i
Nanoelectronics with Mixed-valence
Molecular QCA, directed by Craig Lent
at the University of Notre Dame
http://tiny.cc/xnkaz
Scalable Perpendicular All-Spin
Non-Volatile Logic Devices and Circuits
with Hybrid Interconnection, directed by
Jian-Ping Wang at the University of
Minnesota, Twin Cities
http://tiny.cc/iqgen
Physics-Inspired Non-Boolean
Computation Based on Spatial-Temporal
Wave Excitations, directed by
Wolfgang Porod at Notre Dame
http://tiny.cc/kowzu
Novel Quantum Switches Using
Heterogeneous Atomically Layered
Nanostructures, directed by
Philip Kim at Columbia University
http://tiny.cc/9m57e
Superlattice-FETs, Gamma-L-FETs and
Tunnel-FETs: Materials, Circuits and
Devices for Fast, Ultra-Low Power,
directed by Mark Rodwell at
UC-Santa Barbara http://tiny.cc/isqi7
Multi-university nano research
pursues transistor replacement
MORE NEW TECHNOLOGY
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IN RECENT YEARS, weve witnessed
the emergence of body area network
technology for remote patient monitor-
ing. BAN development has been driven
by pressure to reduce health care costs,
and by an increased focus on preven-
tion and early risk detection.
Market studies predict demand for
BAN devices will reach an annual vol-
ume of 100 million units by 2011, driv-
en by wearable and implantable devices
for use in patient monitoring, as well as
for consumer health and fitness.
Given the aging population in many
regions, the monitoring aspect of health
care represents an important piece of
the puzzle, especially in countries
where the availability of clinicians is
the fundamental capacity limitation of
the system. A system that continuously
monitors the condition of elderly
patients, sharing the information with
remote care providers, can better cope
with health care demand. This is partic-
ularly true when health care and elder
care providers strive to allow senior cit-
izens with chronic conditions to live
independently for as long as possible.
BANs are highly localized wireless
networks that can potentially support
a variety of medical applications, from
tracking vital signs to monitoring the
functioning of implants and perform-
ing state-of-the-art endoscopic exams.
Traditional patient monitoring con-
sists of physiological sensors connected
between a patients body and a dedicat-
ed signal processing unit located nearby
through unwieldy wires. Those wires
limit the patients mobility and com-
fort, and some studies suggest they can
be a source of in-hospital infections.
Moreover, motion artifacts from the
connected wires can negatively affect
the measured results.
Iboun Taimiya Sylla manages business development in the Americas for
low-power RF products at Texas Instruments. He received his bachelors
degree in telecom engineering from Ecole Suprieure des Postes et des
Tlcommunications (Tunis, Tunisia), and his masters and PhD degrees in
electrical engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montral. He also holds an MBA from
the University of Texas at Dallas, with a focus on corporate finance and strategic leadership.
DESIGN PRODUCTS
+
The wireless body area network:
What engineers need to know
By Iboun Taimiya Sylla
GLOBAL FEATURE
With BANs widely
viewed as a
solution for
spiraling health
care costs and
provider shortages,
wireless standards
groups and the
IEEE are embracing
the technology body
and soul
Figure1. A typical body area network.
With the advent of low-
power and low-cost wire-
less connectivity
technologies, BANs can
now be implemented and
deployed using available
complementary technolo-
gies. Figure 1 (page 35)
illustrates a typical wire-
less BAN.
A network of sensors is
placed on or close to the sur-
face of the patients body or implanted
statically into tissue to enable the col-
lection of specific physiological data.
Such an arrangement allows for the
continuous monitoring of a patients
health regardless of the persons loca-
tion. Sensed signals can be those for
electroencephalography (EEG), electro-
cardiography (EKG), electromyography
(EMG), skin temperature, skin conduc-
tance and electrooculography (EOG).
Each of the sensors transmits collect-
ed information wirelessly to an external
processing unit, located on the patient
or at the patients bedside. The process-
ing unit can then use traditional data
networks, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi or
GSM, to transmit all information in
real-time to a doctors device or a specif-
ic server. The sensors used in a BAN
generally require accuracy for their
physiological parameter of interest and
a certain level of low-power signal pro-
cessing as well as wireless capability.
In some instances, the sensors can be
transceivers or receivers, depending on
the bandwidth of the data to be collect-
edfor instance, temperature or heart
rate data, vs. an analog EKG waveform.
Sensors used in BANs can be classi-
fied into two main categories, depend-
ing on their operation mode.
Wearable BANs usually comprise sen-
sors that are attached to the surface of
the body or implanted very close to the
surface of the body for short periods of
time (less than 14 days). They typically
consist of inexpensive, lightweight and
small sensors that allow unrestricted
ambulatory health monitoring to
provider near-real-time updates on the
health status of the patient.
Implantable BANs have sensors that
are located deeper in the body, in areas
such as the heart, brain and spinal cord.
Implantable BANs meld active stimula-
tion and physiological monitoring, and
represent a highly desirable proposition
for some chronic conditions that until
now have only been treatable using
drugs. Examples of such treatments
include deep-brain stimulation for
Parkinsons disease, spinal stimulators
for chronic pain and bladder stimula-
tors for urinary incontinence.
An understanding of BAN require-
ments is key to the design of reliable
products in this space. BANs are charac-
terized by easily configured,
low-cost, ultralow-power
and highly reliable sensor
systems. Their packaging
and operation must be ster-
ile for use in proximity to or
inside a human body. In
addition, the wireless com-
munication must be robust
against RF interference in
the environment from such
sources as Wi-Fi networks,
microwave ovens and cordless phones.
BAN nodes
The challenges of designing BANs
include:
Form factor. Size and weight are
very important for BAN sensors, as they
directly affect the comfort of the
patient. The smaller the area and mass
of a node, the fewer restrictions it will
introduce on the patients activities.
However, this must be balanced against
the requirements for sensor signal-to-
noise ratio, noise immunity and effi-
ciency of the antenna for the wireless
communications link. As companies
look at targeting BANs toward con-
sumer applications, user-friendliness
and reliability are both important fac-
tors for increased adoption.
Power and current consumption.
Battery life is a critical challenge in
BAN node design. The need for frequent
replacement or recharging of batteries
is undesirable for wearable nodes
and unacceptable for many implantable
nodes. Several techniques, such as sen-
sor and communication duty cycling
and the use of super-regenerative radio
receivers, are making strides toward
longer operational times and battery
autonomy. Some designers are looking
toward new developments in energy
harvesting techniques to extend the
lifetime of their BAN products.
Reliability. When dealing with
medical devices and applications, it is
imperative to have a system that pro-
vides sufficient data accuracy and
unquestioned data reliability. Patient
safety depends on the repeatability,
accuracy and reliability of a BAN sys-
tem at the sensing and wireless trans-
mission levels.
Security. To protect patient privacy
and prevent hacking into the network,
DESIGN PRODUCTS
+
Standard Original target
Bluetooth Voice/audio links
ZigBee Low data-rate industrial sensors, smart
grids, smart energy
Wi-Fi High-data-rate data networks
ANT Low-power-consumption data links, but
with higher peak current
Bluetooth Low Energy Small, infrequent data packets;
low current consumption, but with
higher peak current
Narrowband PHY
Ultra-wideband
(UWB) PHY
Media access control (MAC) and security
Human body
communications
HBC PHY ( )
Figure 2. High level overview of the IEEE 802.15.6
architecture.
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BAN nodes must implement adequate
security measures.
Intelligence. The level of local-sig-
nal processing capability determines
how much power is available, the flexi-
bility needed in the signal processing
algorithm, how many nodes are in the
network and the bandwidth of the sig-
nals of interest. Thanks to continued
progress in lowering the power con-
sumption of embedded microproces-
sors, nodes are becoming more and
more intelligent.
BAN standards
Today, a BAN can be implemented using
several wireless connectivity standards,
DESIGN PRODUCTS
+
Eventually, body area networks, which
allow for continuous and individualized
medical and wellness monitoring, could
become as ubiquitous and inexpensive as
mobile phones.
BANs allow for the monitoring of exist-
ing conditions to see when a medical
intervention or change in therapy is need-
ed, or for preventive purposes, such as
tracking stress levels. To be universally
accepted and used, BANs should consist
of inexpensive, small, intelligent nodes.
With today's technology, several com-
panies have already created BAN-like
devices. But compared with the plug-and-
play sensors that we envision, these are
still too large, too expensive and too pow-
er-hungry by orders of magnitude.
A BAN node that is powered by energy
harvested from the body, for example,
would have a power budget of around
100 W for all the components together.
But even without recourse to energy har-
vesting, these nodes would still have to be
ultralow-power so that they would be suffi-
ciently autonomous from battery replace-
ments or recharges.
To arrive at the ultimate BAN, further
advances are needed in ultralow-power
sensors, ultralow-power DSPs and ultra-
low-power radios. And even after such
component engineering, you'd still want to
gain another order of magnitude improve-
ment in cost, size and power budget,
through co-optimization of the compo-
nents with a specific application in mind.
Ultimately, all the technology for a BAN
node should be integrated on one chip
that can be mass-produced and packaged
in an IC fab. It would be an inexpensive
flexible microchip, of a few square mil-
limeters, with sensor, DSP, wireless radio,
energy harvesting and energy manage-
ment included.
This vision of telemedicine with wire-
less sensors has sparked interest from
R&D labs around the world. Two recent
demonstrators, made with the technology
developed at the Interuniversity Microelec-
tronics Center (IMEC; Leuven, Belgium)
and the Holst Center (Eindhoven, Nether-
lands), illustrate some of the technological
challenges and the breakthroughs that
have already been made.
IMEC and the Holst Center have built a
prototype heart monitor with a greatly
reduced power budget. They did so by
designing new ultralow-power compo-
nents: an analog signal processor, DSP
and radio chip. In parallel, they made
another important gain by carefully opti-
mizing the distribution of functions over
the analog and digital domains, exploiting
the characteristics of the application.
The new DSP is a versatile ultralow-
power biomedical signal processor, code
named CoolBio, made in collaboration
with NXP Semiconductors. It consumes
only 13 pJ/cycle when running a complex
EKG algorithm at 1 MHz and 0.4 V. The
chip is voltage- and performance-scalable,
supporting a frequency range of 1 MHz up
to 100 MHz with an operating voltage
from 0.4 to 1.2 V.
The result is highly reduced power con-
sumption at low operating frequencies,
while maintaining the possibility of high-
performance computing for multichannel
biomedical signal processing.
p
Jan Provoost is a science writer for IMEC.
Julien Penders is IMEC program manager
for body area networks.
Demonstration platforms suggest wireless
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such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, ANT
or Bluetooth Low Energy. Those wire-
less connectivity standards were not
originally developed for BAN applica-
tions, however.
The accompanying table (page 36)
depicts the original target applications
for certain standards. While several
standards carry additional overhead and
therefore dont generally meet the peak
power (current) consumption require-
ments of less than 3 mA for wearable
BAN devices, standards bodies and
industry groups have implemented
health-care-specific initiatives to meet
BAN requirements.
BAN systems can also be implement-
ed using proprietary solutions from
various vendors. Such systems often
use different operating frequencies
(depending on the country of opera-
tion) and arent interoperable. On the
other hand, proprietary solutions
allow BANs to be tailored to specific
needs and may offer better characteris-
ticsfor example, lower power con-
sumptionthan public wireless stan-
dards provide.
To develop a communication stan-
dard optimized for low-power devices
that is suitable for BAN applications,
the IEEE launched IEEE 802.15 Task
Group 6 (BAN) to develop the IEEE
802.15.6 standard in 2007. IEEE 802.15.6
offers several advantages over existing
standards. It focuses on short distances,
reduced cost and power consumption,
and lower implementation complexity.
The IEEE 802.15.6 standard defines the
physical (PHY) layer as well as the
media access control (MAC) protocol
and the security layers.
Architectural details
Figure 2 (page 36) describes the IEEE
802.15.6 architecture. It is comprised of
a PHY layer and a common MAC and
security layer.
The PHY layer is divided into three
frequency bands in order to address the
diverse data rate requirements imposed
by medical and consumer applications:
narrowband, ultrawideband and human
body communications band. It targets a
distance of three meters while support-
ing data rates varying between 100
kbits/second and 1 Mbit/s, with a peak
power consumption of 3 mA. The MAC
protocol controls access to the channel.
The standard has also defined three
levels of security: level zero, for un-
secured communication; level one, for
authentication only; and level two, for
both authentication and encryption.
Wireless BAN technology is gaining
momentum thanks to several factors,
among them the emergence of the IEEE
802.15.6 standard. Given continued
trends in the development of low-power
and low-cost CMOS radios and the drive
for more information, the BAN market
is expected to grow significantly.
Patient and consumer health
applications will remain key drivers
for BANs. But expect other applica-
tions, such as industrial and agricul-
tural monitoring, to emerge as the
technology evolves.
p
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THE PRIMARY TENET of electric shock
safety is that there must be the equiva-
lent of two independent insulation sys-
tems between dangerously energized
circuits and any conductor that can be
accessed by the user of an electrical
device. One of these insulation systems
could be a safety-grounded enclosure
paired with a single layer of internal
insulation. Another approach is to use
two insulation systems arranged to pro-
vide redundant protection.
As a result, complex electrical sys-
tems using the double-insulation
approach require galvanically isolated
communications across two layers of
insulation without losing signal integri-
ty. This created the need for devices
with the equivalent electrical strength
and reliability of two redundant-insula-
tion systems. This is called a reinforced-
insulation device, and it relies on a
combination of construction, type test-
ing and continuous monitoring in pro-
duction to ensure safety equivalence to
two independent systems.
We will examine how reinforced
insulation is achieved in optocouplers
and digital isolators with respect to con-
struction and test requirements under
IEC60950 and the related IEC60747-5-5
and VDE-0884-10 as well as differences
with other accepted IEC standards for
both types of isolators.
Safety isolation
Isolation is required in modern systems
for many reasons: communication to
high-side components in battery-charg-
ing systems or motor drives; breaking
ground loops in communications sys-
tems; or protecting users from danger-
ous line or secondary voltages. The
level of isolation is determined by the
level of safety required for the specific
application.
Functional isolation provides no pro-
tection to a user, only the insulation
required for the component to function
properly. Basic insulation provides a
level of insulation from shock that is
adequate for protection of an operator if
the insulation is fully intact. However,
to protect people from hazardous volt-
ages, regulations require that two inde-
pendent insulation systems be present:
basic insulation for shock protection,
and a supplemental layer so that if a
fault breaches one insulation system, a
redundant system will still provide safe-
ty to the operator.
This type of arrangement is called
double insulation. When evaluating
insulation systems, the primary require-
ment is safety, not electrical functionali-
ty, so the failure criterion during
evaluation is whether the isolation barri-
er is intact after the qualification. If the
part still functions to the original specifi-
cations, it is an added bonus.
An example of a reinforced-insulation
system is the feedback control loop in a
power supply. Information about the
present output voltage level must flow
from the Safety Extra Low Voltage
(SELV) side of the AC/DC converter to
the line side of the power supply. Opera-
tors can be in contact with the SELV side
of the power supply, so two independent
isolation systems or a reinforced-insula-
tion system must be present in the data
paths to protect operators from shock.
Passive components, like resistors or
capacitors, can be run in series without
significant functional degradation, but
putting two data isolators into the path
would be impractical for several rea-
sons. First, analog data would lose
fidelity and digital data would have
long propagation delays and added jit-
ter. Secondly, it would create the need
for an intermediate power supply to
run the coupler interfaces between the
two layers of isolation. The impractical-
ity of doubling up data isolation devices
created the need for single components
that directly connect across a double-
insulation boundary without sacrific-
ing safety. This type of component
Reinforced isolation for effective
data couplers
By Mark Cantrell
PLANET ANALOG
Figure 1: This component structure is classified as having reinforced
insulation
(Figure 1) is classified as having rein-
forced insulation.
Component-level requirements
Component-reinforced insulation is
evaluated in two ways: external dimen-
sions of the component such as creep-
age, clearance and tracking index; and
internal electrical performance. Inter-
nal and external requirements are han-
dled in very different ways.
Creepage is the shortest distance
along the surface of a component
between electrically isolated conductive
structures such as component pins.
Clearance is also the shortest distance
between isolated conductive structures
in a component, but it is not con-
strained to be on the surface, so the
path can jump over groves and be sus-
pended over ridges.
In simple geometries, the creepage and
clearance path are often the same. The
illustration shows the creepage path for a
JEDEC standard SOIC, since this style of
package is used for many isolation
devices. For this style of package, the
creepage and clearance have the same
path and length. Creepage is always
greater than or equal to the clearance.
An additional external property of
components that is critical to insula-
tion ratings is the Comparative Track-
ing Index (CTI). This is a measure of
how easily an insulating material will
erode under electrical discharge. Higher
tracking voltages will allow smaller
creepage while still maintaining safety.
External dimensions must be equiva-
lent to the total distances provided by
basic and supplemental layers of a dou-
ble insulation system. In general, all
creepage and clearance requirements are
twice as large for reinforced components
as for basic/ supplemental rated compo-
nents. Figure 2 shows two common
operating conditions, and the creepage
and clearances required. This approach
is taken since the external environment
and surface properties determines the
external spacing requirements. These
include the amount of contaminants
expected, the air pressure and the ten-
dency of the outer surface of a compo-
nent to be eroded by surface discharges,
called tracking.
For internal properties of compo-
nents, the quality of the insulation is
more important than having a specific
quantity or thickness of insulation. The
manufacturer can demonstrate that the
part has the required electrical proper-
ties to withstand the voltage stresses
both long and short term.
The requirements of IEC60950 stan-
dard are for office and telecom equip-
ment and to a large extent for medical
devices. The external dimensions and
materials are readily verified with a
micrometer and some bulk material
testing for tracking index. For internal
requirements, there are three approach-
es for qualifying the component.
The component can be evaluated as if
it contained only solid insulation. This is
the simplest approach since it requires
that all of the internal distances through
the insulation or along cemented joints
are greater than 0.4 mm. No further type
testing is required. However, it is diffi-
cult to make a high-performance data
coupler that meets these requirements.
It is widely believed that the 0.4-mm
minimum insulation thickness applies
to all reinforced isolation devices; this is
not the case and is a point of confusion
for many engineers.
If the component is an optocoupler,
then the IEC60747-5-5 standard must be
applied. This is a rigorous standard
specifically designed to qualify optocou-
plers for reinforced insulation and has a
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Figure 2: Two common operating conditions, and the creepage and
clearances required
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battery of type tests and life tests with isolation withstand
verification tests after each one.
The component can be treated as a semiconductor device.
This category of devices has a set of type tests similar to the
IEC60747-5-5 requirements. This approach is used by digital
isolators since the testing requirements of the optocoupler
standard are specifically tailored to optocoupler structures.
Qualification to, and maintenance of, a reinforced rating is
accomplished in three phases.
1) Materials and dimensions are evaluated and electrical
type testing is conducted. Testing includes thermal cycling,
limited life testing and electrical overstress that would cause
heating or catastrophic insulation failure. The integrity of the
isolation is checked with a voltage-withstand test after each
environment or test.
2) After the part has been approved based on its dimen-
sions and type testing, insulation integrity is checked for
each device, as it is manufactured, by a voltage withstand test.
In the case of IEC60747-5-5 or equivalent certifications, a par-
tial-discharge insulation-quality test is also performed on
each device.
3) Periodic audits are conducted by the certifying body to
verify material sets and dimensions have not changed, that
all assembly line tests are being properly conducted with cali-
brated equipment. Some of the type tests periodically repeat-
ed on a sample basis and reviewed by the auditor.
Trends in isolation requirements
The previous discussion centered around one of the most
widely applied standards. Different standards can have dis-
parate requirements at the component level. It even varies
from edition to edition within a single standard. This is
becoming less problematic as IEC is trending toward a uni-
fied approach.
Unifying the standards will likely take a significant
amount of time to achieve since the individual standards
committees still have significant independence. A unifying
trend in application of system-level standards is the availabil-
ity of component-level standards such as IEC60747-5-5. If
such a standard exists for a component, it can be applied
instead of the particular requirements of a system-level stan-
dard as in point two in the component-level requirements
section of this article.
Currently this standard only applies to optocouplers, not
other newer digital isolators; however VDE has created a draft
standard VDE0884-10 which applies the insulation tests of
the IEC60747-5-5 standard to digital isolators.
These standards both set a high bar for reinforced insulation,
including surge testing at levels of 10 kV or higher. Very-thin
insulation layers will not pass this test, and it has proven to be
the discriminating test for many optocouplers and digital isola-
tors for qualification as reinforced insulation. Components that
cannot meet the requirements usually fall back to the IEC60747-
5-2 standard, which can be applied to basic insulation.
This is yet another confusing point for designers of isolated
systems, where it is assumed that an IEC60747-5 qualification
automatically confers reinforced status. The IEC committees
are currently working to revise the IEC60747-5-5 standard to
include digital isolators. The next unified standard will be
applicable across all IEC system level standards and should
help to eliminate confusion in the future.
Ratings verified by test
Reinforced insulation in data isolators is designed and qualified
to provide the protection of double-insulation systems while
providing the data-transmission performance available with a
single isolation barrier. Externally, the components have a
creepage and clearance requirement that is equivalent to twice
the basic-insulation requirement. Internally, insulation either
meets the requirements of solid insulation including through
the insulation minimum distance, or it receives extensive type
testing and assembly-line testing during production.
The availability of a reinforced-insulation rating that is ver-
ified by test rather than detailed structural requirements
allows innovation in insulation technology to be qualified
without rewriting the standards for each new technology.
p
Mark Cantrell is an applications engineer for the digital isolation
group at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI). Prior to joining ADI, Mark spent
six years at California Eastern Laboratories, where he was responsi-
ble for applications support for NECs optocoupler and solid-state-
relay product lines. Marks experience also includes 17 years at
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, where his job as a radiation-
effects test engineer included work on the Gravity Probe B satellite
program. Mark received his MS in physics from Indiana University.
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M/A-COM 1-bit digital attenuator targets
CATV applications
M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc. intro-
duced a 1-bit digital attenuator for CATV
and set-top front-end applications. The
MAAD-010305 15-dB step GaAs MMIC
attenuator conditions cable input signals to
the set-top. It is suited for use where high
accuracy, low power consumption and low
intermodulation are required.
Full story: http://bit.ly/oONbmh
www.macomtech.com
GaN MMIC PA supports EW, test gear
Hittite Microwave says its HMC999 GaN
HEMT MMIC distributed power amp is ideal
for test and measurement equipment and
for military EW and ECM apps up to 10
GHz. Operating between 0.01 and 10 GHz,
the wideband PA provides 11 dB of gain,
+38 dBm of output power at 1-dB gain
compression and +47 dBm of output IP3 at
midband. For less demanding applications,
the HMC999 can be operated from a drain
voltage as low as +28 V while still produc-
ing 5 W of saturated output power.
Full story: http://bit.ly/nghNkm
www.hittite.com
RFMD launches narrowband MMIC VCOs
RF Micro Devices Inc.s has introduced the
RFVC1831RFVC1844 family of MMIC volt-
age-controlled oscillators. RFMD's
RFVC1831 is a 5-V InGaP MMIC VCO with
an integrated frequency divider providing
additional Fo/2 and Fo/4 outputs. With an
Fo frequency range of 7.3 GHz to 8.2 GHz,
the VCO has a monolithic structure that pro-
vides high temperature, shock and vibration
performance. Output power (Fo) is +10 dBm
and is flat across the tuning voltage range
of 2 to 12 V. Phase noise is typically 114
dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset.
Full story: http://bit.ly/mOPkG2
www.rfmd.com
Endwave rolls GaAs MMIC upconverters
Endwave Corp. has expanded its range of
high-performance GaAs monolithic
microwave ICs. The EWU1509YF and
EWU1809YF upconverters operate over
intermediate-frequency ranges of dc to
4 GHz, generating frequencies of 10.0 to
15.4 GHz and 17.0 to 24.0 GHz, respectively.
Based on GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron-
mobility-transistor (pHEMT) technology, the
MMICs incorporate several frequency mixers,
a local oscillator amp or frequency doubler,
and variable-gain RF amplifier circuitry.
Full story: http://bit.ly/oa3ye4
www.endwave.com
Hittite phase shifter
claims one octave bandwidth
Hittite Microwave has fielded a surface-
mount packaged, GaAs-based MMIC analog
phase shifter for phased-array, industrial
sensor, and clock and local oscillator (LO)
synchronization applications in fiber-optic,
military, test and industrial/medical equip-
ment. The HMC934LP5E is controlled via an
analog voltage from 0 to +13 V and pro-
vides a continuously variable relative phase
shift of up to 400 from 1 to 2 GHz.
The HMC934LP5E exhibits insertion loss
of 3.5 dB; the company says the insertion
loss characteristic is extremely consistent
vs. the phase shift setting and input fre-
quency. The insertion phase of the
HMC934LP5E is monotonic with respect to
control voltage and offers a typical phase
flatness of +3.5 / 2 vs. input frequency.
Full story: http://bit.ly/n4D7ZH
www.hittite.com
Capellas optical sensor
eliminates magnetic lid devices
Capellas CM36262 optical lid sensor chip
replaces the standard method of using mag-
nets or mechanical switches for sensing the
presence of a lid or fabric cover on touch-
screen products. In addition to the lid sen-
sor, the chip contains an ambient light
sensor to adjust screen brightness and a
proximity sensor that turns off dialing when
a smartphone is held up to the ear.
Full story: http://bit.ly/nA9PyV
www.capellamicro.com
ADIs failsafe iMEMS gyro provides shock,
vibration immunity in auto apps
Qualified for automotive safety applications,
Analog Devices Inc.s ADXRS800 iMEMS
gyroscope features a differential quad-beam
architecture to minimize the influence of
linear shock and vibration. Sensitivity to
linear acceleration is specified at
0.03/second/g, vibration rectification is
0.0002/s/g
2
, noise rate density is
0.02/s/Hz at +105C, and null offset
variation is 3/s maximum over tempera-
ture and product life. Power consumption is
6 mA typical.
Full story: http://bit.ly/oKAVL6
www.analog.com
ST couples 3-D digital accelerometer,
gyroscope in SiP
The latest iNEMO inertial module from
STMicroelectronics integrates three-axis
sensing of linear and angular motion in a 4
x 5 x 1-mm package, which translates into
a size reduction of nearly half over compa-
rable devices. The LSM330DLC multisensor
module combines a user-selectable full-
scale acceleration range from 2 to 16 g
with angular-rate detection from 250 to
2500 dps along the pitch, roll and yaw
axes. Addressing power constraints in bat-
tery-operated portable devices, the module
includes power-down and sleep modes and
an embedded FIFO (first-in first-out) memo-
ry block for smarter power management. It
can operate with any supply voltage over
the range of 2.4 to 3.6 V.
Full story: http://bit.ly/py7QrV
www.st.com
TI reshapes noncontact
temperature sensing for portables
Texas Instruments TMP006 single-chip pas-
sive infrared MEMS temperature sensor pro-
vides mobile device manufacturers with the
ability to measure device case temperature
accurately using IR technology. Contactless
temperature sensing will enable system
designers to optimize performance while
providing a more comfortable user experi-
ence, according to TI.
The TMP006 can also be used to meas-
ure temperature outside the device.
TIs solution integrates a MEMS thermo-
pile sensor, signal conditioning, 16-bit ana-
log-to-digital-converter, local temperature
sensor and voltage references on a
1.6-mm x 1.6-mm chip, reducing solution
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f
IN
= 2kHz
SNR = 101.2dB
THD = 119.7dB
2376-18
250ksps
2377-18 2378-18 2379-18
2376-16 2377-16 2378-16 2380-16
500ksps 1Msps 1.6Msps 2Msps
18-Bit
101dB SNR
16-Bit
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Power
Consumption
3.75mW 7.5mW 15mW 18mW 19mW
Unrivaled Performance at Only 18mW
, LT, LTC, LTM, Linear Technology and the Linear logo are
registered trademarks of Linear Technology Corporation. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The LTC
2379-18 leads a pin-compatible family of no-latency SAR ADCs featuring unrivaled 101dB SNR@18-bits and 96dB
SNR@16-bits from 250ksps to 2Msps. Explicit Busy and Chain pins, along with a user-friendly SPI interface simplify digital
timing. A unique digital gain compression feature eliminates the need for a negative ADC driver supply while preserving the
full resolution of the ADC, dramatically lowering the total power consumption of the signal chain.
www.linear.com/2379
size 95 percent compared with competing
offerings, according to the company.
Full story: http://bit.ly/l0bnwE
www.ti.com
NXP position sensors boost automotive
application performance
A new generation of automotive position
sensors incorporates NXP Semiconductors
latest magnetoresistive sensor chip and a
unique signal conditioning ASIC developed
using the companys ABCD9 advanced
silicon-on-insulator process technology. The
KMA210 is suitable for all automotive appli-
cations in which a precise mechanical angle
needs to be measured, from electronic
steering and active suspension to automatic
headlight adjustment, according to NXP.
The sensor can support a temperature
range up to 160C, making it well-suited for
exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) applica-
tions. NXP said the signal conditioning
ASICs ABCD9-based design improves the
solutions electromagnetic compatibility
compared with previous sensor products
that have included integrated ASICs.
The device contains two embedded
capacitors within the same package. That
reduces system cost, since printed-circuit
boards and external filter components are
not required for operation, NXP said.
Full story: http://bit.ly/rmHgtE
www.nxp.com
DESIGN PRODUCTS
+
PRODUCT OF THE TIMES
EE LIFE
The creative destruction of electronics
By Brian Fuller
ENGINEERING
POP CULTURE
PRESIDENT OBAMA went before the
nation in September to deliver the job-
creation speech he should have given in
February 2009, when more than 7 mil-
lion people joined the jobless rolls.
Unemployment is still terrible, and the
President had a prime-time opportunity
to rally the nation around
compelling solutions for
this key economic problem.
But all we got was more of
the same warmed-over
ideas that, in fairness, weve
heard from both parties.
Two years ago, Obama
talked about stimulus and
green-energy job creation,
and suggested the unem-
ployment rate would drop
below 8 percent, oh, pretty
soon. But green-energy job
growth has failed spectacu-
larly, and unemployment is
north of 9 percent.
The administration, then and now, is
looking at the economic crisis through
the wrong lens. The answer is not how
the government can create jobs, because
its proved lousy at that task time and
again. New York Times columnist David
Brooks laid this out pretty clearly in a
Sept. 6 commentary, Where the jobs
arent. A $59 million effort to train peo-
ple for green jobs in California pro-
duced only 719 job placements, Brooks
wrote, quoting a Times feature story.
Then theres the very public failure of
Solyndra, which went bankrupt last
month after getting a half-billion-dollar
government-guaranteed loan.
The gigantic public investments in
green energy may be stimulating inno-
vation and helping the environment,
Brooks wrote, but they are not evi-
dence that the government knows how
to create private-sector jobs.
The task is how to lay a foundation
for business to create jobs. By definition
and experience, that means small busi-
nessand in the electronics industry,
that means startups. As entrepreneur
Henry Nothhaft wrote in The Wall Street
Journal (A Labor Day Message for Presi-
dent Obama), Obamas appointing Gen-
eral Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt to chair
a jobs council is the wrong
approach. The right solution
is to focus on technology.
Nurture technology and its
roiling, exciting startup cul-
ture, and the jobs will follow.
Electronics is both creator
and destroyer. It creates
excellent, high-paying, high-
ly challenging jobs. It can
create wealth. But it can also
destroy its spawn. Sunil
Sharan, former head of the
Green Grid initiative, points
out that smart meter tech-
nology will replace 28,000
jobs. How many jobs has Google
replaced? Millions? Maybe. Someday,
smart meters will be replaced by an app
powered by your phone or some other
personal device.
But the people left jobless by technol-
ogy disintermediation dont shrivel up
and die. They go back to school, market
themselves, reinvent themselves.
Call it creative destruction. Without
it, wed still be living in log cabins, rid-
ing horses, walking to the creek to fetch
the water and doing what bears do in
the woods. Those images are only
bucolic through our lens of modernity
and technological advancement. Back
in the day, people wanted desperately to
move on, to embrace the fruits of tech-
nology (the Industrial Revolution), to
improve their standard of living.
I think people with ambition, ideas
and the innovators optimism are the
answer. Enable them, and you light a for-
est fire of innovation. Stifle them, and,
well ... thats where we are right now.
p
READERS RESPOND
Micromanagement of business by govern-
ment has never worked. I doubt if we would
have ever stepped foot on the moon if Presi-
dent Kennedy and his administration had
attempted to manage the project to the
degree that existing and proposed regula-
tions today hamper business. Set the large
goals, and get out of the way. kdboyce
The irony is high-skilled startups will end up
driving the need for more H-1B [visa] work-
ers, benefiting non-Americans. ibm221
One thing I do not agree with ... is [the idea]
that all these people who lose jobs because
of new technology will go back to schools
and learn new trades ... We forget to be
proud of the work we do, no matter what
the job is. We have too many nonskilled peo-
ple with no perspective and no motivation,
and still were creating more high-skilled
jobs. ... Look at the recent riots on London;
that is the society of the future. mac_droz
Responding to ibm221 and a little thread in
mac_droz comments: Point taken. I do
think as many people in the workforce as
possible should strive to move up the value
chain, but some people are really good at
one thing. Lets take manufacturing. Weve
offshored manufacturing because it suppos-
edly can be done cheaper. But when you do
that, you lose the tight feedback loop you
had when you owned the factory.
As I went around the Midwest this sum-
mer on the first leg of the Drive for Innova-
tion, I was struck by how many systems
companies have kept manufacturing close by.
Most did it because they work too quickly to
sit around and wait for prototypes to come
back from China, and they want excellent
Q/A that only comes from overseeing your
factory or your manufacturing partners
directly. So theres hope that well get back in
the manufacturing game, and thats always
good for employment. Brian Fuller2
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
http://bit.ly/pH4UGf
Nurture
technology,
and the jobs
will follow
EE LIFE
NEW YORK EE Times stopped by
92YTribeca, the 92nd Street Ys down-
town location, to take in the GeekDown
exhibit, where interactive art, video and
music were on display.
The exhibit showcased the work of
students from New
York University and
the Rhode Island
School of Design
who use emerging
technology to push
the boundaries of art
and spark the imagi-
nation. The dis-
played creations ran
the gamut from tech
gear repurposed as
wearable art to prac-
tical designs that improve the quality of
life for those with disabilities.
We-Flashy, a line of reflective clothing
using industrial-grade reflective materi-
al, caught our eye. Customized elements
on the garment respond to direct light,
making them highly visible on busy
streets but barely noticeable indoors.
Another project called, simply, 8,
riffs on the notion of inverted quaran-
tinethe idea that you can isolate
yourself from the elements in your envi-
ronmentby exposing the wearer to
a perceived toxic environment while
simultaneously closing her off from it.
8 glorifies the oxygen tank and is a
constant reminder to the user that she
is breathing clean air (and to observers
that they are not). Its green couture, la
Lady Gaga.
The Digit virtual sculpture, mean-
while, projects a giant chrome finger
on the Union Square skyline. The Digit
skillfully double-taps and swipes, while
reflecting the surrounding architecture
on its bulging exterior. The sculpture
can be viewed with an iPhone applica-
tion available free at the App Store.
The Digit also exists as an interactive
Web experience.
From eye-popping wearable tech
(so hideous its hip) to a stereoscopic
video installation, GeekDown was truly
geek chic.
p
GeekDown: An adventure in techie art
By Mara Cruz
,Warning Signs garments change color
and pattern to indicate the level of
carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.
Designed by Nien Lam and Sue Ngo
bIts hip to recycle:
This jewelry is
fashioned from
computer, ETV audio,
and audiotape
machine components.
Designed by
Virginie Sommet
bJust breathe: With 8, an oxygen
tank is a fashion statement.
Designed by Hana Newman
P
h
o
t
o
s
:

D
e
b
e
e

R
o
m
m
e
l
EE LIFE
DRIVE FOR
INNOVATION
The racers edge
ELKHART LAKE, WIS. Car racing,
the saying goes, started the day the sec-
ond car was purchased. Technology has
been a part of racing since then, and has
consistently driven innovation from
the tracks into automobile showrooms
for consumer benefit. The track has
been the R&D lab for everything from
rear-view mirrors to advanced sensors
and braking systems.
The innovations
being deployed in
todays competitions
suggest not only
what we can expect
in the cars we buy in
a few years, but also
how the everyday
driving infrastructure
will change.
Its long been said
that races are won or
lost in the pit. This
takes on a whole new
meaning when you con-
sider that the pit crew is
now in constant real-
time communication with its cars,
spending more time looking at comput-
er screens than at the track.
Jay OConnell, chief technical direc-
tor for Bobby Rahals Rahal-Letterman-
Lanigan BMW racing team, gave us a
peek into how his engineers have
leveraged technology to stay on top of
their gameeven as their success has
prompted racing officials to slow down
their cars.
From the pits, OConnell, Rahal and
team watch a number of screens,
including one displaying the famous
marching antsgraphical representa-
tions of all the cars as they circle the
track. RF antennas on top of the cars
transmit to a hilltop repeater and back
to the pit stops receiver.
Its as if were in the car with the
driver the whole time, OConnell said.
Every time the cars pittwo cars race
per team in the American Le Mans
Series (ALMS) racingthe team down-
loads up to an hours worth of technical
data in 15 seconds, and a storage card is
exchanged in the back of the car.
That card is handed over to race track
officials, who monitor data and ensure
what OConnell called a balance of
performance.
You know this will make its way to
consumers within a decade. Communi-
cations in all likelihood will begin to
manage traffic, car speed and so forth,
especially in congested urban areas.
Brian Fuller
EE Life editorial director Brian Fuller is on
a Drive for Innovation, touring the country
in a Chevy Volt and talking to engineers
along the way. Follow the adventure at
driveforinnovation.com, where youll find
stories and videos like these:
Electric driving http://bit.ly/rdNDCC
Mining ones own business
http://bit.ly/ofZsiG
Green ghost town http://bit.ly/puTG2U
Jay OConnell describes the innovations that keep the
Rahal team atop the ALMS leader board.
http://bit.ly/qSid1j
nThe relfective material in the We-Flashy
clothing line responds to direct light so that the
wearer is easily noticed on busy streets, but the
reflective property is barely noticeable indoors.
Designed by Mindy Tchieu and Alex Vessels
nThe Song Cabinet interactive musical
sculpture is activated by exploring its
contents. Each drawer contains small
mechanical instruments that play pat-
terns. By opening and closing drawers,
users mix the song, muting and
unmuting the individual instruments, and
selecting different musical phrases.
Designed by Nick Yulman
LAST WORD
First to file. Patents will be assigned
to the first person or entity to file an
application rather than to the first per-
son or entity to conceive
of the invention. This
aligns the U.S. patent
office with other major
international patent
offices. The first-to-file
concept has received sig-
nificant attention, as
many view it as favoring
large corporations over
individual inventors and
startups.
Data from Canada indi-
cates that applications
from sole inventors
declined in number
when the Canadian
patent office switched to
a first-to-file system. But
the first-to-invent system
does not seem to be used by that con-
stituency to any extent. Under the first-
to-invent system, disputes over
invention dates are addressed through a
hearing known as an interference pro-
ceeding. In 2010, there were only 52
applications for interference proceed-
ings, compared with more than 500,000
patent applications.
Under a first-to-file system, the appli-
cation pipeline should change. In fact,
some commentators predict the use of
provisional applications will increase, as
inventors and applicants
will be eager to secure the
earliest possible filing
dates to best protect their
ideas. Technology compa-
nies will almost certainly
have to consider filing
more, earlier and more
aggressively than in the
past, and then regularly
prune such applications
during prosecution to
maintain cost controls
over their programs.
Prior commercial use.
This defense, previously
limited to business
method patents, has been
expanded to all subject
matter. A person who has
made commercial use of the subject
matter in the United States at least one
year before the effective filing date of
the patent can use this as a defense
against patent infringement.
This change creates a new equation
for deciding which inventions to
patent. When inventions are sold, or
can otherwise be detected from their
use in a related end product, they may
be considered self disclosing. Inven-
tions that put prior art on record
through the sale of the end product
dont require this defense.
Companies with inventions that can-
not be detected from their use in an end
product face a trade-off. They could dis-
close the invention to the public in a
patent, thus keeping someone else from
patenting the same invention but los-
ing secrecy over it. Or they could treat it
as a trade secret and face the risk of
someone else patenting the concept and
enforcing their rights.
The prior-commercial-use defense
eliminates that trade-off. So companies
can now consider the most strategic and
effective forms of invention protection
for their business needsvia patents or
trade secret protectionwithout being
forced to lose control of their secrets.
Virtual markings. Financial dam-
ages for patent infringement are calcu-
lated from the date the infringer was
put on notice about the patent. This
notice can be provided in several ways.
One excellent method is to mark all
products using the patented invention
with the patent number. Obviously, this
is easy to do for, say, folding chairs or jet
skis, but is challenging for ICs and oth-
er small products. Some companies
have listed the relevant patents on data
sheets or on a Web site, but it was
uncertain if this would be sufficient.
The new law permits virtual mark-
ings where a product can be associated
with a set of patent numbers. Moreover,
virtual markings make it easier for
patent holders to remove the notice per-
taining to expired or abandoned
patents. This is still prohibited under
the new reforms, although the ability to
seek damages for such false marking
claims is more limited than in the past.
Technology companies should take
advantage of this change.
Other changes include restrictions
on false marking claims, pre-issuance
submissions, post-grant review, reform
of inter partes reexamination, and
the elimination of the best mode
requirement.
p
By Mike McLean, vice president for
intellectual property rights and professional
services at UBM TechInsights (Ottawa),
a sister company of EE Times publisher
UBM Electronics.
President Obama signed the America Invents
Act into law on Sept. 16, marking the most
vigorous revision of U.S. patent law since
the 1950s. Many of the reforms, simplifying
certain procedures, could be considered good
housekeeping. Others will have a more
substantive impact on the patent programs for
technology companies.
Heres a review of three major changes.
America Invents Act:
Navigating the shifts
in U.S. patent law
Consider
filing more,
earlier, and
aggressively
for electronic manufacturing
november 1518, 2011
new munich trade fair centre
www.productronica.com
19th international trade fair
for innovative electronics production
innovation all along the line
Register online and enjoy the benets:
www.productronica.com/benets
CONNECTING PRODUCTS TO POSSIBILITIES.
WERE IN IT.
We live in a world of connections. And for
more than 50 years, no company has helped
connect and protect the ow of power and
data in moreproducts than Tyco Electronics.
Weve changed ourname to better reect
who we are and what we do. Connecting
products topossibilities to help technologybe
smarter, faster and better than ever before.
Learn more at te.com/eet
EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS
CONNEC D TE
2011 Tyco Electronics Corporation, a TE Connectivity Ltd company. All Rights Reserved. TE Connectivity,
TE Connectivity (logo) and Tyco Electronics are trademarks of TE Connectivity Ltd companies.

EE Times: Slow But Smart Builds The Grid

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