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01 April 2008

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News & Analysis
ICs ready for medical practice
Recent semiconductor advances in the medical field give credence to a rising belief that biology will be one of the next big application areas in electronics.

8bit MCUs take tiny steps to rule the market
Even as feature creep moves some applications to 16bit and beyond, continual increases in the processing capabilities and integration levels of 8bit devices are opening new applications to replace the old. The result is an expanding array of increasingly powerful 8bit MCUs for cost-conscious designs.

Cellphones integrate RF to cut costs
Lowering cellphone costs by integrating radio components was a running theme at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference.Broadcom, Infineon and Texas Instruments detailed solutions for pulling more of the RF work into 2.5G digital devices, typically integrated with baseband processors.

Organic RFID tags to zap bar codes
Researchers from the European Holst Center said their 64bit, inductively coupled, passive RFID tag achieved a record 780bit/s data readout.

Optical communications migrate to SFP+
Interface chip vendors in growing numbers are tailoring chips to support the migration of datacom and telecom routers and switches to SFP+, the latest pluggable optical module form factor for use in 10Gbit/s Ethernet and 8.5Gbit/s Fibre Channel systems.


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Battery charger chips get crafty
Interface chip vendors in growing numbers are tailoring chips to support the migration of datacom and telecom routers and switches to SFP+, the latest pluggable optical module form factor for use in 10Gbit/s Ethernet and 8.5Gbit/s Fibre Channel systems.

IPTV calls for content-aware network edge devices
IPTV is very different from traditional cable/satellite TV services and will place significant new demands on telecom network infrastructure. Here's a look at how IPTV presents new packet processing demands at the edge.

Establish architecture to address VoIP QoS
This article describes several of the most pertinent quality architecture issues as they relate to IP networks, and existing circuit switched and cellular networks.

Simulate system effects for better design
When it comes to SI design, getting measurements and simulation results to agree takes special considerations.

Think of whole-system design
Jeff Bier shares how his 2001 Passat became completely dysfunctional and cites how important the whole-system design perspective is in avoiding such tragedy.

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Technical Features
Developing mechatronic systems
Model-based design simplifies the development of mechatronic systems by providing a common environment for design and communication across different engineering disciplines. Model-based design extends the CAE world with an additional perspective on system-level design. (PDF file)

Re-architecting GPS for mobile phones
Existing GPS technologies were designed for in-car personal navigation devices (PNDs), for which power savings are not so important, and as GPS moves into the mobile handset, there is a need to rethink how and where the technology is implemented and how the GPS functions are controlled. (PDF file)

Drive your large LCD with PPDS
There is a need for a robust and reliable LCD interface solution to transmit through less data lines working at higher frequency. Point-to-Point Differential Signaling (PPDS) ensures reliable data transmission from the timing controller to the column driver/driver ICs through fewer data lines compared to the traditional multi-drop architecture. (PDF file)

Multiply efficiently in wireless base stations
A key feature of WiMAX system design is the support for OFDM. FPGAs make it extremely easy to implement OFDM transmitters and receivers in discrete time using IFFT and FFT, respectively. This article focuses on the reduction and optimal implementation of multiplier blocks in FFT and FIR implementation for WiMAX base stations. (PDF file)

Reduce EMI with proper SI design
Today's PCB designers are faced with the competing challenges of smaller, higher-density applications coupled with high frequency and high-speed signaling. This article provides a summary of the important design considerations and presents an LVDS case study for integrated signal integrity, power integrity and EMI design. (PDF file)

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Opinion
Key changes in our print, online offerings
There are several changes in EE Times-Asia's print and online editions. For print, we will continue to regularly feature test and measurement-related tutorials, design ideas and technical solutions under the Design Corner umbrella. As for our digital magazine, www.eetasia.com, we are launching a forum with four topic categories.

'Openness' fulfills SystemVerilog promise
Notes Stan Krolikoski of Cadence Design Systems: Open Verification Methodology is a truly open SystemVerilog class library and methodology package that can be used free of any restraints imposed by either Cadence or Mentor.


Interview
Achieving analog success through predictability
Linear Technology Corp. CEO Lothar Maier describes the analog chipmaker as "predictable" and even "boring." But Linear is far from dull. In this interview, Maier disclosed that the company considered a private -equity buyout, refocused its product efforts and moved to cut its capital spending.

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Demystifying Vietnam
What does Vietnam offer that a rising number of top-tier semiconductor companies are setting up and expanding operations there?

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