Front End I News Japanese giants to merge LCD operations
Japan's Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi have announced that they will merge their liquid-crystal display operations using $2.6 billion of government-backed funds to fend off growing competition from competitors in South Korea and Taiwan. The merger will create the world's largest maker of small panels used in smartphones and tablet PCs, overtaking Sharp and Samsung in the process. However, while the move should help the companies to focus on their main operations the decision to use and in turn put at risk government- backed funds could come under fire in what is seen as a very volatile market.
The deal sees the Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) investing about 200 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in the merged unit, taking a 70 percent stake. Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi will each be taking a 10 percent stake. The merger is expected to be completed by the spring of next year. The three firms together control over 21 per cent of the market for small and medium-sized displays. By comparison Sharp accounts for 14.8 percent and Samsung Mobile a further 12 per cent, according to figures from the research firm DisplaySearch.
The move comes in response to news
that both Sharp and Samsung have signed significant supply agreements with a number of key clients, in Sharp’s case the company is receiving a $1bn investment from Apple.
At a time when more panel makers are focusing on meeting demand from smartphone and tablet PC makers, analysts have been predicting that the industry could be oversupplied next year which could impact on both price and profits. The three companies use two different types of display technology and how they intend to merge their operations is, as yet, unclear.
‘Revolutionary’ new oscilloscope category unveiled by Tektronix
Tektronix has introduced the first mixed domain oscilloscope (MDO) that combines the functionality of an oscilloscope with a spectrum analyzer in a single instrument. The MDO4000 Mixed Domain Oscilloscope Series has been designed to give engineers the ability to capture time-correlated analogue, digital and RF signals for a complete system view, helping them to quickly solve complicated design issues. More than 60 percent of oscilloscope users also use a spectrum analyzer to troubleshoot embedded system designs with an integrated wireless functionality, requiring them to work in both the time and frequency domain. Traditionally, an engineer was either a mixed signal/digital engineer or an RF engineer. But with wireless becoming more commonplace, design engineers often have to work in both areas. The MDO4000 is the first oscilloscope that addresses this and integrates the functionality of a spectrum analyzer. “We believe that the MDO4000 Series is the most revolutionary product to hit the oscilloscope market in the last 20 years, for the first time breaking down the barrier between time and frequency domains,”
said Roy Siegel, General Manager, Oscilloscopes at Tektronix. “It fundamentally changes what’s involved in debugging designs with RF where there is a need to correlate events in the frequency domain with the time domain phenomena that caused them.” With the MDO4000, engineers will be
able to replace both a scope and spectrum analyzer with a single instrument. It goes beyond typical spectrum analyzer functionality by allowing users to capture time-correlated analogue, digital and RF signals across 4 analogue, 16 digital and 1 RF channel. The RF input frequency range extends up to 6 GHz and provides a capture bandwidth of = 1 GHz at all centre frequencies, 100 times wider than typical spectrum analyzers. Users can even see up to 4 decoded serial and/or parallel buses at one time on the same display. As a result engineers can now make accurate timing measurements to understand delays and latencies
between command/control events in their design and changes in the RF spectrum. In another industry first, according to the company, the device will also allow designers to see the RF spectrum of a signal at any point in time within a long acquisition to see how the spectrum changes over time or with device state. By simply moving the unique Spectrum Time throughout the time domain acquisition, designers can see the RF spectrum for any point in their acquisition while simultaneously seeing their analogue, digital and/or decoded buses at the same point in time. RF time domain traces are also used to show how the amplitude, frequency or phase of the RF input signal changes relative to time. This makes it easy to characterise
frequency hop transitions, settling
times, and RF event timing relative to other system components and activities. The RF time domain traces are shown in the same window as the analogue, digital and serial/parallel bus decoded waveforms, providing instant insight into device operation.
MEMS market set for record revenue growth in 2011
The market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in consumer electronics and mobile communications devices is set to generate record growth in 2011, according to IHS iSuppli, the market research group, benefiting from its exposure to the fast growing tablet and smartphone markets. Data from iSuppli shows revenue for consumer and mobile MEMS, which is the largest and most dynamic sector of the MEMS market, will hit $2.25 billion in 2011, up by over 37 percent on 2010 its strongest performance to date. This compares to the previous high-water mark of 27 percent in 2010 when revenue reached $1.64 billion. Overall, the five-year revenue forecast starting from 2010 calls for growth by a factor of nearly three to $4.54 billion in 2015, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 22.5 percent.
4 September 2011 “From the accelerometers and
gyroscopes that provide intuitive motion- based displays, to the microphones that allow people to talk on the phone, to the bulk acoustic wave filters that facilitate wireless Internet access, MEMS devices provide many of the basic functions that make tablets and smartphones such compelling products,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. In fact a new class of MEMS sensors is now emerging that will help to stimulate growth. In this category are devices such as thermopiles, varactors, timing devices, pressure sensors for indoor navigation, radio frequency MEMS switches and actuators used for autofocus functions in high-megapixel cameras and pico projectors. The real blockbuster this year, however, is the 3-axis gyroscope, a
Components in Electronics
standard MEMS device that when used in conjunction with an accelerometer and a digital compass allows for more accurate, smoother and faster motion sensing for applications such as gaming and augmented reality. Revenue in 2011 for 3-axis gyroscopes will soar to $420 million, up from $127 million last year. Not surprisingly, mobile handsets will be the largest application for MEMS this year. MEMS revenue for handsets will reach $1.21 billion, approximately 50 percent of the total consumer and mobile MEMS space. Gaming follows accounting for $221.49 million in revenue, followed by media tablets with $158.64 million. MEMS revenue from tablets, in particular, will show the fastest growth, up an astounding 331 percent from $36.83 million in 2010, and is set to overtake gaming next year to clinch second place.
Microchip implant: Researchers in Germany have developed a microchip sensor that can be implanted close to a tumour to monitor its growth. By tracking oxygen levels in nearby tissue the device can detect if a tumour is expanding, the results can then be transmitted wirelessly to a patient's doctor - reducing the need for frequent hospital scans. A medication pump that can deliver drugs directly to the affected area is also under development. Medical engineers at the Technical University in Munich developed the device in a bid to track and treat tumours that are difficult to reach and to reduce the need for patients to attend out patients during treatment.
Mobile internet usage: The Office for National Statistics says that almost 50 per cent of UK internet users are going online via mobile phone data connections, compared with 31% in 2010. The most rapid growth has been seen among 16-24 year-olds where 71 per cent used their mobiles to connect to the internet.
According to the ONS, 77% of households now have access to a net connection, up 4% from the previous year. However, that represents the slowest rate of growth since the ONS survey began in 2006. The popularity of 3G broadband, however, doesn‘t mean that more people are going online, rather the research found that many of those using mobiles already have broadband access.
Environment: Technology giant Apple has defended its environmental record after allegations that a number of its key suppliers are causing pollution in China. While Apple said that it was committed to the highest standard of social responsibility, a report by
Chinese environmental groups claimed a number of manufacturers working for Apple were discharging harmful pollutants. The report by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) and other non- governmental environment groups also said that one factory in the city of Taiyuan emitted irritating gases and residents had reported difficulty opening their windows.
R&D boost: CISSOID has joined the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) as an affiliate member. CPES is a $4 million/year research centre within Virginia Tech (USA) which is looking to improve electrical power processing and distribution that impact systems of all sizes. CISSOID will support CPES research in high-temperature power module and power converter designs.
Roll out: British Gas has begun rolling out smart meters to its UK customers and it plans to install the devices in 10 million homes. It is hoped that the move will enable customers to monitor the cost of their electricity and gas consumption in real time, and eventually see how much power individual appliances are actually using. The government has ordered that all homes should be fitted with smart meters by 2020 in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. Other companies, including EDF and nPower have also announced plans to upgrade their customers. It is hoped that by being able to check power usage consumers will not only look to manage their power usage more effectively but help them make more informed choices when it comes to selecting suppliers.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace welcomed the introduction of smart meters arguing that it would help the UK better meet its carbon emission targets.
Website development: Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd has launched a new pan-European website at
www.yuasaeurope.com to provide detailed information on the company’s range of products including lead acid batteries for industrial, security and telecom applications; batteries for automotive and leisure applications; motorcycle batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium cells; battery chargers and test equipment. The new website provides details of all products and technical datasheets that can be downloaded. Extensive technical support is available on the site particularly for automotive and motorcycle products where application and cross reference guides and battery selectors are available to assist users in making the correct choice of battery for their vehicle.
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