Board-Level Electronics

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: L. S. Starrett's AVR400 CNC Vision System, the largest benchtop platform to date from Starrett.

Integrating Fragile 2D Materials into Devices

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have developed a new technique to integrate 2D materials into devices in a single step while keeping the surfaces of the materials and the resulting interfaces pristine and free from defects. Read on to learn more.

Shedding Weight: Connectivity in Military-Aerospace Applications

Weight is among the most critical factors behind component choice when it comes to aerospace applications. Being among the bulkiest of components, connectors and cables need to embrace the latest scientific advances in order to reduce weight and enhance performance, fuel efficiency, and overall system reliability. This article outlines the recent advances enabling lighter connectors for aircraft, satellites, and drones.

Enabling Robots to Interpret Surroundings Quickly and Accurately

MIT engineers have developed a method that enables robots to make similarly intuitive, task-relevant decisions. The team’s new approach, named Clio, enables a robot to identify the parts of a scene that matter, given the tasks at hand. Read on to learn more about Clio.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Pi Americas' S-335 fast steering mirror; Smalley's new online shopping tool for its customers; Markforged Holding Corporation's FX10 Metal Kit, a print engine that brings metal printing capability to the FX10; Automated Precision, Inc.'s iScanMagic Composite 3D Scanner and iScanLite 3D Blue Laser Line Scanner; Navitas Semiconductor's portfolio of third-generation automotive-qualified SiC MOSFETs in D2PAK-7L (TO-263-7) and TOLL packages; and much more.

Open Software Options for Automation

As industrial automation technologies continue to advance, the balance between traditional and open solutions will likely evolve. The emphasis will be on providing versatile platforms that meet varied user needs. Read on to learn more.

Improving Upon the Design of Microelectronic Devices

A new study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is providing new insights into how next-generation electronics, including memory components in computers, breakdown or degrade over time.

How Much Do You Know About Semiconductors?

Semiconductors are the brains of modern electronics. They enable advances in medical devices and healthcare, communications, computing, defense and aerospace, transportation, and myriad others. How much do you know about semiconductors? Find out with this quiz.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including ASM's posiwire® sensors WST61, WST85, and WST21; Allegro MicroSystems' third product in its High Voltage Power-Thru™ portfolio; Sumida America's CDPQ/T150 Series of high-current power inductors; the advanced new series of USB Type C Plugs and Sockets from Keystone Electronics Corp.; Analog Devices, Inc.'s IMU; and binder's latest enhancements to its panel mount connectors in M12 size.

Researchers Demonstrate Cutting-Edge Chip Technology for Ultra-Low Power AI Connected Devices

Researchers from NUS, together with industry partners Soitec and NXP Semiconductors, have demonstrated a new class of silicon systems that...

AI-Powered Optical Inspection Can Find Nanoscale PCB Defects

Most PCB manufacturers use automatic optical inspection (AOI) to monitor defects in their printed circuit boards. This delivers strong results when there are defects in the soldering, connections, pads, and traces on printed boards.

Hyper-Distributed RFID Antenna (HYDRA) System

Innovators have developed a method and apparatus to multiplex Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) signals efficiently. The resulting Hyper-Distributed RFID Antenna (HYDRA) system enhances distribution of the RFID reader signal, providing improved coverage for large areas as well as for small, fixed regions requiring a high density of reader antennas.

Essential Control and Visualization, Combined

Modern PLC+HMI platforms have overcome weaknesses of older devices and now provide a top-performing and space-optimized option for designers to implement control and visualization for a variety of diverse applications.

A New Affordable Sensor for Lead Contamination

Engineers at MIT, Nanyang Technological University, and several companies have developed a compact and inexpensive technology for detecting and measuring lead concentrations in water,...

Can Lithium Tantalate Lower the Cost of Manufacturing Photonic Integrated Circuits?

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) — or Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne — have leveraged the use of...

New Semiconductor Detector Shows Promise for Medical Diagnostics

Detector can identify radioactive isotopes with high resolution.

A Flexible and Efficient DC Power Converter for Sustainable Energy Microgrids

Electric power comes in two kinds, AC and DC. Famously, the question over which kind should be used for national power grids, the “Current War” of the late...

World’s First N-Channel Diamond Field-Effect Transistor

A NIMS research team has developed the world’s first n-channel diamond MOSFET. It provides a key step toward CMOS integrated circuits for harsh-environment applications as well as...

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including: new TEMPUS™ technology from Renishaw, SPIROL's Series CL6000 Compression Limiters, binder-USA's protective caps, a breakthrough lithium coin cell holder from Keystone Electronics, and more.

An Affordable, Sustainable Solution for Flat-Panel Displays and Wearable Tech

A research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed “supramolecular ink,” a new technology for use in OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays or other electronic devices.

Quantum Computing Architecture May Enable High-Fidelity Communication

MIT researchers have developed a quantum computing architecture that aims to enable extensible, high-fidelity communication between superconducting quantum processors.

A Better Link for Enabling Intelligent Automation

IO-Link is a digital advancement combining the essential electrical and electronic characteristics of other connectivity methods. The resulting devices and architecture are enabling designers to create more intelligent equipment, streamline installation, and reduce overall costs.

How Much Do You Know About Oscilloscopes?

One of the most widely used test instruments, the oscilloscope's primary function is to provide a graph of a signal’s voltage over time. Its applications include acoustic research, television-production engineering, and electronics design. So, how much do you know about oscilloscopes? Find out with this quiz.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including a new feature for RJG's CoPilot process control system, Renishaw's expanded RenAM 500, AIRMAR's three medium ultra-wide transducers, Coilcraft's molded power inductors, VP810 vapor phase soldering systems from ASSCON, and more.

Computing Breakthrough: First Logical Quantum Processor

Harvard researchers have realized a key milestone in the quest for stable, scalable quantum computing, an ultra-high-speed technology that will enable game-changing advances in a variety of fields, including medicine, science, and finance.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Keystone Technologies' THM Test Points, Nikon IMBU's CT systems for non-destructive inspection, Renesas' SoCs and MCUs, Rad Source NDT's X-ray Inspection System, the Precision Specimen Loader from Instron, and more.

Maximizing Flexibility in Distributed I/O and Valve Systems

The ability to mix modules and terminals together in the system means that machine builders can install I/O and valves in the physical locations and orientations that make most sense to the overall machine design.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market this month, including laser sensors from Micro-Epsilon, Coilcraft's isolation transformers, AXTAL's crystal oscillators, Endress+Hauser's 80 GHz radar sensors, Fairview Microwave's PIN-diode switches, and more.

New Algorithm Keeps Drones from Colliding in Midair

When multiple drones are working together in the same airspace, perhaps spraying pesticide over a field of corn, there’s a risk they might crash into each other. To help avoid these costly crashes, MIT researchers developed a system called MADER in 2020.