Advantech has received the Taiwan Excellence award for its intelligent audio and video controller, the UbiQ-350.

IMEC reports an improved performance for its planar CMOS using hafnium-based high-k dielectrics and tantalum-based metal gates for the 32 nm CMOS node.

NanoMarkets has released the first of four report modules from the firm's printed electronics materials database. The first report provides near-term outlook for the printed electronics materials business and concludes that printed electronics is evolving rapidly towards real commercial products and will need materials that perform well and are available in commercial quantities over the next year or so.

Richardson Electronics has signed a global distribution agreement with HVVi Semiconductors of Phoenix, AZ, to distribute its RF power transistors, based on HVVi’s HVVFET architecture.

A team of researchers has developed what it claims is one of the tiniest optical switches ever made — about one tenth of the size of a human hair.

Soanar has signed a distribution agreement with MeshNetics, a provider of ZigBee modules and embedded software for OEMs and system integrators.

CAP-XX has signed a contract with Murata to jointly develop and supply supercapacitors for mobile handsets and other power-hungry, space-constrained portable applications.

Erni has upgraded its hard metric universal power module connectors to include 5-, 6- and 7-pin versions that augment the existing 3-pin power modules and match their current carrying capacity of 18 A per contact (at 20°C).

The flame-retardant performance of cables was a major topic of discussion at the 8th AMI International Conference in Cologne, Germany.

Researchers at the University of Manchester in England have produced tiny liquid crystal devices with electrodes made from graphene — a development that could lead to computer and TV displays based on this technology.

According to a technical market research report, 'Microsensors: MEMs, Biosensors and Nanosensors (IAS027A)' from BCC Research, the market for microsensors is expected to be worth US$3.2 billion in 2008. This will increase to over US$8.4 billion by the end of 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 21.3%.

Better switching performance of transistors of disordered silicon films can be achieved by making the conduction channel in the device very thin, according to research at the University of Surrey in England.

Renesas Technology is collaborating with IMEC on research into 45 nm RF transceivers targeting Gbps cognitive radios.

DuPont and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing have formed an alliance to develop integrated manufacturing equipment for printed organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.

Tektronix and LitePoint are jointly undertaking LTE product development.