The Apple 2023 WWDC: One more thing? Let’s wait and see

This writeup marks the latest in a longstanding litany of such articles: Apple’s CEO-at-the-time (Steve Jobs at first, now Tim Cook) delivers the keynote at that year’s week-long Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), and within 24 hours-or-so…

SoC design: When is a network-on-chip (NoC) not enough?

In the not-so-distant past, system-on-chip (SoC) devices were relatively simple compared to today’s offerings. Early SoCs typically consisted of 10 to 20 intellectual property (IP) blocks, each generally composed of around 10,000 to 50,000…

Self-heated ∆Vbe transistor thermostat needs no calibration

It’s just an unavoidable fact: electronic components’ parameters drift with temperature. Even the most stable voltage references, op amps, crystal oscillators, etc., have non-zero temperature coefficients. These effects can be mitigated…

Apple’s first-generation HomePod: A teardown facilitated by a design that’s flawed

Earlier this year, within my dissection of Apple’s HomePod mini smart speaker, I wrote: I recently stumbled across a technique for cost-effectively obtaining teardown candidates, which I definitely plan to continue employing in the future…

Japanese fab Rapidus on the roll to catch up on 2-nm node

Japan is catching up on 2-nm chip manufacturing technology through a licensing deal with IBM. Rapidus, Japan’s new semiconductor fab, will acquire the gate-all-around (GAA) technology for a 2-nm chip process node, and as part of this technology…

Protection device wards off ESD and transient threats

RClamp0822B is a two-line transient voltage suppressor from Semtech that safeguards high-speed data interfaces in a broad range of applications. The part protects sensitive components from harmful overvoltage caused by electrostatic discharge…

Fan-out bridge package achieves high density

ASE has developed a 70×78-mm Fan-Out Chip on Substrate Bridge (FOCoS-Bridge) package that packs two ASICs and eight high-bandwidth memory devices connected via eight silicon bridges. The large package integrates two identical 47×31-mm FOCoS-Bridge…

Scope software validates wide-bandgap devices

The wide-bandgap double pulse test (WBG-DPT) application from Tektronix automates key validation measurements on wide bandgap devices such as SiC and GaN MOSFETs. Running on the company’s 4/5B/6B Series mixed-signal oscilloscopes, the WBG-DPT…

Midrange VNA speeds 5G device characterization

According to Keysight, the E5081A ENA-X vector network analyzer (VNA) accelerates the characterization of 5G components by up to 50%. This midrange platform performs accurate error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements with a low residual EVM…

Waterproof pressure sensor ensures 10-year availability

ST’s ILPS28QSW MEMS water/liquid-proof absolute pressure sensor is backed by a 10-year longevity program to protect customers’ industrial IoT designs. The sensor functions as a digital output barometer, providing user-selectable full-scale…

Wafer supply deals herald the upcoming SiC boom

Silicon carbide (SiC) technology continues to make waves, this time with multi-supplier and multi-country material sourcing agreements amid the rising demand for power semiconductors in automotive, solar, and electric vehicle (EV) charging applications.…

Multi-source vs proprietary: more “illuminating” case studies

Earlier this month, I kicked off this multi-part series, discussing the longstanding tug-of-war between vertically integrated companies and multi-supplier ecosystems in the context of photography, by showcasing examples specifically relating…