Microchip Capacitive Touch Controllers
Microchip has developed three maXTouch touchscreen controllers and optimization services to address electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) challenges faced by developers of automotive touchscreens.
The TD family of touch controllers features a differential mutual signal acquisition method that increases the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). This allows the use of thick glass or plastic cover lenses and multi-finger thick gloved touch support up to the equivalence of 4.5 mm polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
For more information, visit Microchip’s website.
Microsemi SAS Expanders and Storage Controllers
Microsemi has introduced a series of SAS expanders and storage controllers: the SmartROC 3200 and SmartIOC 2200 storage controllers and SXP 24G SAS expanders all support Dynamic Channel Multiplexing (DCM) technology which utilizes 24G SAS uplinks between controllers and expanders by aggregating connections from lower speed expander-attached SAS-3, SAS-2 or SATA drives.
This lets data centers exploit 24G SAS and PCIe Gen 4 infrastructure even when using lower-speed drives and removes performance bottlenecks compared to legacy SAS-3 solutions.
For more information, visit Microsemi’s website.
Renesas AI Processing
AI accelerator test chip. (Image courtesy of Renesas Electronics.)
Renesas Electronics has announced an AI accelerator that performs CNN (convolutional neural network) processing at high speeds to move towards the next generation of the company’s embedded AI (e-AI), which will help accelerate increased intelligence of endpoint devices. A Renesas test chip featuring this accelerator has achieved a power efficiency of 8.8 TOPS/W.
The accelerator is based on the processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture, an increasingly popular approach for AI technology, in which multiply-and-accumulate operations are performed in the memory circuit as data is read out from that memory.
For more information, visit Renesas’ website.
SILVACO Low-Power Static Memories
SILVACO and Leti, a research institute of CEA-Tech, are collaborating on a project to estimate and model the yield of ultra-low-voltage (ULV), ultra-low-leakage (ULL) static random access memory (SRAM) used in computing applications. Accurate yield prediction in the early stage of the IC design cycle can lower manufacturing costs and improve quality.
The Accelerated Simulation of Array for Yield Assessment (ASAYA) Project at CEA-Leti aims to validate the estimates based on electrical SPICE circuit simulations against silicon results after manufacturing.
For more information, visit Leti’s website.
TT Multi-Resistance Thermometers
TT Electronics has launched a series of multi-resistance thermometers. Resistance thermometers are a form of temperature sensor that monitor thermal energy as a function of electrical resistance. This requires a pure metal element, typically copper or platinum, with a proportional and accurate relationship between electrical resistance and temperature.
Multi-resistance thermometers operate on the same principle except with multiple wiring materials. These span the full length of the sheath, which is designed to mitigate potentially harmful environmental and mechanical factors that could cause the wiring to undergo dimensional changes.
For more information, visit TT’s website.
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