Resistive RAM pioneer Crossbar says it has developed a method which suppresses the sneak path current; an effect which makes it difficult to read data reliably from individual memory cells. Without this ability, the company says, RRAM developers cannot deliver high density 3D memory arrays. The company came out of 'stealth mode' ea...

An ultra low power RFID transponder chip that operates from a supply of less than 1V was described by Belgian research centre imec at the recent IEDM conference. The device, created using thin film transistor technology (TFTs) on plastic film, is said to pave the way for such applications as item level RFID tagging, body area networks and environme...

According to certification specialist SGS, the phrase that manufacturers and importers should avoid, as part of a disclosure, is 'to the best of my knowledge'. It says this seemingly innocent statement is often used to cover up a lack of objective evidence or, in the worst case, is an attempt to cover up a known lack of compliance or the fa...

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is used by scientists to resolve features as small as individual atoms. Instead of magnifying with a lens, AFMs use a flexible cantilever with a tiny tip to 'feel' the surface. As a nanoscale feature is passed, interactions between the atoms on the tip and on the object's surface cause the cantilever to...

As part of the wider attempts to create smaller batteries that can be recharged for longer and which offer more power, researchers at the University of Cambridge, along with a team from the Beijing Institute of Technology, have developed what is described as a 'novel multifunctional sulphur electrode'.The device, which combines an energ...

Engineering related research and education charity Lloyd's Register Foundation has offered a conditional grant of £10million over five years to support research by the Alan Turing Institute into the engineering applications of big data. The offer, subject to specific areas of research being finalised, follows the Foundation's Foresigh...

Nanoelectronics research centre imec, in partnership with Ghent University, has developed an integrated graphene optical electro absorption modulator (EAM) capable of modulating at 10Gbit/s. According to the organisation, this is an important milestone in the development of high density, low power integrated optical interconnects. Imec'...

Researchers from IMDEA Nanoscience, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (CSIC) and the University of the Basque Country have used lead atoms and graphene to create a powerful magnetic field. The team believes this could have application in spintronics. The scientists laid a layer of lead on anothe...

Despite economic growth running at 3% the UK electronic components market remains tough. The core industrial markets, where the majority of purchasers of electronics components in the UK operate, started to show signs of recovery in the second quarter of 2014, only for that recovery to be overshadowed by weakness in Europe."The past twelve...

FPGAs are becoming an increasingly important tool in the electronics designer's armoury. But while the devices are being applied in a wide range of markets, there is a suspicion that FPGA skills across UK industry may not be matched to the application needs.In order to find out more about how FPGAs are used, as well as the associated challe...