The Kynix Blog

(This is a high precision control of printed electronics.)Printed electronic transistor circuits and displays, in which the colour of individual pixels can be changed, are two of many applications of ground-breaking research at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University. New groundbreaking results on these topics have been published in the scientific journal Science Advances. The researchers in organic electronics have a favourite material to work with: the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS, which conducts both electrons and ions. Displays and transistors manufactured from this polymer have many advantages, which include that they are simple and cheap to manufacture, and the material itself is non-hazardous. It has, however, been difficult to create devices that switch rapidly at a specific voltage, known as the "threshold voltage." This gives that it has, so far, been difficult to control the current state of the transistors or the color state of the displays in a precise manner. "The lack of any threshold in the redox-switching characteristics of PEDOT:PSS hampers bistability and rectification, characteristics that would allow for passive matrix addressing in display or memory functionality" says Simone Fabiano, senior lecturer at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, LOE, who is the principal author of the article in Science Advances, together with Negar Sani from the research institute RISE Acreo. More than five years ago a wild idea arose at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics: could you solve this problem by combining electrochemistry with ferroelectricity? Ferroelectric materials consist of dipoles. One end of a dipole has a positive charge and the other a negative charge, and these "ferroelectric" dipoles rotate when they are exposed to an electric field beyond a specific threshold. Head of the laboratory Professor Magnus Berggren couldn't let this idea rest, and when he was awarded a research grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation in December 2012 to use freely, this was one of the high-risk projects he chose to invest in. "We called the research then breakneck research, and here is a result. Our demonstration proves that truly leading research typically take a long time and require considerable patience. Simone Fabiano has done tremendous work here, and refused to give up when others have doubted," says Magnus Berggren. After many years of tenacious experiments, Simone Fabiano and his colleagues at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics have managed to apply a thin layer of a ferroelectric material onto one electrode in organic electrochemical devices and circuits. "The thickness of the layer determines the voltage at which the circuit switches or the display changes colour. Transistors are no longer required in the displays: we can control them pixel-by-pixel simply through a thin ferroelectric layer on the electrode," says Simone Fabiano. The LOE research group shows in the article that "ferroelectrochemistry," the combination of ferroelectricity and electrochemistry, can be used in displays in the field of printed electronics and in organic transistors. The scientists envisage, however, many other areas of application. "Ferroelectrochemical components can easily be integrated into memory matrices and into bioelectronic applications, just to give a couple of examples," says Simone Fabiano. The technology is now protected by patents. "The field of ferroelectrochemistry doesn't actually exist, but we have achieved success using this combination," Magnus Berggren concludes. Ref.KY56-2SA1987KY56-KSC5024RTUKY56-FJI5603D 

Techniques and coding theories in information sciences have helped to design new concepts for faster and better data storage. Rapid and reliable data storage is crucial for the success of businesses, online platforms, information repositories and research centres. The EU-funded INFO-STORE (Novel data storage by advancing information sciences) project investigated how to overcome challenges and limitations in emerging data storage applications.Combining theory, practice and expert discussions in a series of five subprojects, the project examined how to improve information storage through breakthroughs in coding theory and related theoretical disciplines. The project made significant progress with respect to multilevel non-volatile memories and their trade-offs between storage density and read/write speeds. This included designing new coding frameworks to improve read/write speeds, maximising the number of writes, reading memory cells in parallel, and balancing density and speed in multilevel memories. To develop high-throughput memory systems for network switches and routers, INFO-STORE produced a coding framework that switches packets between input and output ports. This also involved new codes for optimal switching guarantees, algorithms that exploit such codes in a network switch or router, and compression of forwarding databases. The achievements in this vein overcame the challenge of memory contention in network switches and routers. High-density memristor (resistive memory) storage and associated reliability challenges were also studied to avoid a key obstacle known as sneak paths. In addition, work on memristor issues involved using regular arrays of memristor devices that combine storage and logic. Another important project milestone involved distributed storage systems and the need for flexible data reconstruction in the presence of failing and busy nodes. To overcome this obstacle, INFO-STORE developed a 2D coding framework that allows only a number of nodes to provide a small portion of their stored information – i.e. partial delivery. Lastly, researchers proposed efficient data distribution schemes that work well with the short packet blocks. As data distribution schemes using fountain codes operate optimally only when the packet blocks are very large, the team produced a coding scheme to optimise encoder operation for the receiver's state. This lowers the overhead considerably for short blocks. The project's results were followed by many other ideas and proposals, including a publication on elastic compression of content in web servers to improve server security against denial-of-service attacks. The project's research findings have already begun contributing to the development of quicker, better and safer data storage. Ref.KY32-CY7C1357S-100AXCKY32-CY7C131E-55NXI

 Omron Electronic Components has extended its non-contact MEMS thermal sensor range with a new narrow-field version specifically designed to provide accurate non-contact measurements of an objects’ surface temperature for industrial control, medical and building automation systems. Omron is relaunching its full range of MEMS thermal sensors in Europe, including wider field versions ideal for detecting room occupancy and similar applications.   The new Omron D6T-1A-02 is a super-sensitive infra-red (IR) temperature sensor that makes full use of proprietary Omron MEMS sensing technology. It can measure the surface temperature of an object between -40 up to +80°C in the target area with an accuracy of +/-1.5°C and a resolution of 0.06°C.  The device includes a state-of-the-art MEMS thermopile, a sensor ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and a signal processing microprocessor in a tiny package of only 12.0mm x 11.6mm x 9.2mm. The D6T-1A-02 features a narrow field of view of 26.5 degrees square, allowing it to accurately assess the surface temperature of a specific object in this area. Features also include a digital I2C output which offers excellent noise immunity (measured as noise equivalent temperature difference) of 140mK. The Omron D6T thermal sensor is also ideal for building automation applications, measuring the temperature in a room, or detecting occupancy even when people are stationary. For these applications, Omron is offering versions with a wider field of view. These include a 1x1 device, the D6T-1A-01, with a field 58 degrees square. A 4x4 version and a 1x8 version are also available. These ultra-sensitive sensors are an outstanding alternative to pyroelectric sensors or PIR detectors in home automation, building automation, healthcare, security and industrial applications, which often fail to distinguish between an unoccupied space and a stationary person. While standard thermal sensors are only able to measure temperature at one contact point, the D6T range can measure the temperature of an entire area contactlessly. Signals generated by infrared rays are extremely weak. To achieve reliable detection, Omron has developed and manufactured every part of the new high sensitivity thermal sensor in-house, from the MEMS sensors to the ASICs and other application-specific parts. The technology behind Omron’s D6T thermal sensors combines a MEMS micro-mirror structure for efficient IR radiation detection with a high-performance silicon lens to focus the infrared rays onto its thermopiles. The ASIC then uses proprietary algorithms to make the necessary computations and convert sensor signals into digital I2C outputs. All components were developed in-house and are fabricated in Omron’s own MEMS facilities. Ref.KY66-G6SK-2-DC5KY66-G5LA-14-DC5

Still using incandescent lighting in your home? Don't be dim. These boring old bulbs tend to jack up your electric bill, and they burn out, leaving you with the hassle of disposal and replacement. Give your home a much-deserved upgrade and achieve lighting enlightenment with Kasa LED Low Energy Bluetooth Smart Bulbs. These fun and functional lights can save you time and money—plus they'll help you create a fitting mood for nearly any room. Get a 2-pack of Kasa lights here for 44 percent off the regular price. Kasa Smart LEDs have a life span of 15 years under normal use, making them four times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. They also use less electricity to create an equal amount of light, so upgrading your old bulbs to Kasa bulbs can actually reduce your utility bill. For those who believe good lighting can have a positive effect on happiness and comfort levels, Kasa bulbs will introduce you to a whole new world of control and customization. With the free Kasa app, you can trigger multiple lights, raise and lower brightness levels, and cycle through a palette of over 16 million colors. Go wild and match your lights to the season, your decor, or your current wardrobe—the possibilities are endless. You can even schedule bulbs to turn on or off throughout the day, or save a particularly pretty color combo and use it at another time. Ref.KY59-EB-251KY59-LRW5SM-GZHZ-1

To help detect and prevent possible incidents at critical facilities and public venues, Intel technology is powering a face recognition engine that can rapidly and accurately identify people, even when they are moving and in a crowd. NEC relied on Intel Arria 10 field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) operating on Intel Xeon processor–based servers to increase the performance of its NEC NeoFace facial recognition engine to a level where an individual can be identified smoothly from a high-resolution image with dozens of faces.  “Facial recognition in a moving crowd requires highly advanced techniques when compared to still images because these cameras are affected by many factors: camera location, image quality and lighting, along with the subject’s size, walking speed and face direction,” said Tadashige Kadoi, general manager of IoT Platform Development Division, NEC. “Intel FPGAs and their parallel processing capability help NEC to enable fast and accurate collection and processing of images from even 4K high-resolution remote cameras.” Intel FPGA acceleration technology played a role in a recent achievement for NEC. In March, NEC NeoFace was ranked Number 1 in almost all tests by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specifically for face-in-video evaluation. The NIST tests evaluated the accuracy of the technology in two real-life test scenarios including a test for entry-exit management at an airport passenger gate. It determined whether and how well the engine could recognise people as they walked through an area one at a time without stopping or looking at the camera. NEC's face recognition technology won first place with a matching accuracy of 99.2%. The error rate of 0.8% is less than one-fourth of the second place error rate. In the second test, the technology was asked to detect suspicious individuals at an indoor stadium. This test was conducted with an individual situated far from the camera, with their face direction changing frequently. NEC's face recognition technology won first place with an error rate half that of the second place error rate. To create the NeoFace Accelerator, NEC’s NeoFace facial recognition engine software IP is integrated into an Intel Arria 10 FPGA, keeping the same accuracy level while achieving higher performance in facial recognition than the previous solution. Intel teams also worked with NEC to enhance the performance of NeoFace data centre server technology. NEC NeoFace Accelerator includes not only the Intel Arria 10 FPGA, but also an Intel MAX 10 low-cost FPGA and Intel Enpirion power devices. Ref.KY32-EP1S60B956C6KY32-EP4CGX150DF27I7 

Seoul Semiconductor has developed the industry’s smallest phase-cut DC LED driver series, with a power density 10X higher than conventional LED drivers. The NanoDriver Series is the world’s smallest miniature converter at just 13.5 mm wide, and is available in four versions rated for 16 W and 24 W output power for operating LED lighting with input power of 120 V/230 V (50 – 60 Hz). Manufactured with Seoul Semiconductor’s original Acrich technology, the NanoDriver Series features an IC directly attached to the substrate, dramatically reducing the size of the converter.(NanoDriver Series phase-cut LED drivers measure just 13.5 mm × 13.5 mm × 1.42 mm)In the future, Seoul Semiconductor will also launch the MicroDriver Series high performance drivers for LED lighting fixtures from 900 to 2400 lumens. The MicroDriver Series is designed with a miniature package that reduces the size of the converter by more than 10X to enable the integration of the control circuitry with the external driver, making it possible to mount more light sources on the board, reduce the size of the board. The NanoDriver Series requires few external components, and delivers 16 W/24 W of output power in a package just 13.5 mm × 13.5 mm × 1.42 mm. These drivers are ideal for downlight, flush mount, track and spotlight fixtures. Their small size enables ultra-thin and novel fixture designs in wall sconces, making conventional lamp replacement possible without the need for a large volume recess for the driver, or a reduction in the light output. The resulting decrease in the LED drivers’ physical size has significant business implications for the lighting industry, giving lighting designers the ability to shrink the size of light fixtures by as much as 20, which reduces shipping and storage costs. Because conventional LED drivers are both heavy and bulky, they are typically shipped via sea freight from manufacturers in Asia to European and North American fixture companies, with transit times up to six weeks. The NanoDriver Series are small and lightweight enough to make airfreight practical and economical, reducing transit time and making the overall supply chain more flexible and responsive. The NanoDriver Series is available in four models rated for output power of 16 W and 24 W, for LED assemblies operating at input voltages of 120 V/230 V (50 – 60 Hz). The drivers have typical efficiencies of 85 and power factor correction (PFC) of > 0.9, and are rated for inrush current of <30 mA, with an over-temperature protection feature that limits the LED current at temperatures above 160 °C. Operating temperature range is –40 °C to +70 °C (ambient) and –40 °C to +120 °C (at TC point). The drivers are UL recognized, provide flicker-free, low ripple current operation for phase-cut dimmers, and are compliant to California Title 24, enabling lighting designers to meet the most challenging design requirements, including low flicker, high power factor, Class B EMI and 2 kV surge. Ref.KY59-UR101