NIKKEI MICRODEVICES September 2006 vol. 255

Cover Story
MBiotechnology opens up a new world for semiconductors

Special Feature
Mixed sense of expectations and anxiety in the Chinese flat panel television market, where the key to future growth is penetration to mass market

LSI

[Inside] Target variation is one polymer, with measures implemented in lithography equipment to photoresist
[Report] Freescale targets automobile market with MRAM
[Report] Canon develops third-generation image processing chipset for multifunctional color printer

FPD

[Report] LCD for TV will be overstocked

EDA

[Inside] PDF Solutions to launch full-scale DFM business for analog/RF

MEMS

[Inside] What is missing in Japan's MEMS research
[Report] Singapore successful with MEMS research oriented towards practical application

Emerging Technology

Low-cost flexible display

Key Word

SSTA

Key Person

Samsung's LCD strategy

Key Person

Melexis, "to become a major player in the automobile device market in ten years"

Interview

Magma, "there are only few vendors that can provide true DFM"

Challenger

"Ball competes with balls," staking everything on the resurgence of spherical semiconductors

Watcher/International

Worlds latest news

New Products

FIB-SEM system/SII NanoTechnology Inc.
Copper electrofill system/Novellus Systems, Inc.
Signal generator/ROHDE & SCHWARZ GmbH & Co. KG
Temperature controller / Omron Corp.
LED function test system/Premosys GmbH
Utilities for circuit simulation/Knowlent Inc.

MAGAZINES IN ENGLISH	MAGAZINES IN JAPANESE
NE Asia fulfills your needs by offering articles covering a wide spectrum of topics. In addition to the English edition, the local editions for Taiwan and Korea now offer editorial sections written by local editors. Magazine Subscription Information	You can subscribe to the magazines of NikkeiBP from outside Japan at the same price as in Japan! Magazine Subscription Information The NE ASIA News Update e-newsletter
Nikkei Electronics Asia (monthly) We are offering a magazine monthly to qualified engineers and managers free of charge. In-depth Articles from Nikkei Electronics Asia Cover Story SSDs Challenge HDDs, but Quality a Problem Solid-state drives (SSD) using NAND Flash memory are beginning to show up in a variety of equipment as storage devices. Prices are dropping as semiconductor technology continues to evolve, accelerating adoption of the drives, but manufacturers must also deal with eroding quality. Analysis Expanded Use of Silicon Tuners Transforms Tvs With analog television broadcasting slated for the axe in about two years in Japan, TV broadcast tuners are evolving rapidly, replacing old radio frequency (RF) analog circuits with new integrated circuits (IC) called silicon tuners. Signal demodulators are evolving with them, and by tracing the direction of their evolution it is possible to delineate the shape of tomorrow's TV. Convenience Stores Lead in Energy Conservation Convenience store franchises are moving to slash energy consumption following the revision of the Japanese Act on the Rational Use of Energy, and are rapidly becoming showcases for cutting-edge energy-conservation technology. The technologies honed here will spread to other firms in the distribution industry, office buildings and more, eventually worldwide.	Nikkei Electronics (biweekly) The magazine for electronics designers and managers. Cover Story Electronic Books: Opening the Door to Major Participants Nikkei Monozukuri (monthly) Design You Won't Regret - How to Reduce the Risk of Accidents Cover Story Time to Focus on Human-Resources Development Nikkei Microdevices (monthly) The most comprehensive technical journal for makers and users of LSIs and LCDs. Cover Story Optical interconnection on electronic equipment Nikkei Automotive Technology (bimonthly) The comprehensive automotive technology magazine. Cover Story Impact of Honda Insight

MAGAZINES IN ENGLISH

MAGAZINES IN JAPANESE

NE Asia fulfills your needs by offering articles covering a wide spectrum of topics. In addition to the English edition, the local editions for Taiwan and Korea now offer editorial sections written by local editors.
Magazine Subscription Information

You can subscribe to the magazines of NikkeiBP from outside Japan at the same price as in Japan!
Magazine Subscription Information
The NE ASIA News Update e-newsletter

Nikkei Electronics Asia (monthly)

We are offering a magazine monthly to qualified engineers and managers free of charge.

In-depth Articles from Nikkei Electronics Asia

Cover Story SSDs Challenge HDDs, but Quality a Problem

Solid-state drives (SSD) using NAND Flash memory are beginning to show up in a variety of equipment as storage devices. Prices are dropping as semiconductor technology continues to evolve, accelerating adoption of the drives, but manufacturers must also deal with eroding quality.

Analysis Expanded Use of Silicon Tuners Transforms Tvs

With analog television broadcasting slated for the axe in about two years in Japan, TV broadcast tuners are evolving rapidly, replacing old radio frequency (RF) analog circuits with new integrated circuits (IC) called silicon tuners. Signal demodulators are evolving with them, and by tracing the direction of their evolution it is possible to delineate the shape of tomorrow's TV.

Convenience Stores Lead in Energy Conservation

Convenience store franchises are moving to slash energy consumption following the revision of the Japanese Act on the Rational Use of Energy, and are rapidly becoming showcases for cutting-edge energy-conservation technology. The technologies honed here will spread to other firms in the distribution industry, office buildings and more, eventually worldwide.