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06.10

Tech News Digest

Compiled By IEEE-USA Staff

The following is a roundup of news and notable developments in electrical engineering and computer or information technology reported during May 2010.  Items are excerpted from news releases generated by universities, government agencies and other research institutions. Highlighted topics include:

1. Federal Technology Transfer Report Submitted to Congress and the President

2. Defense Supercomputer to Support Alternative Energy Research

3. Semiconductor Manufacturing Technique Holds Promise for Solar Energy

4. DOE Funds 42 University-Led Nuclear Research and Development Projects

5. Advancing Nuclear through Better Computing

6. NIST Develops 'Dimmer Switch' for Superconducting Quantum Computing

7. Improving Data Download from Outer Space

8. First X-ray Laser's Early Success Leads to Next-phase Facility

9. Laptops Enhance Learning in College Classrooms

10. New Material Can Help Keep Electronics Cool

11. A Brain Sensor Device that Melts into Place

1. Federal Technology Transfer Report Submitted to Congress and the President

In late April, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the annual technology transfer report to the President and the Congress. The report highlights the achievements of federal technology transfer and partnership programs at 11 federal agencies that conduct research and development. In addition to performance metrics for a five-year period, the report features anecdotes that demonstrate how investment in research and development improves the lives of American citizens and spurs the development of new products.

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/cgi-bin/view_pub.cgi?pub_id=905574.

2. Defense Supercomputer to Support Alternative Energy Research

A new supercomputer that more quickly models the most efficient ways to harness energy from the sun, wind and other renewable resources is now operating at Sandia National Laboratories.  Red Mesa, a 180-teraflop computing platform, is a collaboration between Sandia and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/dnl-dsc042610.php

3. Semiconductor Manufacturing Technique Holds Promise for Solar Energy

Thanks to a new semiconductor manufacturing method pioneered at the University of Illinois, the future of solar energy just got brighter. The researchers developed a more efficient, lower-cost method of manufacturing compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide for many electronic device applications, including solar cells. The group deposits multiple layers of the material on a single wafer, creating a layered stack of gallium arsenide thin films, then transfers one layer at a time to another substrate — glass, plastic or silicon.

For more information, see: http://news.illinois.edu/news/10/0519gallium.html

4. DOE Funds 42 University-Led Nuclear Research and Development Projects

On 20 May, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the selection of 42 university-led research and development projects for awards totaling $38 million. These projects, funded over three to four years through the Department's Nuclear Energy University Program, will help advance nuclear education and develop the next generation of nuclear technologies.

For more information, see: http://www.energy.gov/news/8994.htm

5. Advancing Nuclear through Better Computing

Scientists at the Nuclear Science and Technology Division of the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are merging decades of nuclear energy and safety expertise with high-performance computing to effectively address a range of nuclear energy- and security-related challenges.

For more information, see: http://www.ornl.gov/info/press_releases/get_press_release.cfm?ReleaseNumber=mr20100518-00

6. NIST Develops 'Dimmer Switch' for Superconducting Quantum Computing

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the first "dimmer switch" for a superconducting circuit linking a quantum bit (qubit) and a quantum bus — promising technologies for storing and transporting information in future quantum computers. The NIST switch is a new type of control device that can "tune" interactions between these components and potentially could speed up the development of a practical quantum computer.

For more information, see: http://www.nist.gov/eeel/quantum/qubit_042710.cfm

7. Improving Data Download from Outer Space

Space satellites that detect nuclear events and environmental gasses face a data logjam because their increasingly powerful sensors produce more information than their bandwidth can easily transmit. Sandia National Laboratories experiments at the International Space Station indicate that sending more complex computer chips into space to pre-reduce the large data stream sent Earth-bound could be the answer. But how well would the latest, most sensitive computing electronics fare in the harsh environment of outer space?  The Sandia experiments are providing insights into the effects of high-energy radiation on these computing electronics, enabling mitigation of these potentially crippling effects in future processing-architecture designs.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/dnl-btl051910.php

8. First X-ray Laser's Early Success Leads to Next-phase Facility

The US Department of Energy has granted approval for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — home of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's first hard X-ray laser — to begin planning a second X-ray laser at the laboratory: LCLS-II.  The LCLS, which began operation in April 2009, generates ultra-fast, ultra-bright pulses of X-ray laser light which are already providing new insights into the atomic world. LCLS-II would give investigators access to new regions of the X-ray spectrum and improved control over the X-ray beam. It will also accommodate a larger number of research scientists working simultaneously.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/dnal-fxl050510.php

9. Laptops Enhance Learning in College Classrooms

Despite the distraction potential of laptops in college classrooms, new research shows that they can actually increase students' engagement, attentiveness, participation and learning.

For more information, see: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=7711

10. New Material Can Help Keep Electronics Cool

In 2008, a team of UC Riverside researchers confirmed that graphene is a strong heat conductor. The problem for practical applications was that it is difficult to produce large, high quality single atomic layers of the material.  Now, in a paper published in Nature Materials, they report finding that multiple layers of graphene, which are easier to make, retain the strong heat conducting properties. Initially, graphene would likely be used in some niche applications such as thermal interface materials for chip packaging or transparent electrodes in photovoltaic solar cells.  In five years, they could be used with silicon in computer chips, for example as interconnect wiring or heat spreaders.

For more information, see:  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/uoc—hnm051010.php

11. A Brain Sensor Device that Melts into Place

Scientists have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. The technology could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord.  The arrays consisted of 30 electrodes in a 5x6 pattern on an ultrathin layer of polyimide — with or without a silk base. These experiments led to the development of an array with a mesh base of polyimide and silk that dissolves once it makes contact with the brain — so that the array ends up tightly hugging the brain.

For more information, see: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/nion-abd041610.php

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.