Nanusens has demonstrated a mems digitally-tuneable capacitor for 5G and 6G RF front-ends, that is compatible with CMOS IC processing and can be integrated with circuitry. The Q-factor is above 100 at 1GHz, and the four-bit capacitor has a minimum capacitance of 450fF (30fF/capacitor) with them all off and tunes up to ~1pF – a capacitance ratio of 2.2 which ...
XMems Labs has revealed a mems-based loudspeaker that uses ultrasonics to reproduce bass notes. Branded ‘Cypress’, the company describes it as “full-range” and said that it “achieves >140dB low frequency SPL [sound pressure level] enabling a no-compromise replacement for coil speakers in noise-cancelling earbuds”. In an earbud, there would be three parts: a conventional wireless earbud receiver IC, a custom ...
To cut weight from x-ray space telescopes, Tokyo Metropolitan University is micro-machining x-ray lenses from silicon. The lenses exploit the nature of x-rays, which can reflect if they approach a flat surface almost parallel to it, at a slight glancing angle. The Tokyo x-ray lens is machined from a 100mm silicon wafer using reactive ion etching to produce circular slots ...
German scientists have created a steerable jet-powered submarine under 1mm across. Compared with 16m coin, is the 0.8 x 0.8 x 0.14mm submarine The sub has been built by the Chemnitz University of Technology and consists of two tubular engines, one on either side of a flat body. It swims in its own mono-propellant fuel – a solution of hydrogen peroxide. ...
Arioso Systems is a Dresden-based mems loudspeaker spin-out from Fraunhofer-IPMS, which recently closed a venture capital seed round. It is aiming its silicon loudspeakers at ear buds. They are made by a combination of machining and stacking silicon-on-insulator wafers using a CMOS-compatible process. How do they work? Electronics Weekly got in touch with Arioso to find out. And the answer is multi-layered, ...
Belgian research lab IMEC has used micromachining to demonstrated a hyperspectral camera - a sensor in which every pixel is a spectrometer...
A new spider-like micromachine could swim through a person's blood vessels, healing damaged areas and delivering drugs as it goes.
Building blocks for a DNA analysing micromachine have been presented at the International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco. There is a high-pressure pump, a MEMS filter optimised for DNA separation, and...
US researchers are using flexible micromachined wands to directly sense RF electromagnetic e-fields. Applications including near-field antenna mapping and infra-red imaging are proposed...
Accelerometers, compasses, gyros and RF switches can be made cheaply in the metal layers over CMOS , claims Barcelona-based Baolab Microsystems.
Electronics Weekly Electronics Design & Components Tech News
