50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2018
Scientists Unlock Signal Frequency
Control of Precision Atom Qubits E
Australian scientists have achieved a new mile-
stone in their approach to creating a quantum
computer chip in silicon, demonstrating the
ability to tune the control frequency of a qubit
by engineering its atomic configuration.
Bacteria-Powered Solar Cell Converts Light
to Energy, Even Under Overcast Skies E
UBC researchers have found a cheap, sustain-
able way to build a solar cell using bacteria
that convert light to energy. This innovation
could be a step toward wider adoption of so-
lar power in places like British Columbia and
parts of northern Europe where overcast skies
are common.
Flexible Hybrid Electronics:
NextFlex Awards $12M E
NextFlex has announced funding for seven
projects, fueling development of FHE proj-
ects that include epidermal sensors for robotic
knees, a sensor network to monitor and com-
municate the status of industrial systems and
infrastructure, and more.
Ecology and AI E
It's poised to transform fields from earthquake
prediction to cancer detection to self-driving cars,
and now scientists are unleashing the power of
deep learning on a new field: ecology. A team of
researchers demonstrated that the artificial intel
-
ligence technique can be used to identify animal
images captured
by motion-sensing cameras.
Electron Spectrometer Deciphers
Quantum Mechanical Effects E
Electronic circuits are miniaturized to such an
extent that quantum mechanical effects become
noticeable. Using photoelectron spectrometers,
physicists and material developers can discov-
er more about such electron-based processes.
Traditional PC Market Grows 2.7%
in Q2 of 2018 E
The second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) showed
shipments of traditional PCs (desktop, note-
book, and workstation) totaled 62.3 million
units, recording solid year-on-year growth of
2.7%, according to the International Data Cor-
poration (IDC). The results exceeded forecast
of 0.3% and marks the strongest year-on-year
growth rate in more than six years.
'Elegant' Design Could Lead to More
Powerful, Safer Lithium Metal Battery E
If the dendrite breaks through the separator
and reaches the cathode, short-circuiting and
fire can occur. Solid electrolytes have been
shown to suppress dendrite growth mechani-
cally, but at the expense of fast ion transport.
Quantum Computer Becoming Reality E
A billion-dollar research effort will make Swe-
den a world leader in quantum technology.
Chalmers researchers have begun work on de-
veloping a quantum computer with far great-
er computational power than today's best su-
per computers.
Engineers Develop Efficient Semiconductor
Material for Thermal Management E
Working to address "hotspots" in computer
chips that degrade their performance, UCLA
engineers have developed a new semiconduc-
tor material, defect-free boron arsenide, that
draws heat away from hotspots much fast-
er than current materials, which could lead to
dramatic improvements in computer chip per-
formance and energy efficiency.
