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The Colour of Sound: Special Report
The Colour of Sound: Special Report
14 OCTOBER 2008
The colour
of sound
By combining acoustic images with still
photos and even movies, acoustic cameras
are helping to answer such questions as
wheres that noise coming from?
Special Report: Plus: TSMC offers 28nm flavours Data converter manufacturers push the envelope
Boosting pcb design productivity Easing the internet connectivity conundrum
Expert Panel The link to better industrial communication Modular reference design approach
P002_NELE_OCT14 7/10/08 17:42 Page 1
Contents.qxp:Contents.qxd 9/10/08 15:44 Page 5
CONTENTS
14 October 2008 Volume 41 No 18
EMBEDDED DESIGN
MIXED SIGNAL & ANALOGUE
t Ar t
COVER STORY
How acoustic cameras help us see the COMMUNIC ATIONS DESIGN
invisible. New Electronics looks at the
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
technology available for visualising
On the web!
sound.
14 How the task of adding internet connectivity can be eased ............................................................................................................55
INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATION
Greater communication
An open network that addresses the limitations of Ethernet ........................................................................................................ 59
SYSTEM DESIGN
REFERENCE DESIGNS
6
System solution
A modular approach to reference designs provides engineers with ability to explore ................................................ 62
SPECIAL REPORT
EXPERT PANEL
Green is the colour
A panel of experts examines approaches to improve environmental design .................................................................. 19
19
55
REGULARS
COMMENT
Customers, rather than Moores Law, are driving AMD joins with Abu Dhabi investor to create
process technology development. 5 new foundry company. 8
Wireless chipsets are first to go as Freescale
NEWS ceo Beyer refocuses the company. 10
Parallel approach set to slash advanced chips Europe becomes a more important part of
59 design closure times. 6 TSMCs business 12
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COMMENT
28nm manufacturing
T
Editor: Graham Pitcher he bleeding edge of semiconductor manufacturing technology has just taken
Deputy Editor: Chris Shaw
another step towards the perceived brick wall of the Laws of Physics.
Contributing Editors:
David Boothroyd, Louise Joselyn,
Previously, it was Moores Law which acted as the engine for process
Vanessa Knivett, Roy Rubenstein development. Today, although Moores Law remains a driver, its customers who are
Art Editor: David Walters pushing progress through their need for faster chips which consume less power.
Illustrator: Phil Holmes
The two main process technology rivals Taiwanese foundry TSMC and the IBM
Sales Director: Tricia Bodsworth
Business Development Director: Lee Nye Common Platform have both unveiled plans to address the 28nm node. Driven by
Circulation Manager: Chris Jones their customers needs, these organisations are pushing the limits of science in
(circulation@findlay.co.uk) order to enable the consumer products of tomorrow. It goes without saying that
Production Controller: Derek Gill
Publisher: Peter Ring
this work is not trivial; in fact, some of the work has been in progress for a decade.
Group Publisher: Ed Tranter Scaling process technology the so called process shrink has worked well in
Represented in Japan by the past. But at these amazingly small dimensions, challenges arise. One in
Shinano International: Kazuhiko Tanaka,
particular is gate thickness. Shrinking previous processes leaves a layer around
Akasaka Kyowa Bldg, 1-6-14 Akasaka,
Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107-0052
three atoms thick; not a great deal of room for error.
Tel: +81(0)3 3584 6420 The development of high K metal gate technology is overcoming this by
New Electronics: Tel: 01322 221144 providing a layer of material with the same capacitance, but which is much thicker
Fax: 01322 221188 and therefore more manufacturable.
www.newelectronics.co.uk
But evidence of just how difficult it is to develop these advanced processes is
email: ne@findlay.co.uk
given by TSMC. One thing which you cant accuse TSMC of is a lack of confidence;
it has addressed the issues of the foundry market square on and, in the process,
ISSN 0047-9624
New Electronics, incorporating Electronic Equipment carved itself out a 50% market share. But when an organisation of TSMCs stature
News and Electronics News, is published twice monthly
by Findlay Publications Ltd, Hawley Mill,
uses the word risk when talking about its 28nm process, you know things are
Hawley Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ getting interesting.
Copyright 2008 Findlay Publications.
Annual subscription (22 issues) for readers in the UK
is 106, overseas is 161, and airmail is 197.
Origination by CTT, Walthamstow, London E17 6BU.
Printed in England by Wyndeham Heron Ltd,
Heybridge, CM9 4NW.
T
iming closure is becoming a growing problem with larger chip designs on advanced process
technologies. In a move to solve this problem, Mentor Graphics has launched Olympus-SoC, a
place and route (P&R) system that performs timing analysis and optimisation in parallel.
Sudhaka Jilla, director of marketing for Mentors P&R group, said: This hasnt been attempted
before because its a complex problem. Nevertheless, designers are already getting an x7
improvement in timing analysis and an x4 improvement in design closure.
Pointing out that some design groups are now putting more than 1billion transistors on a chip,
Jilla added: The number of corners is also increasing. Earlier process technologies perhaps only A chip designed by researchers at the
had four corners, but the latest 65nm designs may have up to 30 corners, along with a number of Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya and
modes. All this means run times now take hundreds of hours. manufactured completely in Spain will be used
Mentors approach takes advantage of multicore processors to distribute the load. Jilla explained: to measure the wind on Mars.
Theres a lot of parallelism if you know what to look for and ways you can parallelise the problem. Our The chip is the key piece of the anemometer
algorithm scans up and down the chain identifying tasks which are independent of each other. on a weather monitoring station for NASAs
Already, NEC has used the tool for a 30m gate design with four modes and four corners, a 200MHz Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, planned
main clock and more than 150 derived clocks. According to the company, it found almost a factor of for launch later in 2009.
four reduction in design closure time. Each 1.5mm thick chip includes three
temperature sensitive platinum components:
one measures the chips temperature; the
second heats it to 25C above ambient; and the
Flexible display third controls the characteristics of the wind
sensor. Temperature is measured by a further
research programme identical chip.
NEWS
Semiconductor manufacture
F
ollowing a year of undisclosed sum.
uncertainty about its Steve Sanghi, Microchips ceo, and Keith
manufacturing strategy, Jackson, ON Semis ceo, claimed that Atmels
AMD has entered a joint 18month old transformation is incomplete and
venture with Abu Dhabi based continues to face significant execution risks
Advanced Technology and obstacles.
Investment Company (ATIC) to Sanghi said the deal will combine
create a foundry company complementary businesses. This enhances
called, for the moment, The Microchips opportunities in the 8bit market as
Foundry Company. well as broadening our 32bit offerings with ATR
The Foundry Company will and ARM based solutions. In particular,
combine AMDs manufacturing Atmels ARM based microcontrollers, which
facilities, related assets and IP offer performances in excess of 200MIPS, are
rights, and a $2.1billion seen by Sanghi as valuable technology.
investment from ATIC. The
Foundry Company will also CRL pushes QKD data rate
assume approximately $1.2bn of AMDs existing debt. ATIC has committed up to $6bn investment
over the next five years to fund the expansion of The Foundry Companys capacity. Immediate plans Claiming a world record quantum cryptography
include expanding the ex AMD fab in Dresden and building a new facility in the US. bit rate, researchers at the Cambridge Research
Meanwhile, the foundry startup will join the IBM joint development alliance for both silicon on Lab (CRL) of Toshiba Research Europe, have
insulator and bulk silicon technologies, addressing manufacturing requirements for geometries to increased the bit rate of quantum key
22nm. distribution (QKD) more than hundred fold.
Describing the move as a landmark for AMD, Dirk Meyer, AMDs president and ceo, said: With Because QKD requires a secure key to be
The Foundry Company, AMD has developed an innovative way to focus our efforts on design while shared between many users, its take up has
maintaining access to the leading edge manufacturing technologies that our business needs without been hampered by its relatively low bit rate
the required capital intensive investments of semiconductor manufacturing. (typically less than 10kbit/s for a 20km fibre
ATICs chairman Waleed Al Mokarrab added: Independent and well capitalised, The Foundry link). The breakthrough will boost data rates to
Company begins with an established leading edge customer, an advanced technology roadmap, an more than 1Mbit/s for a 20km link, enabling
R&D partnership with IBM and a clear plan to scale capacity. networks with thousands of users.
Head of CRLs Quantum Information Group,
Dr Andrew Shields, commented: We plan now
to develop a fully functional prototype of the
high bit rate QKD system for use in quantum
On display networks.
59
Stand 1
us in Hall A4, November.
nd see 14th
Come a Germany on 11 2008
www.analog.com/auto-ad1-eu
h , ctronica
in Munic
Tel: +44 (0)1932 358 530
a .com/ele
log
www.an E-mail: newsletters@analog.com
2008 Analog Devices, Inc. Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.
pg. 10.qxp:NEWS 9/10/08 15:45 Page 8
NEWS ANALYSIS
Freescale
S
ix months into the job, Rich Beyer efficient products to market more quickly.
Freescales new chairman and ceo has Meanwhile, Beyer has identified a range of
completed his review of the companys issues that need addressing, including product
operations. The first casualty is Freescales defect levels and meeting lead times.
wireless chipset business and the move is no Defect levels were 7.1ppm, he admitted,
surprise, considering recent developments in but this figure has dropped to 5ppm and 80%
that market. of the products we ship have zero defects.
Having taken a look at the prospects for However, 5ppm in the automotive industry is
the business, Beyer came to the conclusion catastrophic, so we need to continue to work on
that the wireless chipset segment was sub getting to zero defects.
scale. Its not large enough to support the Beyer also sees no immediate need to
level of investment thats required. embrace advanced process technology, except
His preferred option is selling the business for maintaining links with foundries and with
unit, but he is prepared to consider a joint the IBM Alliance. Believing that Freescale
venture. Surprisingly, bearing the current should be fab light, Beyer said: Its not
economic climate in mind, Beyer expects to appropriate for us to build fabs or buy them,
find a solution in the next three months. but we do need to influence.
Were in discussions with some companies Future versions of Freescales QorIQ chip
and are identifying others, but we wont stay the successor to the PowerQUICC range will be
in that business for long, he asserted. Beyer: Its fair to say that we will use some of the manufactured on 45 and 32nm processes and it
However, other products targeted at mobile cash freed up for acquisitions. is these products which Beyer was alluding to.
handsets will not be affected by the move, Network processors are at the forefront of
which is expected to free substantial amounts Freescales portfolio, Beyer noted, and were
of cash for other uses. to D, rather than R. Nevertheless, Beyer involved in bringing up 45nm silicon on
Currently, Freescale is investing 20% of anticipates a modest amount of R. Nothing insulator and influencing its development so
sales revenue in R&D. Beyer noted that we do needs bleeding edge research, so we that it meets our requirements.
wireless chipsets took the highest part of can free up money for product development. Whilst QorIQ is at the leading edge, other
that. Now, hes looking at setting what he But, said Beyer, its fair to say that we Freescale products dont need to be so
believes is the right level of investment. I will also use some of the cash freed up for aggressive. Our auto products will move to
think 18 to 20% is likely, he noted. acquisitions. Its a valid way to build the 65nm, Beyer observed, but not for four or five
Like similar companies, the focus is moving company. Not only that, there is $700million years.
NEWS ANALYSIS
TSMC
Growing
mainly field technical support people. These
will assist our customers in accelerating their
designs by helping them to make the right
design decisions and selecting the right
T
imes may be hard, but leading foundry TSMC. Merced believes that start ups are also offerings have lagged the leading edge by two
TSMC doesnt appear to be suffering in the taking advantage of its leading edge nodes, depending on the features. Now, said
same way as some other companies. technologies. We have around 100 customer Merced, its less than half a generation behind.
Maria Merced, president of TSMC Europe, tape outs this year from European companies, Similarly, rf technology is being developed
said: The Euro is strong against the Dollar, but she claimed, adding Icera will be taping out at for TSMCs 40nm node. Europe is good in
the bad news is this means local costs have to be 40nm this year. And 100 customer tape outs communications, Merced concluded, and this
reduced and NXP is an example. could mean more than 100 devices. will continue with special clusters. Its not just
Against this background, TSMC is growing its Europe is also attracting more of TSMCs the Iceras, there are lots of others.
business in Europe. Were one quarter ahead of mind share, through its growing importance in Meanwhile, TSMC is expanding Fabs 12 and
where we were last year, Merced claimed, the automotive segment and through its 14 in Taiwan its so called gigafabs. Merced
which is 30% up year on year. And Europe now traditional strength in the communications noted tools will be moved into the Fab 12
comprises 12% of TSMCs business, compared to world. We are doing very well in these areas, extension by the end of this year, whilst phase
8 or 9% a year ago. Why?, Merced asked Merced noted. four of the Fab 14 development was being
rhetorically. Because IDMs are outsourcing This success is seeing TSMC raising its equipped. Both fabs are being extended and
manufacturing, driven by the current economic TSMC has invested a lot in new capacity for the
climate. Globally, TSMC now claims it holds 48% Merced: We have around 100 customer tape new process nodes.
of the foundry market. outs this year from European companies. For more on TSMCs 28nm process
But its not just IDMs that are turning to technology, see page 42.
The colour of
W
heres that noise coming when all we really want to do is
from? Its a question weve visualise how, and understand
often asked and one which why, sounds are emanating
would be easier to answer if we could see sound. from certain sources so that
Our eyes cant, so our brains are left to process the we might eliminate or at least
sounds and then triangulate an approximate location. reduce them.
And if something is hard to hear, we tilt our heads a
little instinctively repositioning our ears to get better There it is
reception. Seeing the invisible is nothing
Because our ears seldom have identical new xray machines, MRIs and
How acoustic performance, we are often deceived over the exact infrared and thermal cameras
location of a sound, particularly if it is intermittent. have been doing it for years. Where sound is concerned,
cameras help us Sometimes, the source of the sound may elude us the use of static or directional microphones, amplifiers
completely. In some cases, locating and eliminating and an oscilloscope and/or spectrum analyser allows us
see the invisible. noise is of great importance. For instance, the luxury to at least visualise the properties of sound.
car industry pays particular attention to what it dubs The technology for visualising sound goes back
By Richard BSR (buzz, squeak and rattle) issues. several years and early pioneers included NASA,
Elsewhere in the automotive sector, noise the Boeing, DLR and Airbus. During the mid 1990s, these
Warrilow. right noise, that is is desired and the characteristic organisations, working independently, were creating
deep throb on tick over of a performance car has always colour acoustic images; using microphone arrays and
been a strong selling point. So there is great interest in conditioning hardware and software to produce sound
seeing how sounds emanate from a car when designing maps.
its exhaust system and when fine tuning the engine. Also developing acoustic imaging technology
Sounds can also play a role in automotive
diagnostics and experienced technicians with an ear
for the job were diagnosing mechanical faults long
before code readers came on the scene.
In other sectors, being able to see noise pollution
would be of great benefit. With increasing road, rail and
air traffic, faster production lines in factories and wind
farms sprouting up, there is growing concern over the
levels of noise affecting everyday life. Indeed, studies
show that prolonged exposure to noise increases the
risk of heart attack and at night, disturbed sleep can
Right: affect our general health.
The noise generated by the But where is all this noise? Until recently, recording
turbine and rotor of a and analysing the plethora of noises bombarding us
helicopter in flight. would have been a time consuming and costly exercise;
Cover story
Acoustic imaging
during the 1990s was GFaI eV, a research association vehicle, a three pronged star array
which evolved from a department of East Germanys might be employed. And for making
Academy of Sciences, which itself was almost all round 3d measurements (say
completely disbanded with the reunification of within a vehicle) the microphones
Germany in 1989. Like MIRA in the UK, GFaI receives would typically be arranged in a
some government funding, but its main remit was and sphere.
remains to commercialise its technological With this technology, it is possible
developments into products. to visualise sound in the range 100Hz
The real breakthrough in acoustic imaging came to about 100kHz, where the low end is
during the late 1990s when engineers at GFaI typically restricted by the arrays
proposed using a video camera in the centre of an dimensions. Lower frequencies
array of microphones to capture visuals, creating an require larger arrays with widely spaced microphones, Above:
automatic overlay to the acoustic image at the same while the upper limit is typically governed by the The University of Michigans
time. And so the acoustic camera was born. sensitivity of the microphones and the sampling rate Big House stadium. The
Overlaying sound on top of real images initially of the data recorder. acoustic (still) photo of the
stills, more recently movies continues to have great stadium shows who is
appeal. The start of the technologys commercial Game On making the most the noise
success was probably marked by Porsches purchase Beam forming adds another dimension to standard and, below it, a frequency
of a system in 2001. Gunnar Heilmann, market acoustic recordings as the analysis of noise can now (y-axis) against time
development manager of GFaI tech, a subsidiary of be time, frequency or space selective, which presents (x-axis) plot in which colour
GFaI eV located in the science and technology park in some interesting possibilities. Shepperson notes: denotes amplitude. The plot
Berlin Adlershof WISTA, comments: At the heart of You might choose a plane in space and take an represents a 1.5s recording
the technology is a technique called delay and sum acoustic photo to see dominant sources for all of one section of the crowd.
beam forming which, like the human brain, processes frequencies. You could then record over a period of
delays in the arrival of sound at different points. time plotting frequency (y-axis) against time (x-
Tony Shepperson, sales and application engineer axis) and using colour to denote amplitude for an Centre:
area of interest in your photo. The automotive
It is possible to make a motion movie from industry is interested in
sequential acoustic photos and GFaI has managed to acoustic imaging to make
capture images at a rate of almost 200kHz to produce sure engines produce the
extreme slow motion. For example, offers right noise.
Shepperson, automotive power train developers are
using the system in their test chambers to observe in
detail individual firing sequences and you can see
what happens when the turbo kicks in.
Elsewhere, the technology has been used to
analyse sound on a massive scale. Last year,
recordings were taken by GFaI tech at the University
of Michigans Big House stadium as part of an
exercise to see how the addition of raised spectator
boxes might affect noise levels.
Heilmann was on the Acoustic Camera team. He
of AcSoft, GFaI techs UK distributor, adds: Youre recalls: The stadium is large, but does not have high
effectively seeing noise in its fundamental form sides. On the day of the recording, there were about
changes in sound pressure and in most cases youre 110,000 people in the stadium and we took our
acoustically focussing on what is optically invisible. measurements from the centre of the pitch. An
To capture a sound, practical beam forming unexpected discovery was that we were able to zoom
requires a minimum of 16 microphones, but the more in acoustically on one individual and hear him above
that are used the better the resolution and the the crowd.
dynamic range of the sound map. In some instances, Sound levels in the centre of the field reached
more than 100 microphones are employed. approximately 85dB, but nearer the edge of the field
The microphones can be arranged in virtually any (particularly near the student section), it reached
configuration, depending on application, but the 112dB. The data was then superimposed onto a cad
most common for general applications are ring and model, which has since been modified in accordance
spiral shapes. For measuring the noise of a passing with architectural plans for the proposed changes.
COVER STORY
Acoustic imaging
Right:
Acoustic cameras have a
typical range of 100Hz
to 100kHz, which makes
it possible to see
ultrasonic sound. Visit
www.newelectronics.
co.uk to see a short
movie clip of the sounds
emitted in flight by
Bartok the Egyptian
Fruit Bat.
From A to Z
Using our eyes, we can gather information more
quickly than through using any other sense and,
according to Shepperson: The main issue is not that
humans cant hear noise, its about developing an
objective approach to reducing or eliminating it. For
example, one automotive manufacturer came to us
Above and right: Heilmann says: with 40 known noise sources inside the car, but it
Practical beam forming One reason for the wanted to know how often they occurred under
requires at least 16 addition of the varying conditions so it could prioritise the
microphones, but the spectator boxes is to reflect sound into the centre remedies.
more that are used the of the pitch, as part of the game from the Whilst acoustic cameras are relatively new, they
better the resolution spectators point of view is to drown out the have already proved useful in applications ranging
and the dynamic range quarterbacks instructions to his team. Its from aerospace to zoology anprocessing power has
of the sound map. anticipated that the addition of the boxes will made possible real time 2d and 3d acoustic imaging.
result in at least a 10dB rise in noise on the pitch Heilmann concludes: Acoustic imaging will play
during a typical game. We plan to return following an increasingly important role in quality control,
the construction of the spectator boxes to make environmental inspections and architectural analysis.
new recordings. Acoustic imaging has a very colourful future.
SPECIAL REPORT
Expert Panel
GREEN
are robust, reliable and retained, rather
than upgraded and replaced.
TTPs Palmer supported this view.
Initial design is only a part of the story
and many other considerations will have to
be taken into account in the future, such as
whole life environmental effects, reuse and
recycling issues, along with the elimination
of potentially hazardous materials.
is the colour
How important is it for designers to
think environmentally? IDCs Robbins
contended: Many of the social and
environmental impacts that arise from the
products that people choose are already
designed in long before they reach the
end user. According to the Industrial
P
ressure is mounting on designers to What approaches can be taken Design Society of America as much as
think about the environment and 75% of the environmental impacts (as well
that pressure is being applied from to improve environmental as the costs) that a product throws off
two general directions. throughout its lifetime is determined at
From one side comes concern about
design? By Graham Pitcher. the design stage. Taking that on board, it
global warming. By designing components is and will be in the future essential for
and products that consume less power, the electronic designers to consider
need to generate power is reduced and, of product, low production cost and energy, environmental factors. However, it is not
hence, greenhouse gas emissions are cut. as well as reducing toxic compounds in the just the role of the electronics designer to
The other main pressure comes from a product and in the manufacturing process. think environmentally. It should be
need to stop waste electrical and Its about choosing the right considered by the organisation as a whole
electronic products going to landfill. Part manufacturing location to reduce the to really make a difference.
of this solution is for products to be carbon footprint by minimising
designed for recycling. transportation of components and final Packaging design brings results
But just what is environmental product. Its about designing for ease of Rosser added: Its very important.
design and what issues does it raise? We recycling and future proofing, so the goods Packaging design can have an enormous
asked a panel of experts. Taking part were impact on the environment and often
Envirowises cleaner design specialist results in cost savings that are quicker
Jenni Rosser, Luke Robbins, sustainable and easier to achieve than in products.
design specialist with Industrial Design Cleaner design in relation to products can
Consultancy (IDC), Steve Chambers, head help companies benefit both from
of Sagentias science and technology compliance with legislation and the
division, and Mathew Palmer, business economic, environmental and marketing
development manager, embedded opportunities.
technologies, from The Technology Having established that environmental
Partnership. design is important, what areas should
First up was Rosser. Environmental designers concentrate on?
design aims to minimise the costs and Chambers believed that eliminating
environmental impact of a product over its unnecessary energy use was crucial. The
entire life cycle. Improving resource biggest impact would be to reduce or
productivity producing more electronic eliminate standby current usage in
goods and services with fewer materials consumer goods. Typically, this consumes
and input from utilities and with less 20% of the energy used in operating
pollution and waste will create mode, but achieves nothing.
sustainable benefits for the environment, Chambers: The biggest impact would be to In Robbins opinion, a general starting
and ultimately reduce business costs. reduce or eliminate standby current. point would be to consider the entire life
In Chambers view it is low energy usage cycle of the product. A Life Cycle
SPECIAL REPORT
Expert Panel
THEBEST
I N N O V A T I O N & D E S I G N E X C E L L E N C E A W A R D S 2 0 0 8
P24,25 spons+conts.qxp:Layout 1 8/10/08 10:12 Page 24
Contents/Sponsors B E S T F A C T O R Y A W A R D S 2 0 0 8i D E A A W A R D S 2 0 0 8
Eureka and New Electronics magazines, and Cranfield School of Management, greatly
appreciate the support of the sponsors of the Innovation & Design Excellence Awards 2008
iDEA 2008
Sagentia is delighted to be associated with iDEA Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough The Electronics Leadership Council (ELC) is a
2008 and to be overall sponsor for the 4th year products, creates and licenses intellectual body set up jointly by government and
running for the Innovation & Design Excellence property, and provides business consultancy in industry to provide strategic leadership for the
of the Year Award. technology-critical issues for clients worldwide. rapidly changing technology sector. The UK has
For more than 20 years, Sagentias The Breakthrough Product Award recognises a thriving electronics sector, but the threats
uncompromising commitment to innovation has products that are as yet unproven, but which from Asia are very real and demand a national
led to the launch of breakthrough technologies, show great promise and, more importantly, strategy to offset the potential loss of
products and services for our clients across six inspire belief. The alchemy involved in successful manufacturing jobs by developing higher value
global markets. and inspirational new product design deserves UK jobs. This demands action in education and
We are active in all stages of design recognition, and we are delighted to sponsor this skills, investment in science and technology, a
and development through to manufacture, category. For nearly 50 years, weve enabled level playing field on government procurement
underpinned by a team that combines industry clients to turn business opportunities into for UK firms and support for UK companies in
experience, technology expertise and business commercial successes, whether launching first- overseas markets, enabling them to grow
acumen. to-market products, entering new markets or internationally.The ELC has begun to make a
We are proud to be associated with awards expanding existing markets through the difference in each of these areas, but fully
that promote success and excellence in introduction of new technologies. accepts that there remains a great deal to be
innovation and design in the UK, and offer done.
congratulations to all winners.
Prototype Projects is delighted to sponsor the Sponsor of the Product Design Innovation Award,
Best Design Consultancy award. Experts in Autodesk helps customers to experience their
providing rapid prototyping and model making ideas before they're real by providing state-of-
services to product designers, engineers and the-art, interoperable, 2D and 3D model-based
manufacturers throughout the UK and Europe, design technologies that are redefining the
we employ the latest technology and skills to product development process. With Digital
answer the most demanding prototyping and Prototyping, manufacturers can optimise and
modelling requirements. validate their ideas before actually creating a
We service many industries and currently product, helping to remove time and costs from
supply the Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Medical, the product development process, and get the
Computer, Industrial Engineering and Consumer right product to market faster. Autodesk is a
products markets. world leader in digital design innovation
Following continued investment in technologies. Our products, services, and
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iDEA 2008 - 24
P24,25 spons+conts.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:02 Page 25
i D E A 2 0 0 8 Introduction
Innovation is an essential component when seeking competitive advantage, especially in todays Innovation
fast-moving and turbulent business environment. It takes talent, commitment and passion all & Design
of which these awards winners have in abundance. We should all celebrate and share in that. Excellence Awards
Innovating to win
many years to come. Also, the ability to
I
n todays fast-moving and turbulent
business environment, innovation is critical collaborate with external partners is essential
to success. It is a primary source of in developing innovative products, so it is
competitive advantage and arguably the single hardly surprising to find that the winners are
most important activity necessary for long- expert at collaborating with customers and
term growth. suppliers. They were able to ensure that
The winners of the 2008 Innovation and a difficult activity does not result in long
Design Excellence Awards provide a pointer to development lead times or increased
some of the common elements that help to development costs. They often worked closely
create a successful, innovative organisation. with customers during the development
All the winning companies considered process, for example, providing early
Dr Marek Szwejczewski
innovation to be critical to their business prototypes to test and evaluate.
Director Innovation and
and an important element of their corporate All had a deep understanding of their
Design Excellence
strategy. Their senior management teams customers needs and wants, which was
were focused on innovation and actively acquired through surveys, interviews and Awards
took the lead in developing new products most importantly direct interaction with Cranfield School of
as well as supporting employees to develop users. All this ensured that they were able to Management
their own ideas. effectively bring the voice of the customer into
The companies had an appropriate the new product development process.
innovation culture, where employees were Moreover, the winners used cross-functional
encouraged to contribute ideas and try new teams to develop new products and a formal
approaches. The winners encouraged risk- product development process with clear
taking and senior management accepted approval stages.
that some failure was likely to occur. The winners also had a passion to develop
The companies involved also displayed a innovative new products that were significantly
commitment to invest in developing radical better than those of their competitors. This
innovations and new technologies in the passion, and desire to be the best, is something
knowledge that they may not reap reward for we should celebrate and share.
iDEA 2008 - 25
P26 Lou intro.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:04 Page 26
Foreword B E S T F A C T O R Y A W A R D S 2 0 0 8 i D E A 2 0 0 8
Innovation The winners of this years awards are a truly diverse mix - from minnows to multi-nationals. Yet
& Design one thing clearly unites them: they are all adept at identifying gaps in their markets and coming
Excellence up with innovative solutions. Most of all, they know how to stay one step ahead of their rivals.
Awards
Land of opportunity
The medical market is one where this approach
P
eople love to discover connections. If two
things happen at the same time is common. It proves that the smallest of
or one after the other the search for companies with the right people, attitude and
a link, or common theme, begins. expertise can compete with the best in this
This brings me to my own difficult most challenging and daunting of markets.
connection: what, if any, are the links between One iDEA winner was actually set up out of
the seven companies shortlisted for this years frustration, when several employees of a large
Innovation & Design Excellence Awards (other firm decided they did not agree with its new
than the fact they are all on the shortlist)? approach. They started their own company to
Theyre a diverse bunch of companies, do things right which, most of all, meant
ranging from minnows to multi-nationals. They listening to customers and delivering
Lou Reade, are experts in, variously: optoelectronics, innovative new products to the market. Ten
Editor, Eureka mechanical design, the medical industry, years later, their company is thriving.
marketing, ideation and cutting-edge Im not going to name individual winners
technology. Some tick more than one of these here: its better to read their profiles in the
boxes. To compare the companies directly is to pages that follow, in order to understand more
compare apples with pears. about how they stand out from the crowd. What
But common themes emerged from the iDEA was it that they did in terms of new product
judging visits. The most striking of these was development that helped them nose ahead of
opportunism, as all of the winners showed a their competitors?
nose for identifying a gap in their market. Some These are real examples of innovation best
offered winning products by reacting to practice and Id like to think that theyre
legislative changes; others simply listened transferable. We all hear stories about how a
carefully, then delivered products that their mature concept in one field becomes the next
customers could not ignore. big thing in a different industry. Just look at
The small companies, in particular, were able some of the things happening in medical, or
to identify promising market niches and pursue automotive, or aerospace and think: would that
them, in a way that their larger rivals could not. work in my industry?
iDEA 2008 - 26
P027_NELE_OCT14 2/10/08 12:38 Page 1
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P29-31 TTP - BW SUBBED.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:33 Page 29
i D E A 2 0 0 8 TTP
Cambridge technology specialist TTP continues a proud tradition of companies that use their Winner
engineering expertise to spin off new ventures Sagentia Innovation &
Design Excellence Award
Winner
Best Design Consultancy
Sponsored by Prototype Projects
Highly Commended
Design Collaboration
Award
Platform alternation Sponsored by Eureka
T
heres something in the DNA of embodied in its name, as technology is One key area for TTP is consumer
Cambridge area technology at the heart of everything it does. electronics: few fields combine product
companies that pre-programmes The company describes its approach volume and high technology to such an
them to follow a familiar pattern as adhocracy teasing order from extent. The companys expertise in
namely to: use technical expertise to chaos, using a creative approach to communications protocols such as
help clients develop products; patent a problem-solving. Its often said that DAB made it an ideal choice to
few ideas of its own; and use these as innovation cannot be managed develop a digital radio for the US
the basis for creating spin-outs. but TTP would not agree. satellite broadcasting network.
The city may be most famous for Its a delicate balance between Its impossible to pin down a single
its medical and scientific work, but anarchy and adhocracy, says Allan area of expertise for TTP. Other products
companies such as The Technology Carmichael, who, like many TTP that are currently making it through the
Partnership (TTP) are helping to re- employees, has a PhD, but no official pipeline include: a point-of-care device
focus this towards engineering and job title. The flexibility of roles helps that will analyse samples in a vets
design. The companys strength is people to grow and deliver. surgery and a rare own brand product
Profile
Location: Melbourn, Herts
Employees: 281
Focus: Patenting new
ideas; product
development;
spinning off
new ventures
i D E A 2 0 0 8 TTP
a PCB for use in industrial printers. that will sit in the home and act as a new but this is the first time that such
A growing area is its development of shared communications hub a hybrid a concept has been created at consumer
a series of platform technologies of computer, mobile phone and family prices, says Simon Lewis., who heads
ranging from electronic printing to message board. A prototype is presently the spin-off company.
medical devices which it licenses to being trialled with 25 families to see how So, if this time next year you are
clients. It develops these separately to they use it. picking up family messages on the
its fees for service work and hopes In true Cambridge style, the idea has shared messageboard, and ditching
to grow this area of the business. been spun off into a separate company, your mobile in favour of a Wayve
An example is Touchspray, a part owned by Microsoft. terminal, just remember that you read
patented method of nebulising liquids The idea for these devices is not about it here first.
into vapour, which it has licensed to a
German pharmaceutical company.
TTP is confident that further
licensing deals for this and for other
platforms will follow.
We do not just want to be a fees-for-
service company, says the companys
Victor Humberstone. Platform
technologies offer something unique:
they allow customers to develop higher
margin products, giving them a stronger
position in the market. At the same time,
we get to develop a core expertise in a
unique area, which we can then sell to
other clients.
And TTPs focus on the future does
not stop: its latest brainchild is a device
called Wayve, a small-screen terminal
iDEA 2008 - 31
P08_ELC AD.qxp:Layout 1 10/9/08 09:13 Page 1
i D E A 2 0 0 8 Brandon Medical
Leeds-based Brandon Medical knows its customers intimately and devises new products to Winner
meet their needs, while competing effectively with larger rivals. Best Small Company
Sponsored by ELC
Highly Commended
Breakthrough Product
Award
Sponsored by
Cambridge Consultants
Light work
ts a little-known fact that an operating Were a small company, so we tissues that are similar in colour. Profile
I theatre is so named because early
operations were treated as spectator
events with medical students and
have to develop better products
and make them cheaper, he says.
As with many small companies,
Brandon has a growing range of lamps
including the Galaxy Ultra that use HD
LED technology.
Location: Leeds
Employees: 29
Focus: Medical
lighting products
members of the public taking their seats Hall recognises that Brandon can Red balance enhancement
that meet
to watch the surgeon at work. develop niche products that are of compensates for the eyes natural customer needs
These days, things are far more limited interest to its enormous rivals weakness in distinguishing shades of
private and far more sophisticated. because the volumes are too low. That red, says the company. These lamps
The advent of telemedicine means you said, its ability to take on a larger rival reduce eye strain by making the light
and win is part of its success. do the work, instead of the eye.
It has now taken this further, As well as reducing eye strain, the
developing a new technology for medical LED lights are cold as they do not
lamps which it calls high definition heat up like halogen lamps. For this
LEDs, or HD LEDs. These are standard reason, they are far more energy
LEDs, treated using a proprietary efficient Hall estimates that they
process to give out more red light. consume around 80% less energy.
The basis for the development was And, for obvious reasons, he is
the knowledge a lamp with better circumspect about the exact details of
red balance would help surgeons to the product, saying only: Its red and
differentiate more easily between white LEDs, and a bit of pixie dust.
iDEA 2008 - 33
P10_BFA08.qxp:Layout 1 10/9/08 16:55 Page 1
A partner of
P35-IDC - SUBBED BW.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:11 Page 35
i D E A 2 0 0 8 IDC
Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) does far more than its name suggests, growing its expertise Winner
in medical devices and incorporating sustainable design principles into its business Design Collaboration
Award
Sponsored by Eureka
Winner
Product Design
Innovation Award
Sponsored by Autodesk
Highly Commended
Best Design Consultancy
Sustained improvement Sponsored by
Prototype Projects
E
arlier this year, Datchet-based extended its reach into new markets. The whole design time of around two
Industrial Design Consultancy Where it once focused its efforts on years from conception to final product,
(IDC) launched a website called products such as household appliances, including the management of complex
the LCA Calculator to help designers the company now wins more of its moulding projects was fast for such a
calculate the environmental impact of business from higher margin industries, product, especially as IDC had never
their products. The site is free and such as medical. before designed an insulin pen.
should help to boost IDCs green IDC was recently invited to help a It wasnt until we attended trade
credentials and attract potential
customers at the same time.
IDC has taken its green initiative
further by employing a full-time person
Luke Robbins to help it embed
sustainable design principles into the
company. And that is something
Robbins knows wont be easy.
Were looking to integrate this into
the whole process, he says. Were not
just bolting it on.
For now, incorporating green
principles into design is still very much a
balance: many environmental solutions
will be deemed unworkable,
for reasons of cost or practicality.
Sustainable design solutions must
prove themselves, he says.
With this will come big changes,
Robbins points out. I need to make sure major drugs company to design an shows and spoke to other pen designers Profile
people are happy to use these new tools, insulin pen with the challenge that that we realised how quickly we had Location: Datchet
Employees: 25
in order to get them on board. many such patent-protected products achieved it, says Gough. We had
Focus: Expertise in
Aside from its move towards already existed. somebody working on this full-time for medical devices;
sustainability a growing trend among We found that there were about 500 two-and-a-half years. incorporating
design consultancies IDC has patents covering insulin pens, says Since last years iDEA judging visit sustainable
design principles
projects director Brian Gough. We (when IDC was highly commended), the
needed to find a way around them all. company has expanded having taken
A key factor in the success of the pen on four more staff, rented additional
which was successfully designed space and invested in a brand new Viper
without contravening any existing IP SLA machine.
was IDCs partnership with a skilled The Viper will allow us to improve our
moulder to make the components. The model-making offering, says managing
pen is made completely from plastics, so director Stephen Knowles. We still use
moulding the various components was some external prototyping bureaux
critical to its success. but this increases our speed.
iDEA 2008 - 35
Project1:Layout 1 10/9/08 09:29 Page 1
Cambridge
Consultants
fastertomarketsolutions
TM
When it comes to developing new products, everyone knows that speed to market is key.
But to really leave your competitors standing, your products also need to be optimised for cost
and efciency, and they have to be right rst time. And thats challenging. We should know.
After all, weve been developing successful products for clients for nearly 50 years.
www.CambridgeConsultants.com
P37-Wide Blue - BW SUBBED.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:13 Page 37
id D E A 2 0 0 8 Wideblue
Wideblue, a product design specialist spun out of Polaroid, is taking its expertise in Winner
optoelectronics into the medical industry and beyond Breakthrough Product
Award
Sponsored by
Cambridge Consultants
A
growing trend among design
consultancies is to develop their own styling was also crucial: focus group product as this, says King.
products. While this can be fraught feedback revealed the device would Breastlight is far from being
with danger, consultancies realise that, if need to be intuitive and comfortable Wideblues only offering. It has
they can get it right, the revenues from an to use a further reason for efficient developed a number of products for
in-house product can dwarf those from thermal management. clients, such as Biopta which measures
traditional fees for service. Another refinement had to do with the response of human tissue to varying
Dumbarton-based Wideblue, created product perception. At low voltage, LEDs concentrations of new drugs. It
as a spin-out from Polaroid, has taken quite naturally produce a variable light automates a process that was
this step. Our expertise, says director output. An array of LEDs would then previously carried out by a PhD
Grant King, is in optoelectronics, which have differing levels of brightness, biochemist, using a very expensive
forms the basis of everything we do. giving a perception of malfunction. We microscope.
Wideblue has set up a separate decided to ramp up the voltage but to Again, optoelectronics played a key
company, PWB, to commercialise its pulse it at the same time, says King. role in its design. And this level of
most promising product a self-
examination tool called Breastlight,
This solved the problem and meant that
we used only 10% of the power.
specialist knowledge can be a real
advantage when it comes to winning
Profile
Location: Dumbarton
whose history is a heartening story of Following a soft launch to the new business. Employees: 15
innovation success. A retired professor medical profession, the company plans We dont typically bid for work Focus: Expertise is in
of health physics had the idea for a a commercial launch near the end of the against other design consultancies, optoelectronics
breast examination product and year. You have to says King. People tend to know us, so for the medical
industry and
went as far as to build a be very careful we get referrals. beyond
demonstrator, using off-the-shelf
components. While it got across the
principle that shining a strong
light through breast tissue could be
an important part of a self-
examination regime the product
needed serious work, in order to make
it commercially viable.
Wideblue spotted the opportunity
and helped to take the idea forward with
assistance from various grants and
awards. Its optoelectronics expertise
and design skills were crucial. From
early on, the company knew it had to
use LEDs as the light source. But it also
knew of several technical problems
one being that LEDs begin to lose
performance at high temperature.
For this reason, we had to devise a
thermal management system to remove
heat from the LEDs, says product
iDEA 2008 - 37
P38 -Kinneir - SUBBED BW.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:15 Page 38
Kinneir Dufort B E S T F A C T O R Y A W A R D S 2 0 0 8 i D E A 2 0 0 8
Highly Commended Design consultancy Kinneir Dufort helps its mainly blue-chip clients to move their
Best Small Company products from concept to finished article
Sponsored by ELC
Better by design
Profile
A
Location: Bristol
Employees: 37 free coffee is always a good way to
Focus: Helps clients to make friends with the neighbours
move products and Bristol design consultancy
from concept
Kinneir Dufort (KD) used the technique to
to design
test reactions to a drinks vending
machine that it was
re-designing for Mars.
Instead of hanging up a sign saying
Free coffee inside, KD researched and
contacted a cross-section of local
consumers choosing them carefully in
terms of age, job title and other factors
and then invited their feedback on the
Ultrasonics specialist Pulsar is riding the wave of upheavals in the water utilities by Winner
providing innovative level-measurement technologies Design Cycle Time
Reduction Award
Sponsored by
New Electronics
Level best
I
t can be hard to listen to the finer the water industry, namely how to
points of the sewage treatment determine the level of a liquid surface by
process immediately after eating correcting for the air temperature
breakfast. But providing technology to which changes the speed of sound in air
this industry is the basis of a thriving and therefore the reading.
Malvern-based business. Pulsars answer to this challenge was
Pulsar Process Measurement follows nothing short of a masterstroke
the trend of many small technology-led in simplicity using two ultrasonic
firms: it competes by specialising. sensors to create a reference signal
Its expertise is in ultrasonic level which overcame the need to determine
measurement, allowing its customers to temperature, and link it back to speed
determine the levels of fluids whatever and distance.
their nature accurately and reliably. Although no new technology is
We can do things that other people involved, Pulsar has a patent pending on
cant do, says managing director Keith the device because of the way that
Beard about Pulsars operations. the elements are arranged.
Water is big business these days: the The company takes a pragmatic
judging visit to Pulsar took place in the approach to product design: there is no
week that the water utilities announced place here for industrial design, though
price rises to fund their future plans. The the company used a grant to help it
investment is crucial to Pulsar, which
still wins the bulk of its business from electricity pricing is at its highest
this industry. (usually 4pm to 7pm).
Innovation is important to Pulsar, The system works by prioritising
too: the company only exists because pumping when tariffs are lower. For
Beard and other Pulsar employees didnt example, it will calculate the rate of fill
like the direction taken by their former of a sewer and, if possible, pump it out
employer and formed Pulsar to do before the advent of a higher tariff.
things the way they should be done. Following a trial of the system at one
An example is the companys water company, Pulsar estimates that a
patented level sensor, called Duet. saving of nearly 10% in annual electricity
This solved a growing problem within bills is achievable.
This, and most other products, are
design plastics mouldings for one developed within Pulsars monthly R&D
product range. meetings though these are quite
Profile
Rising water bills is one thing, but different to what might be seen in
the ever-rising cost of electricity is one a larger organisation, it points out.
that Pulsar has also instrumental in We do not need a stage gate
Location: Malvern
helping its customers to address. It process, because we are not a big Employees: 36
modified its Quantum pump control company, states Beard. Instead, Focus: Innovative
system to include its new software we bring in people whose opinions ultrasonic level
measurement
Tariff Guard which detects when we trust.
technologies
iDEA 2008 - 39
P40-Siemens - SUBBED BW.qxp:Layout 1 6/10/08 11:18 Page 40
Siemens A & D B E S T F A C T O R Y A W A R D S 2 0 0 8 i D E A 2 0 0 8
Highly commended Siemens Congleton facility is the companys world centre of expertise for control technologies
Product Design and was crucial in developing a new energy regeneration technology for standard drives
Innovation Award
Sponsored by Autodesk
H
the technology early on and much
ow do you innovate for the of the early development was done
masses? One of the first steps by a partner university. This kind of
of innovation is to identify arrangement is common practice
customer need very clearly but that
can be difficult when you have a diverse was always too expensive to include.
customer base. The technology is already being used
iDEA 2008 - 40
P041_NELE_OCT14 30/9/08 14:41 Page 1
What flavour
please?
T
he semiconductor manufacturing But inclusion of analogue elements is of
industry has been following
TSMC splits process to meet interest. When asked how hard it had
Moores Law faithfully for many diverging application needs. been to develop analogue at 28nm, Wei
years. The result has seen the number of admitted it had been a challenge for the
transistors on a given area of silicon By Graham Pitcher. 28HP process. But we believe the
doubling every 18 months. problems can be overcome. Analogue on
Its interesting to look back and the 28LPT process, he continued, will be
realise that only a decade ago, the state designs where high performance is the OK, from the data we have.
of the art production technology was main requirement. The technology portfolio will be
probably 0.18m, moving to 0.13m. Its the first time that TSMC has complemented by a set of IP for
Today, the leading edge production offered different gate materials at the mainstream market applications, Wei
process is 40nm. same node. While the 28LPT process continued. Well be bringing the third
It could be argued that semiconductor features silicon oxynitride (SiON), the party community with us.
manufacturers were the driving force 28HP process features HKMG.
behind these developments in the past. Importantly, TSMC has announced that Take the Shuttle
But no longer. Today, its customers who 28nm will be a full node. Asked to Although TSMC has announced the 28nm
are forcing manufacturers to develop new explain this, John Wei, senior director of process, it wont be available until 2010.
processes seemingly quicker than ever. advanced technology marketing, said: Having said that, prototype designs will
Responding to these demands, TSMC This means the 28nm node will be start to flow through the CyberShuttle
has unveiled a 28nm process. Included in supported by a comprehensive process towards the end of this year.
the announcement is the first public technology and IP portfolio. Its not just Does Wei anticipate delays? We are
acknowledgement that TSMC has high K logic, well also be making available such committed to delivering 28nm in the
metal gate (HKMG) technology. Until technologies as embedded dram, timescales we have specified, he
now, only Intel and the IBM Alliance have analogue, rf and embedded flash; asserted. There is no ambiguity.
unveiled this technology. whatever is needed by our customers. Why does TSMC believe that 28nm is the
The 28nm process will be available in Clearly, with that range of right point at which to offer different
two flavours; one (28LPT) aimed at low technologies available, the 28nm process flavours at the same node? By
power applications; the other (28HP) at will be used to produce complex devices. understanding each type of technology,
we have laid out a comprehensive offering in. The risk is that HKMG is a new
so we can deliver what is right for the material.
customer. Delivering a cost effective HKMG
Whilst the two flavours address process is not a trivial matter, Wei
different designs, it is feasible the 28LPT continued. Today, only Intel has put
option may have the wider application. KT HKMG into production and it has kept a
Tung, deputy director of technology lot of the know how secret. He believes
marketing, explained how the two Intels HKMG approach could be costly.
approaches differ. Its a flavour of HKMG that only cpu
We believe the SiON approach in 28LPT manufacturers can absorb the cost of.
will provide the low power consumption
required by developers of portable HKMG in manufacture
devices. However, the HKMG process will Despite the fact that 28HP is TSMCs first
be good for those looking for high speed. public announcement that it has an HKMG
The rationale behind 28LPT is the process, it has an HKMG variant at the
change in how people use mobile phones. 40nm node. We started at 40nm, Wei
Tung noted: People now use their phones observed, and customised the process Another reason for the move to 28nm
for different purposes, including browsing for one particular company. We think that is to reduce leakage. Developing new
and multimedia. All these things consume high performance consumers have more technology is always aimed at power
batteries more quickly. Users are therefore margin to absorb the additional costs. reduction, Wei claimed, as well as
worried about how long they can use the And Wei noted that TSMC will customise performance gain. So each new node
handset for. This is determined by active any of its processes, depending upon the should bring this, along with an increase
power consumption. return on its investment. in gate density. As TSMC has moved from
The benefit of
the 28LPT process
is that SiON has a
The 28nm node will be supported by
low gate a comprehensive technology and
capacitance,
which leads to IP portfolio. Its not just logic. John Wei, TSMC
lower active power
consumption.
And we have a lot of experience with SiON Process shrinks, as the jump between 65 to 40 to 28nm, we have applied a set of
technology, Tung noted. nodes is known, present different three key performance indicators. When
But Tung admits that some applications challenges. Its generally accepted the we develop a new process, we have to
will be power users and more suited to move from 0.13m to 90nm was harder deliver on all three indices.
the 28HP process. HKMG will be than the move from 90 to 65nm. How TSMC is still using 193nm immersion
important for some applications, he hard has it been to move to 28nm? lithography at the 28nm node and
continued. Its high gate dielectric and Wei said: From 45nm, especially in expects to continue using the approach at
greater thickness requires a higher driving high performance, we have started to see future nodes. Wei said: There are various
current. changes; mainly because we have to ways to continue squeezing performance
Asked why TSMC has jumped to a 28nm include different types of strain out of the immersion litho tool. Beyond
node, rather than expanding its 32nm engineering. When you introduce a new 193nm immersion, TSMC is looking at
offering, Tung explained: We have already material or new method to generate extreme ultraviolet and direct writing
done 40nm designs with many customers. additional strain, it doesnt come just like technologies. We are not sure about
For these companies, the move to a 32nm that. their interception points, Wei admitted,
process would not be as great an incentive Alongside the strain problems, Wei but 22nm may be a stretch.
and going to 28nm would be. noted the appearance of what he termed Meanwhile, TSMC claims a number of
There is, however, an element of risk side effects that werent present at customers are now ready to tape out 40nm
involved a word that is not normally previous process nodes. But the key designs, including Icera, which plans to
heard from TSMC. Wei explained why. The factor at 28nm, he believes, is variation tape out this year.
higher performance that 28HP delivers control. The challenge is how you manage Concluding, Wei said: We already
makes sense for high performance variation control whilst adding new have multiple customers behind each
applications, even with the risk factored materials to the process. flavour of our 28nm process.
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Mixed.qxp:Tech Temp 8/10/08 16:23 Page 45
EMBEDDED DESIGN
Mixed Signal & Analogue
Pushing the
envelope
Data conversion demands drive innovation. By Graham Pitcher.
N
o matter which technology sector consumption in order to provide the frequency is relatively low, including
you look at, the demands from longest battery operating life possible. some communications designs.
designers appear consistent. They Susie Inouye, principal analyst with Beckemeyer typifies these parts as
are all looking for products which offer market researcher Databeans, noted: Nyquist converters. They all sample
more performance while consuming less High speed converter growth is being signals within the first Nyquist zone and
power. And if manufacturers can supply fuelled by faster speed and resolution suit baseband applications. Along with
those parts at lower cost, all the better. requirements in medical, wireless good signal to noise ratios (snr) and
Data converters are no exception to communications and broadband spurious free dynamic range (sfdr), the
this trend. The result is that infrastructure. According to Databeans, parts also bring lower power
manufacturers are developing product demand for a/d converters with sample consumption.
ranges that are, essentially, pushing the rates of 50Msample/s or greater is Another broad band of applications is
technology envelope. Device families are expected to grow at 17% per year during served by the ADS6xxx/55xx ranges, both
being developed to meet a wide range of the next five years. supporting resolutions ranging from 11 to
application needs. 16bit. Beckemeyer noted these families
Medical imaging is one such end A family based approach have higher levels of integration with up
application which is demanding more Texas Instruments is responding to these to four channels per device.
from suppliers. Two particular markets are demands by developing three broad We have just released what we believe
emerging in this sector; static and ranges of data converter to address to be the fastest 14bit 250Msample/s
portable devices. mainstream applications. At the lower device, he claimed.
Manufacturers of the larger static end is the ADS52xx family, addressing The ADS6149, and its 12bit partner
machines used in hospitals are applications requiring 10 to 12bit of product the ADS6129, are targeted at
increasingly interested in improving the resolution and sample rates approaching wide bandwidth communications
resolution of the images produced. They 70Msample/s. Heinz-Peter Beckemeyer is applications. Both parts have fine gain
look to achieve this by increasing the TIs analogue business development options that can improve sfdr at lower
number of channels which can be manager for EMEA. He said: The 10 to input ranges, along with dc offset
processed. Not only does this have power 12bit range is aimed at low power, but correction.
consumption implications, more channels demanding, applications such as medical Devices like these, Beckemeyer
also means larger machines. So data imaging. TI is now into its third continued, arent seen elsewhere, except
converter developers are looking to generation of these devices, which are for other TI parts. Theres nothing else on
integrate more channels into a device. available in dual, quad and octal variants. the market at 250Msample/s.
Ultrasound applications are therefore Power consumption is typically 50 to Finally, another family of 11 to 16bit
being served by octal devices. 60mW per channel, depending upon the devices addresses applications with the
Meanwhile, demand is growing for application. highest performance requirements.
portable ultrasound devices. The main In general, devices in this range are Whilst most of TIs data converters are
driver for these applications is power suited to applications where the input produced on a cmos process, some
EMBEDDED DESIGN
Mixed Signal & Analogue
Advertisement Feature
Keeping
stringent regulation and transient specifications.
A lack of headroom at low voltages can cause
devices to behave unpredictably. If, for example,
the power supply voltage drops below the
threshold for a telecommunications ASIC, it can
operate erratically, possibly resulting in a corrupt
message being sent or the loss of data.
Numerous methods exist to monitor system
voltages, the most basic of which is a discrete
circuit (see figure 1a). It employs a precise resistor-
divider network, a comparator and a reference
on the rails
voltage, allowing it to determine if the voltage rail
being monitored is below a preset threshold.
This method is not without its shortcomings.
It is costly, inaccurate, susceptible to noise and
results in a large footprint.
Integrated circuit voltage supervisors address
the issues associated with the discrete voltage
monitoring implementation. A typical voltage
monitoring device, such as Analog Devices
T
he communications and computing markets Maintaining reliability in ADM809 (see figure 1b), incorporates a voltage
continually demand technological reference, a comparator, a supply voltage resistor
improvements that lower costs and increase multivoltage systems as string, a reset timeout generator and an output
capabilities, with more functionality in smaller driver stage. The resistor network can be
form factors. This results in higher complexity on power chain complexity pretrimmed at the manufacturing stage to suit a
each board in a system. It is increasingly common range of voltage thresholds. Such devices
to find several multivoltage devices coexisting in a increases. typically offer threshold accuracy of 2.5% and can
single design that contains ASICs, FPGAs and DSPs.
This has resulted in a spiralling increase in the By Norma OMahony. monitor voltages as low as 1.58V. As core voltages
drop below 1V, this level of accuracy and choice of
number of power supplies per card. High end reset threshold becomes inadequate.
systems with more than 20 voltage rails on a The local generation of supplies specific to a
board are now common. Only a few years ago, the probability of a fault occurring increases particular function leads to the clustering of
these would have required several boards with proportionately. voltage rails within the vicinity of a chipset,
perhaps four supplies each. Todays electronics A growing trend towards lower core voltages is making integrated multivoltage supervisory
designers face a challenging problem: how to being driven by new smaller process geometries. devices a cost effective, space efficient
ensure that 99.999% system reliability is Low voltages need to be delivered efficiently solution. A device such as Analog Devices
maintained as power chain complexity increases. often at high current and must conform to ADM1184 quad voltage monitor (see figure 1c)
This article examines some of the new issues
arising from increasing complexity, as well as the
methods available to address them. Figure 1: Voltage monitoring approaches Vcc
ADM1184 power and
Complexity increasing monitored reference ref =06V
voltage generator OUT1
The number of voltage rails in complex systems
VIN1 +
has increased dramatically in recent years, due to ref =06V
ADM809
OUT2
the development of new processes using lower
supply voltages, coupled with legacy I/O voltage
+
Vcc RESET VIN2 +
+
generator ref =06V
Vref RESET internal OUT3
requirements. A single board may comprise 240ms logic
microprocessors, FPGAs, and ASICs, along with + VIN3 +
Vref ref =06V
analogue and digital circuit elements. Monitoring gnd PWRGD
and control of the ever increasing number of VIN4 +
ref =06V
voltage rails is fundamental for the safe, robust
and reliable operation of the system over its (a) (b) gnd (c)
lifetime. As the number of voltage rails increases,
SPONSORED TUTORIAL
Mixed Signal & Analogue
Avoiding headroom limitations ADM809 Microprocessor Supervisory Circuit Active high and active low push-pull reset
Voltage headroom becomes a limitation in low Low power consumption (17A) outputs
voltage supply applications. At low voltage, the Precision voltage monitor with 2.5, 3, 3.3 8 lead narrow body SOIC package
tolerance required to reliably switch on chip gates and 5V pretrimmed options
is much tighter. The reset threshold accuracy of Reset assertion down to 1V Vcc ADM1184 Quad Voltage Monitor
the voltage monitor is the most critical 140ms minimum power on reset Powered from 2.7 to 5.5V on the Vcc pin
consideration when choosing a multivoltage Push-Pull active low RESET output Four inputs can be programmed to monitor
monitor, especially when monitoring lower SC70 and SOT-23 package options different voltage levels with external resistor
voltages. Consider the system depicted in Figure 2. dividers
A 1V regulated supply produces a voltage that ADM13305 Dual Voltage Supervisor Three open drain enable outputs (OUT1,
varies between 0.97 and 1.03V. Because the Supply voltage range from 2.7 to 5.5 V OUT2 and OUT3)
microprocessors 1V core supply voltage has a Pretrimmed threshold options: 1.8, 2.5, 3.3 Monitors four supplies via 0.8%
tolerance of 5%, it requires a voltage level and 5V accurate comparators
between 0.95 and 1.05V to maintain reliable Adjustable 0.6V voltage reference (0.8% Open drain power good output (PWRGD)
operation. A voltage range of just 2% remains accuracy) Internal 190ms delay associated with
between 0.95 and 0.97V for undervoltage RESET valid from Vdd 1.1 V assertion of PWRGD
monitoring. In order to supervise the 1V supply Reset timeout 140ms (minimum) 10 lead MSOP
voltage precisely, a voltage supervisor offering Watchdog timer with 1.6s (typical) timeout
high accuracy is a necessity.
Analog Devices ADM13305-4 dual voltage
EMBEDDED DESIGN
Board level technologies
Designing
successfully
S
ince emerging from Ferranti PCB design software speeds Management Process, interfaces directly
International in 1994, Ferranti with its component purchasing and stock
Technologies, a a privately owned, time to market. By Phil Mayo. control systems.
specialist contract designer and Griffin said: In the past, design
manufacturer, has established a with Altium Designer. engineers would create the design then
reputation for engineering expertise, The company, which has a 25 strong pass information to other parts of the
quality and commitment in the defence, design team, believes the switch has company for component procurement,
aerospace and rail sectors. helped to make its processes both more full project costing and manufacture. The
The companys electronics design efficient and more robust. Griffin noted: Altium process starts with functional
team has analogue, digital and power For the first time, designers have direct, design and simulation, then moves all the
design capabilities and its designs are real time cost information for each way to board layout.
accredited to a number of aerospace and component as it is added to the design. The design team can now select the
defence Critical Standards, including We reviewed a number of design components from a common database,
DO254 and DO-178B. We specialise in packages, including some that were which means they no longer have to create
power and control systems for harsh or highly functional and very complex. For new parts for each design. Griffin noted:
difficult environments, typically for us, the key was to find a tool that would The BoM contains information regarding
demanding defence and aerospace improve productivity across the lead time and cost, enabling us to keep
applications, said Ben Griffin, hardware company. It is not just about good track of our budget as we go along, instead
engineering manager. design in isolation its about producing of having to wait for the information to
As part of its continuous improvement a complete unit efficiently, reliably and come back from the purchasing team after
activity, Ferranti Technologies has profitably. the board has been designed.
replaced a range of simulation, schematic The tool, used within Ferranti All board components are now
and data storage software applications Technologies strict Gated Project specified at design stage, right down to
EMBEDDED DESIGN
Board level technologies
www.molex.com
On the web!
W
eb enabled devices are How the task of adding Incorporating USB is in a similar vein.
springing up everywhere and it All modern computers have a number of
is seen as an advantage if they internet connectivity can be ports which can provide power and high
can be controlled, monitored or updated speed communication facilities to an
eased. By Sean Cochrane.
remotely. So its no surprise that many embedded controller. However, for people
people feel their latest product needs to not familiar with the full USB
be connected to the internet. specification, trying to get a system
Having decided to use some form of sending even a handful of bytes can be a
internet connectivity, the biggest daunting prospect. Compared to RS232 or
problem is finding a way to actually make parallel ports, USB has a huge number of
the link from a small embedded advantages, but they come with a large
application to one that can communicate overhead in terms of knowledge that is
with large servers on the other side of the needed to use them. Without the right
world. Whilst there are commercially tools, getting to a point where data can
available TCP/IP stacks, they may cost a be transferred can be a tricky process.
lot, as well as requiring much time and When it comes to USB, one side of the
effort to integrate with the product. communication is designated as
The stack usually requires an a host or master that which runs
operating system in order to run the communication. At the
effectively. Packets of data can arrive on other end of the cable is the
the Ethernet cable at any time and there device or slave. Its job is to send
are all manner of responses that might or receive data whenever
need to be sent in return as the packet is the master tells it to
decoded by the different layers of the and, as part of the
software. On the other side, transmitting process, it has to
data is not just a case of handing it over identify what it
to the driver and saying go. With the is; what it does;
reliable protocol TCP, the operating who made it; how
system has to monitor responses from the often it expects to
device at the other end and be prepared transfer
to retransmit the data until it knows that data; and
it has been received successfully. This how much
clearly takes cpu power and memory, data that
which has to be managed by the software. will be.
In most cases, this is why operating
systems are brought into the equation
because it is easier to split each of these
different functions into separate tasks
which can run semi autonomously.
It is at this point that the networking
Illustration: Elly Walton
55
Soft.qxp:Tech Temp 8/10/08 16:26 Page 56
Compare that to RS232 which is a simple set of functions they can call to open configuration tool, along with ready to
serial protocol whereby bytes are sent, files, and read or write their contents. use templates and examples. By simply
one after the other, down a piece of wire Under normal situations there is still a lot dragging and dropping hardware and
where they arrive some short time later. of code to write. software modules into a picture of the
In an ideal world, an engineer would Firstly, there is the host side USB chip, an engineer can configure a
be able to treat a data port in the same driver to be able to communicate with a complete system in a matter of minutes.
way, whether the ultimate mass-storage device. Next, there is the
communication method is by UART, USB filing system layer. For maximum Pe r i pherals
or Ethernet. From that point, they can compatibility with mainstream Starting with a blank project, the
concentrate on the main task in hand, computers, the logical step here is to hardware peripherals are dragged onto
have a set of routines that turn the the chip canvas area and the relevant pin
storage device into a standard FAT- configuration chosen. Next, the user
formatted area. In that way, an embedded adds blocks that represent the hardware
system can write to the memory key and to which the device is connected the
it then be plugged into a desktop example in figure 1 is the USB mass
computer in order to extract the storage driver. Additional software
information. blocks to provide a TCP/IP stack and FAT
The highest level of the stack would be filing system will then give everything
where the HTTP (for a web server) or FTP needed to create a simple web or FTP
(for general file storage) applications server.
would be linked in. Both of these Each peripheral has a set of
protocols respond to requests sent over properties associated with it. Changing
Ethernet and return data from a filing these causes the underlying code to be
system, albeit that they present changed using the graphical interface.
The Cyan Driver Framework (CYDF) turns
difficult hardware functions into a set of
Without the right tools, getting to a point API calls. By using CYDF for all
peripherals, the CyanIDE configurator
where data can be transferred can be a can manage all the changes to the
tricky process. Sean Cochrane, Cyan Technology device. The idea is to make the engineer
more productive and to save having to
thumb through page after page of
which is to put their expertise into the themselves to users in different ways. By manuals.
finished product. There are many tools on putting both protocols in the same As a final aid to getting designs ready
the market that assist with the low level product, it is of course possible to provide as quickly as possible, many of the more
code writing and create mini device a way to provide updates to the web common tasks are provided as templates
drivers for each of the peripheral pages remotely. which populate the device canvas
functions. This is useful, but there is still Cyans CyanIDE 2 can help overcome automatically with all the needed
a lot of work needed in order to take the these issues by providing an easy to use peripherals and configurations.
project further. graphical Everything is provided in a ready to run
On a project where, for example, a USB format; however it is still C source code
memory key is going to be used for that can be modified as needed. It is
logging data, adding a block that unlikely that the basic system, while fully
controls the on chip USB usable, will be the end of the project.
peripheral is only the start. Taking the hard work out of the getting
What engineers the communication running allows the
actually want is a engineer to concentrate on working on
the main part of the project and that is
usually where their expertise lies.
Excellence in Electronics
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I
Greater
n the 1970s the concept of machines
talking to each other was pure
science fiction. 2001 - A Space
Odyssey introduced the idea to the
masses with HAL, a sinister machine with
a superior intellect. The development of
Ethernet in the mid 1970s made the
concept of communications between
machines - an open network - a less
ominous prospect with a simple coaxial
cable acting as a broadcast transmission
medium between separate computers.
Ethernet stations communicate by
sending each other data packets, with
each station given a single 48bit media
access control (MAC) address, used to
specify the destination and source of each
data packet.
Today, Ethernet is everywhere,
however, its limitations are obvious; the
length of an Ethernet and the number of
computers is limited by the quality of the
cable; even when extended with signal
boosters, the length of an Ethernet is
communication
limited to 512bit in transit on a network;
the frame length is at least 512bit so that
all computers detect it while still being
transmitted.
With speed and energy efficiency a
prerequisite in all production
environments, engineers are now on the
lookout for alternative protocols to
The limitations of Ethernet could now be addressed with an open
network automation systems. It is to Asia
that eyes are turning, toward an network already well established in Asia. By Chris Shaw.
industrial automation network that
processes both control and information
data at high speed.
compatible products including industrial the same or very similar, but its only
Alter native commincation PCs, PLCs, robots, servos, drives, digital when you start to drill down that you see
Control & Communication Link (CC Link) is and analogue I/O modules and the list there are fundamental differences in
already established in Asia as an open goes on. their use and performance. CC Link is at
technology field level network able to CLPA Europes conformance testing the high end in terms of performance
provide high speed communication with facility is designed to ensure that devices and functionality as it was designed to
the capability to link a wide range of meet the performance specifications in handle both control and communications
automation devices over a single cable. order to become CC Link certified. at high speed, in this case up to 10Mbps.
Now Europe and North America are taking Globally, four testing facilities have been Importantly, the I/O handling is reliable
this open technology, originally established in the US, Japan and Korea. and response time is fast and
developed by Mitsubishi Electric, With ISO accreditation, it all sounds deterministic. This means that
enabling devices from numerous too good to be true, but how does it applications requiring fast I/O response
manufacturers to communicate. really compare any other fieldbus? Steve and large sized data transmission are
The worldwide CC Link Partner Jones, CLPAs general manager for easily handled, and expanding an
Association (CLPA) boasts more than 900 Europe explained: People often speak as installation in the future will not present
partners. These offer a range of though all open fieldbus networks are a problem.
By speeding the process of companys remain cautious; namely trust. CC-LINK HAS WIDE APPLICATION
communication, a more accurate Disclosing detailed information of
manufacturing and process monitoring network technology is, unsurprisingly, CC-Link integrates a wide range of
control is enabled. CC Link technology has something that may raise a few industry automation devices, from numerous
been optimised for speed, throughput eyebrows. While this disclosure of data is suppliers, on a single network:
and response to the extent that a system necessary to apply the CC Link Digital & Analog I/O
consisting of 64 stations and thousands technology, its easy to understand the Automation Controllers
of input/output points can be updated in concerns. To combat these issues, the CC PCs
4ms. Depending on the length of wired Link Partner Association freely publishes Temperature Controllers
network cable required, the five speed the CC Link specifications to all Variable Frequency Drives
companies that join the association. Servo Drives
Valve Manifolds
Re liability Network Gateways
Reliability of a network involves immunity Operator Interfaces
to electrical interference, the ability to Robots
identify errors, isolate faults and allow Barcode Readers
unaffected devices to continue operating. Cables & Connectors
There is also the question of the ability to
recover from a fault condition and resume
normal error free operation without
human intervention. CC Link attempts to how deterministic its performance is
resolve this by employing RS485 determining the measure of predictability
signalling specification and by using and repeatability. By utilising a master /
three conductor twisted shielded cable slave architecture, CC Link technology
and high performance transceivers and eliminates timing uncertainty due to
line filters. access arbitration. Many other network
technologies cannot offer such an
unvarying I/O response.
Applications requiring fast I/O response CC Link can be implemented by device
makers and the CLPA provides various
and large sized data transmission are tools and flowcharts to explain the
process and how to get started. Once
easily handled. SteveJones, CLPA joining the association as a regular
member, access is given to the protocol,
options range from 10Mbps at 100m to Device conformance certification profile and implementation documents.
156kbps at 1200m. Longer distances can involves conducted, radiated and Most companies start by producing either
be spanned at a 10Mbps by using optical directly coupled electromagnetic noise. a remote device station or a remote I/O
repeaters. A device must be immune to this EMI and station and both are based on an asic
By using asics, all of the devices and RFI to be certified. In the event that a implementation.
components in the network are able to device on the network stops One decision point here is whether to
operate together. The asic handles the communicating, CC Link allows make a full implementation at board
complete data link layer and transport communication to continue with all level, or to incorporate an OEM CC-Link
layer defining standard connectors, cable other network devices and, upon slave module onto the circuit board.
characteristics, LED status indicators and correction of the fault, automatically These devices allow for much faster
any other networking parameters. returns a disconnected device to full implementation and are generally used
Supported by more than 700 network operation. This is backed up by for lower volume modules.
association members that manufacture the standby network master which While, we have yet to reach an Arthur
more than 725 CC Link compatible automatically assumes control of the C Clarke age where computers and
products, the support for this open network should the primary master machinery can converse to the point of
network is becoming increasingly station cease to function. mutiny, systems such as CC Link offer the
established. The ability of a network to provide for opportunity to surpass much of the
This figure will undoubtedly rise, but stable closed loop control of an technology of 2001 A Space Odyssey, but,
there is one issue that has seen many automation system depends greatly on thankfully retaining subservience.
System
solution
T
heres no secret why increasing Modular approach allows signals are available on a 200pin sodimm
numbers of design engineers are connector. The carrier board offers all
turning to reference designs. design exploration. components that are needed for
Simply put, the reference design gives integrated systems, such as audio and
them a head start substantial in some
By Graham Pitcher. video codecs, power supply and
instances in getting their product to connectors.
market. We are pleased to offer, together
Carsten Wild, a marketing engineer with suitable for portable applications. with emtrion, this reference system for
Renesas Technology Europe, explains why: The HiCO.SH7722 reference system the SH7722 in response to the increasing
Customers want an out of the box consists of a carrier board, which a customer demand for complete system
experience, including leading edge customer can adapt to their specific solutions and reference designs, said
processor products with operating systems needs and project specifications, and the Wild.
and even application software. actual cpu core module in sodimm format. The SH7722 is a highly integrated
As part of its support strategy, Renesas In addition to the processor, the module single chip SoC solution for audio, video
and its Platinum Alliance partner emtrion contains the respective memories, and speech processing applications, as
(www.emtrion.com) have recently unveiled USB2.0 Host and Device well as graphics acceleration for
the HiCO.SH7722 processor module. This interfaces, and a 100Mbit sophisticated graphical user interfaces.
highly optimised and cost competitive Ethernet interface. All The SH7722 incorporates the SH4AL-DSP
processor module has been designed in the cpu, which is capable of 600MIPS when
sodimm format. According to the running at 333MHz. The device also
partners, the module can be used as a provides various peripheral functions
reference design for the that are suited to multimedia
development of applications applications, including an Mpeg4
using highly integrated H.264 capable video engine
and ultra low offering video
power encode/decode up to
multimedia vga resolution at
processors, 30frame/s, a
such as Renesas Jpeg
SH7722. encode/decode
The module has been hardware
designed as a system solution accelerator, a 2d
to extend typical starter kits, graphics accelerator, an
without changes, into production lcd controller, a 5Mpixel
ready solutions for industrial camera interface and sound
applications. And, because the sodimm input/output.
module supports the low power Alongside these features, the
architecture of the processor, it is also SH7722 incorporates an sdram
SYSTEM DESIGN
Reference designs
SYSTEM DESIGN
Product news
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Ideal for use in Fax, MFP, 2D Barcode reader,
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Format scanner, ID card reader, Industrial scanner.
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P068_NELE_OCT14 7/10/08 11:56 Page 1
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