New Electronics - January 26th - New Electronics PDF

www.newelectronics.co.
uk
26 January 2016
PHOTONICS BATTERY TECHNOLOGY 8BIT MCUs IoT COMMS TEST
A friendly
companion
The EMC Directive, fully
implemented in the UK on
1 January 1996, has had a
positive impact on electronics
design. But has it achieved
everything it set out to do?
CONTENTS
VOL 49 NO 2
16
25
12
18
29
Illlustration: James Fryer
COMMENT
School students are always

asked what they want to
study at university. Should we
be asking what problems they
want to solve?
NEWS
Material whose phase is
changed by a small voltage
could have application in
memories and batteries
7
NXP used an event in Paris to
outline how it will be focusing
on high growth opportunities
going forward
8
Developments in industrial
networking will be one of the
big trends to watch in 2016,
says National Instruments 9
Photonics technology is set to
underpin BTs future systems,
including the development of
elastic networks
10
www.newelectronics.co.uk
26 January 2016
COVER STORY
Do not disturb, do not be disturbed
12
The European EMC Directive was fully

implemented in the UK on 1 January 1996. Has
it achieved what it set out to do? The short
answer is partially
PHOTONICS
Plotting a photonics future
16
Verification techniques are now more focused on

finding the root causes of bugs and in
remediation, so expect more software driven
hardware verification in 2016
COMMUNICATIONS TEST
Will LTE be the IoTs mobile future?
25
The IoT will only succeed if cost effective

communications networks and wireless devices
are available. And a range of test techniques will
be needed to support developments
18
Research and development initiatives are

addressing the need for safer, more manageable
lithium-ion batteries for a range of industrial
applications
EDA
A time of transition
22
To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the death

of the 8bit microcontroller have been greatly
exaggerated and the technology is still suited to
a range of applications, including IoT devices
A collaborative project bringing together

complementary skills from Southampton and
Sheffield universities is looking to boost the
health of UK manufacturing industry
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
Charging ahead
MICROS
More than a bit part
DESIGN PLUS
Take the credit
29
Is your company one of the many which arent

taking advantage of the money being made
available through the R&D tax credit scheme?
Find out what is and isnt eligible for 125% relief
20
New Electronics weekly eZine features
the latest blogs, news, articles and
more. To register for your copy, go to
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COMMENT
TOMORROWS ENGINEERS
Lets change
the focus
.. AND ASK STUDENTS WHAT
PROBLEMS THEY WANT TO SOLVE
t seems that everyone agrees the UK doesnt have enough engineers to

meet industrys current needs, let alone the needs for the coming years.
In case you havent been following the debate, EngineeringUK says
manufacturing industry will need another 182,000 people per year with
engineering skills in the next five years, but notes there is a current annual
shortfall of 55,000 skilled workers. If these jobs were filled, it contends, the
UKs economy could benefit to the tune of 27billion per year.
The burning question is, of course, how to convince todays school students
that a career in engineering is not only attractive professionally, but also
financially? Its a problem which has yet to be solved satisfactorily and
although recent statistics from UCAS the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service show the number of students accepted on all
engineering courses has grown substantially over the last decade, we still
dont have enough students in the system.
I was at an academic seminar the other day, where the topic of tomorrows
engineers came up. It wasnt an extended discussion by any means, but one
contribution stood out for me.
Carlos Lee, director general of the European Photonics Industry
Consortium, suggested a different approach. Dont ask students what they
want to study, he said, ask them what problems they want to solve.
One of the benefits of taking this approach is that it removes the word
engineering from the agenda. You might think this is avoiding the issue, but
by not talking about engineering directly, it makes it a lot easier to engage
with young women, many of whom recoil with some degree of horror when
the word is mentioned.
Dame Ann Dowling, the first female president of the Royal Academy of
Engineering, has said the profession is perfect for women, yet they still
represent a very small part of the engineering community just 7% of the
UKs 2.3million engineers and the lowest in Europe.
Rather than talking overtly about engineering, why not ask young women
what problems theyd like to solve. Then you can start a dialogue and bring
in the fact that problem solving is what engineering is all about.
Graham Pitcher, Group Editor (gpitcher@findlay.co.uk)
26 January 2016
26 January 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk
NEWS
PHASE CHANGE
MATERIALS
Changing voltage changes properties

T: 01322 221144 F: 01322 221188
E: ne@findlay.co.uk
PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL COULD HAVE APPLICATION IN MEMORIES AND BATTERIES.

GRAHAM PITCHER REPORTS.
Editor
Researchers at MIT have developed a thin film

material whose phase and electrical properties can
be switched between metallic and semiconducting by
applying a small voltage. The material then stays in
its new configuration until switched back by another
voltage. According to the researchers, their discovery
could enable a new kind of non volatile memory.
Associate professor Bilge Yildiz said the
structural phase of a strontium cobaltite (SrCoOx) is
usually controlled by its composition, temperature,
and pressure. We have demonstrated that electrical
bias can induce a phase transition in the material.
Researcher Qiyang Lu added: It has two different
structures that depend on how many oxygen atoms
per unit cell it contains and these two structures
have quite different properties.
Neil Tyler
ntyler@findlay.co.uk
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Group Editor
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Louise Joselyn
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Nanoparticle inks for reel to reel

flexible electronics manufacture
Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for New Materials have
developed nanoparticle inks featuring transparent conductive
oxides (TCOs) and claim the lines and patterns which can be
created by direct gravure printing on thin plastic foils remain
electrically conductive, even after bending.
The transparent electronic inks are said to allow
conductor tracks to be produced using a reel to reel
process. The team says initial trials have been promising and
it adds that the use of structured rollers will allow larger
structured conductive surfaces to be printed at high
throughput and low cost.
New Electronics, incorporating Electronic

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When more oxygen is present, it forms a

perovskite, whereas lower concentrations of oxygen
produce a brownmillerite and both forms have
different chemical, electrical, magnetic and physical
properties. Lu and Yildiz found the material can be
flipped between the two forms with the application of
30mV. And, once changed, the new configuration
remains stable until it is flipped back by a second
application of voltage.
In addition to memories, the material could also
find application in fuel cells and electrodes for
lithium ion batteries.
The team is now working to better understand the
electronic properties of the material in its different
structures and to extend this approach to other oxides
of interest for memory and energy applications.
Battery shuts down when too hot
Large area plastic fingerprint sensor
A lithium-ion battery that shuts down before

overheating, then restarts immediately when the
temperature cools has been developed by
researchers at Stanford University in the US. The
development could help to prevent accidental fires.
In their experiments, the researchers coated
nickel particles with graphene, then embedded them
in a thin elastic polyethylene film. In order to conduct
electricity, the particles have to touch each other.
However, when the temperature rises, expansion
causes the particles to spread out, cutting the flow
of electricity. When the temperature drops, the film
shrinks and the particles re-establish contact.
According to the team, the cut off temperature
can be tuned by varying the materials used.
For more on battery technology, see p18.
FlexEnable and ISORG have unveiled the first large

area flexible fingerprint sensor on plastic. Designed
for biometric applications, the 0.3mm thick sensor
has an active area of 8.6 x 8.6cm and a resolution
of 1024 x 1024 pixel. The sensor can also map
veins in the fingers.
The companies claim the sensing area can be
applied to most surfaces. Apart from biometric
detection in credit cards, the partners say the
sensor can be wrapped around objects such as a
steering wheel.
FlexEnables CEO Chuck Milligan said: Imagine a
mobile device whose surface or edges know who is
holding or touching the device. Such capabilities are
viable because of the flexibility, thinness and lower
cost per unit area compared to silicon area sensors.
26 January 2016
ith NXPs acquisition of Freescale now complete a deal which

valued the latter at $11.8billion the new, enlarged company
disclosed at an event in Paris how it would be looking to address high
growth opportunities in the smarter world, with target areas including
the smart home, industry, healthcare and wearables.
The new company, which is now the fourth largest semiconductor
business in the world, will be focusing on high performance mixed signal
solutions and has been structured around five key business units:
security and connectivity; automotive; RF; standard products; and digital
networking.
Speaking in Paris, Geoff Lees, general manager of NXPs MCU
business, said there was little overlap between the two companies
portfolios, adding the new business was well placed to offer
processors, security and software across the Internet of Things,
whether for the consumer, industrial, medical or automotive sectors.
Both companies have significant positions in the industrial and
automotive markets and will now, according to Lees, be better placed
to develop their presence in the burgeoning market for IoT chips,
where low margins mean that economies of scale will be essential if
companies are to compete effectively.
A key element of the merger is the strength both companies have
traditionally had in the automotive sector. The connected car took
centre stage at this years Consumer Electronics Show, suggested
Lees, highlighting the importance of both security and connectivity
Antiferromagnetic
memory
Enlarged NXP to focus

on opportunities in
the smarter world
NXP USED AN EVENT IN PARIS TO OUTLINE HOW IT WILL BE
FOCUSING ON HIGH GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES GOING
FORWARD. NEIL TYLER REPORTS.
across the network. NXP can offer capabilities to this market from
design through to effective infrastructure management.
Maurice Gereats, senior director, new business, agreed. NXP is
number one in terms of infotainment and security and in in-vehicle
networks, while Freescale has been able to bring to the new company
a strong presence in safety, such as ABS, and in body electronics.
Our presence in body electronics, safety, infotainment, networking
and security means that NXP is now well placed in what is a fast
developing market for secure connected vehicles.
Better OLED performance from copper complexes
Physicists at The University of Nottingham

say the magnetic spins of antiferromagnets
can be controlled to make a completely
different form of digital memory.
Dr Peter Wadley said: This could be
hugely significant, as antiferromagnets
have an intriguing set of properties,
including a theoretical switching speed
limit approximately 1000 times faster than
the best current memory technologies.
Apart from supporting higher density.
antiferromagnetic memory is also
insensitive to magnetic fields and radiation.
Bubble pen lithography

Researchers at the University of Texas at
Austin have developed a technique called
bubble pen lithography, which can handle
nanoparticles without damaging them,
allowing tiny devices to be built more easily.
A laser focused underneath a sheet of
gold nanoislands generates a microbubble
that captures a nanoparticle. The laser can
then steer the microbubble, moving the
nanoparticle. When the laser is turned off,
the microbubble disappears and the
particle is left on the surface.
Organic LEDs are attractive not only because they

emit light in all observation directions, but also for
their colours and high contrast. It is also possible
to manufacture transparent and flexible OLEDs,
enabling new applications.
OLEDs consist of ultra thin layers of organic
materials the emitter between two electrodes.
When a voltage is applied, electrons from the
cathode and holes from the anode are injected into
the emitter, where they form electron-hole pairs, or
excitons, which release energy when they decay.
According to researchers from Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology, OLED manufacturer Cynora
and the University of St Andrews, it is cheaper and

more environmentally friendly to use copper
complexes as emitter materials, using thermally
activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) for high
light yields and high efficiency.
TADF is based on the quantum mechanics
phenomenon of intersystem crossing (ISC) and, for
the first time, the speed of ISC has been
measured in a highly luminescent solid state TADF
copper(I) complex. The researchers say the
measurements should contribute to the
development of TADF materials for use in energy
efficient OLEDs.
NEWS
Loaded with
technology displays,
NXP used this truck to
demonstrate the
capabilities of the
new business
IoT TECHNOLOGY
Lees suggested the company would be working to bring new

product to market more quickly and, when asked whether he felt the
new business would be focusing more on research than had been the
case in the past, he pointed to the companys work with Samsung
and the development of fully depleted silicon on insulator (FD-SOI)
technology.
According to NXP, it expects to make savings of $200million in the
first full year, rising to $500m over time. Whilst significant, they are
being seen as relatively modest savings for a deal of this size.
Rumours are circulating suggesting possible layoffs. These will most
likely be in our respective back offices, according to Lees, but it is
unlikely the company will embark on significant job cuts.
Recently, Freescale closed its R&D centre in Israel, with the loss of
200 engineers and there have been suggestions of layoffs in Malaysia
and Texas but as yet nothing has been confirmed.
Lees said the newly combined company would have around 11,500
engineers. That is a significant engineering presence and they will be
key to unlocking the challenges we face and delivering solutions we
need going forward, whether in terms of security or connectivity.
As part of the Paris event, a mobile truck loaded with displays
demonstrating the new companys technologies and capabilities was
parked outside the venue. Similar trucks are deployed in the US and
China. The vehicle will be used at events around Europe and, next
month, will be seen at Embedded World in Nuremberg.
Networking is one trend to watch
Dissolvable wireless sensors created
In its annual Trend Watch, National Instruments is highlighting five areas

which engineers should bear in mind for the coming year prototyping;
big analogue data; networking for the industrial Internet of Things; smart
device testing; and the consumerisation of software.
The industrial IoT (IIoT) is the modern incarnation of M2M
communications, with machines being connected to boost efficiency.
But, according to Aaron Edgecombe, Northern Europe marketing
engineer with NI, the benefits will not accrue until a standardised
approach is adopted down to the node. Typically, this sector has used
Ethernet, he contended, but this has limitations, including latency,
bandwidth and prioritisation.
NI believes the time is right for time sensitive networking (TSN) and
points to its participation in the AVnu Alliance. The Alliance, which also
counts companies like Cisco and Intel amongst its members, is planning
to drive the creation of what it calls an interoperable ecosystem, with
certification procedures similar to those used by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
According to NI, the benefits of TSN will include full duplex
communication at standard Ethernet rates, a security framework,
interoperability with existing networks and time critical communications.
Well see standards being published within the next year,
Edgecombe noted. TSN wont replace other standard overnight, but I
believe it will bring advantages to the IIoT.
Meanwhile, NI also sees growing demand for rapid prototyping of 5G
communications systems. These have to be tested to see if they work,
Edgecombe pointed out.
Already, 5G pioneers are working with NI to try out their ideas.
Amongst them are: Samsung, which is working on 3D beamforming;
Nokia, developing millimetre wave technology; and Lund University, which
is exploring a configurable MIMO system with 100 elements.
Neurosurgeons at Washington
University School of Medicine and
engineers at the University of
Illinois have developed wireless
sensors that monitor intracranial
pressure and temperature, but
which can be absorbed by the body,
negating the need for surgery to
remove them.
The devices, made mainly of
polylactic-coglycolic acid and silicone, transmit accurate pressure and temperature
readings, as well as other information.
Professor John Rogers from the University of Illinois noted: It is possible to create
electronic implants that offer high performance and clinically relevant operation in
hardware that completely resorbs into the body after the relevant functions are no
longer needed.
26 January 2016
Li-air battery progress reported

Lithium-air batteries are attractive because they could have up to five times the
energy density of lithium-ion batteries, but one of the by products is lithium
peroxide, which clogs the batterys electrode.
Battery scientists at Argonne National Laboratory in the US have developed a
prototype that, they claim, only produces lithiums superoxide as the battery
discharges, not the peroxide. This breaks down easily into lithium and oxygen,
holding the prospect of a battery with high efficiency and good cycle life.
A battery based on lithium superoxide also theoretically allows for the creation
of a closed system, which avoids the need to use oxygen from the environment.
NEWS
PHOTONICS RESEARCH
Flexibility from photonics

PHOTONICS RESEARCH TO UNDERPIN BTS FUTURE SYSTEMS, INCLUDING ELASTIC NETWORKS. GRAHAM PITCHER REPORTS.
the IP level, but you cant do that optically

transport; backhaul; optical access; quantum
unless you try optical packet switching, which
communications; elastic optical networks; and
hasnt taken off.
software defined networks.
BT is looking to develop flexibility in optical
This work is being driven by huge growth
communications For example, he said,
in network demand its grown by a factor of
dynamically adjustable transponders could
100 in the last 10 years, he noted, with
double the available bandwidth,
core broadband traffic growing at
whilst playing with the
65% a year.
IPES IS
spectrum to get rid of gaps
One of the possible solutions is
LOOKING TO
could potentially add another
ultra high bit rate transmission and
WORK ON REAL
30%. Combine these two and
BT is making progress in this area;
well get a lot more capacity, he
Lord said demonstrations had
PROBLEMS AND
added, noting that prototypes
TO INTERACT
are starting to be tested.
WITH INDUSTRY
He compared the situation
PARTNERS.
with the radio industry making
PROF ALWYN
the best use of the spectrum.
SEEDS
Optical hasnt had to worry
about this until recently.
Before, we just put in another fibre; now, we
have to control communications in real time
and we should be able to do this with software
defined networks.
And this is the elasticity concept which
Lord trailed. Were looking at how software
comes together with the data plane, but this
needs abstraction I dont want to understand
everything about how a multi Terabit router
works, I just need to control the basics and
this could be part of a network.
shown real time data rates of 4Tbit/s could
Meanwhile, BT continues to develop
be maintained over several weeks, with so
quantum cryptography. Recently, it joined with
called superchannels carried over long
Toshiba Research Europe and ADVA Optical
distances.
Networking to demonstrate quantum
While were trying to make sure the
cryptography in use on a system with a
technology is robust, he continued, we also
bandwidth of 200Gbit/s over a 100km fibre.
need flexibility. Theres always been flexibility at
10
hotonics defined by some as anything to

do with the creation, capture and
modification of light is big business, even
though it may not appear so on first sight.
The largest of the six key enabling
technologies identified by the European
Commission, photonics contributes more than
65billion a year to the European economy,
whilst employing 377,000 people directly in
5000 companies. In the UK, there are more
than 1000 photonics related companies,
employing 70,000 people, with the technology
adding 10bn a year to the economy.
Despite the industrys size, it is poised for
more growth, with increased investment in
R&D. While the recently announced Future
Photonics Hub (see p16 in this issue) is one
example, another is the UCL-Cambridge Centre
for Doctoral Training in Integrated Photonic and
Electronic Systems (IPES)
IPES director Professor Alwyn Seeds told a
recent seminar outlining its work that the
Centre is looking to focus on real problems and
to encourage its students to interact with
industry and other researchers. It receives
more than 150 applications per year from
students and makes about 25 offers. We
recruit from a range of technology backgrounds
and this works well in terms of inter
disciplinary research, he said.
At the same event Andrew Lord, director of
optical research with BT, gave the keynote
address describing how photonics is set to
enable the next era of communications.
He said BTs optical research was focused
in a number of areas, including: core
EMC Directive in progress

The European EMC Directive was fully implemented in the UK on 1 January 1996. Has it achieved
what it set out to do? The short answer is partially. By Louise Joselyn.
12
Illustration: James Foster
he EMC Directive is all about

electrical interference
emissions and immunity. As
test house TUV puts it Do not
disturb. Do not be disturbed.
When enacted in 1989, the
Directive was regarded by many with
horror and some degree of panic.
Today, EMC is one of the constraints
which designers deal with regularly
and which results in better products.
When first aired, it was one of the
first New Approach CE Marking
Directives. While it did not contain
technical limits, it established the
legal framework, referring all specifics
to harmonised standards. Neither did
it mandate that products had to be
tested in order to comply. An
alternative route to compliance was
via the Technical Construction File
(TCF), demonstrating the design was
in accordance with the requirements.
The TCF was verified by a Competent
Body; another departure from
established norms.
In preparation for its introduction,
a five year transition period was
instituted to address technical and
design issues, as well as compliance
and CE marking procedures. In the
UK, the Department for Trade and
Industry (DTI) implemented with
help from New Electronics a
nationwide EMC Awareness
Campaign, targeted especially at
SMEs and companies which used
electronics in their products. A range
of publications, articles and case

studies were created, a national
network of EMC Clubs was
established, Services Directories
were compiled and the engineering
higher education sector targeted.
The EMC Directive enacted in
1989 89/336/EEC came into
force in January 1992, with a
transition period until 1 January
1996. Minor amendments were made
during the transition period,
principally to align the CE marking
requirements more closely with other
relevant Directives. In 1999, further
amendments covered some
telecommunications equipment.
More changes came in December

2004, after considerable
consultation. EMC Directive
2004/108/EC came into force in July
2007, with a transition period to July
2009. The principal changes were to
administrative and attestation
requirements. The TCF was replaced
with Technical Documentation that
no longer mandated the use of a
Competent Body. Instead, Notified
Bodies could be used on a voluntary
basis to provide additional verification
of compliance, effectively an
insurance policy.
In 2008, the EU introduced the
New Legislative Framework; a
package of measures designed to
improve market surveillance, to boost
the quality of conformity
assessments and clarify the use of
CE Marking. As a result, the 2004
Directive will be replaced in April
2016 by Directive 2014/30/EU and
these changes are likely to have
serious repercussions.
Enforcement
There were always concerns about
how the EMC Directive would be
policed and enforced. In the UK, it is
overseen by the Trading Standards
Service and Ofcom. Penalties for non
compliance in the UK are severe
enough: 5000 fine and/or three
months imprisonment. More costly is
the requirement to recall or replace
any non-compliant apparatus and, of
COVER STORY
course, the damage to the firms

reputation.
Being largely complaints driven,
enforcement was expected to be self
regulating, with competitors watching
each other. But this did not happen,
observes Nick Wainwright, chief
executive of York EMC Services.
Perhaps lack of confidence in their
own efforts meant manufacturers
kept their heads down.
Anecdotal information on offences
is rife, but prosecutions are extremely
rare. Consequently, there has been
growing frustration that the Directive
has never been enforced properly.
Indeed, at times, it has proved to be
unenforceable.
One of the most controversial
cases of non enforcement occurred in
2008, with the launch of power line
adapters used in domestic broadband
installations. A large number of
complaints alleged these devices
blocked the high frequency
communications used by taxicab
companies and some emergency
services, as well as military, marine
and amateur enthusiasts. Despite
investigations by Ofcom and evidence
showing that some devices far
exceeded the emissions limits in the
relevant standards, no prosecutions
were made. The problem was Ofcom
had no legal power to act once
products were in service the EMC
Directive only covers products placed
on the market. As a result, work
started to modify the EMC Directive
and the Wireless Telegraphy Act.
Market surveillance
It is little known that, for more than a
decade, cross border EMC Market
Surveillance investigations have been
undertaken by European authorities.
They have tackled a range of products
known to be sources of EMC
problems, including energy saving
26 January 2016
lamps, power tools, consumer

entertainment systems, LED lighting
products and solar panel inverters. In
all cases, major shortfalls were
found, both in terms of technical
assessment (primarily emissions) and
administration. Interestingly, the
highest number of failures came from
LED lighting.
The reports recommended that
national bodies and industry groups
address some of the worst offenders,
should they so choose. Worryingly, in
each investigation, the origin of
products could not be determined. In
certain cases, it was recommended
that harmonised standards should be
updated or created to encompass
new product developments.
It became clear that many
companies were not getting to grips
with the administration involved in CE
Marking. A significant percentage of
the products inspected failed, or
partially failed to comply, not
necessarily for technical reasons, but
because they had out of date,
incomplete or missing Declarations of
Conformance. Some had no CE mark
or it was incorrectly applied.
Wider ranging responsibilities

The incoming 2014 EMC Directive
has the potential to address a
number of the non-compliance and
enforcement issues. For example, it
now specifies: Procedure for dealing
with apparatus presenting a risk at
national level, which should be
sufficient to tackle the power line
adaptor case outlined above and
similar situations. Incidentally,
EN50561-1 the first in a new family
of CENELEC standards covering high
frequency products has been
published and came into force in
October 2015.
The impact of the 2014 EMC
Directive on manufacturers is
20 YEARS OF THE
EMC DIRECTIVE
DESIGNING FOR EMC
One of the major benefits of the EMC Directive,

according to Elmacs Tim Williams, is the positive
impact on electronics design. Its the biggest deal;
engineers wont do something that costs time and
money if they dont have to. And, as one of Nick
Wainwrights managers is fond of saying, engineers
do what you inspect, not what you expect!.
EMC still does not feature on the syllabus of
electronics engineering courses, so engineers are
learning on the job. Most medium to large
companies have in house knowledge and expertise
and this rule-of-thumb approach is passed on, with
varying degrees of success, Williams explains.
York EMCs Wainwright agrees. Two decades on,
we are still having the same conversations: what is
EMC and what do we have to do? More than half
the products that we see in our laboratories will fail
at least one of the tests. He believes EMC simply
isnt sufficiently embedded into the development
cycle, resulting in uncertainty as to whether the
product will pass the tests. I often hear EMC
referred to as a black art; sentiments that dont
readily appeal to young engineers. Its true that you
cant see EMC and measuring it takes skill and
expertise but, in the end, it all comes down to good
engineering practices.
But, while technology has marched forward, EMC
best practice remains largely the same, embedded
in the three maxims of filtering, shielding and PCB
layout, says Williams. Increases in CPU clock speeds
to GHz levels have demanded considerably more
attention to high frequency design at the board
level. Signal integrity and EMC have a natural
synergy, they are the same sides of a coin and
designing for one will help the other, Williams
explains.
Meanwhile, EMC training and consultancies and
test houses continue to thrive as new engineers
need to understand more about EMC and,
especially, why their products fail.
13
COVER STORY
20 YEARS OF THE EMC DIRECTIVE
Engineers are often unaware that the DoC is a

living document. It will change during the products
life, either because harmonised standards have
evolved or the product has.
Nick Wainwright
described as relatively slight by the
CE Marking Association.
However, it does require all
manufacturers to act; for new
products and those still on the
market, the Declaration of Conformity
(DoC) must be reissued and, from 20
April, refer to the new EMC Directive
2014/30/EU.
It is the administration that
catches out most people, Wainwright
warns. Engineers are often unaware
that the DoC is a living document. It
will change during the products life,
either because harmonised standards
have evolved or the product has.
A crucial change is the whole
supply chain now has legal
responsibilities including importers
and distributors. For example, it is
the importers responsibility to
ensure, not only that a CE mark is
applied to the product, but they are
also satisfied that proper conformity
PROTECTING THE SPECTRUM
The proliferation of radar, radio communications, GHz

ICs, microwaves, mobile phones and, more recently,
low power RF wireless devices means the
electromagnetic spectrum is under constant pressure.
Efforts to limit and allocate frequency usage, as well as
establish standards and national regulations, have had
limited success.
While the EMC Directive has looked to protect the
electromagnetic spectrum, it has been part of wider
measures to facilitate a single European market of
goods and services.
Although safety was not the aim of the legislation, it
was recognised as an important issue that could be
used to leverage better design practices and motivate
companies to comply.
While there is no shortage of evidence of serious
safety issues arising from EMC interference, it has been
more commonly experienced as a nuisance.
14
assessment procedures have been

followed and that the DoC is readily
available and correct, explains
Wainwright.
Under the new Directive, if a noncompliant product reaches the end
user, a number of offences will have
been committed within the supply
chain.
Further, the 2014 Directive also
tackles rebranding. If you rebrand a
product, you are now deemed to be
the manufacturer, with all that entails
regarding CE marking, Wainwright
warns. The regulations on product
labelling and accompanying
documentation have also been
tightened.
Whats next?
There are still unknowns. Tim
Williams, managing director of EMC
consultancy Elmac Services asks
what about when the importer is the
end user, buying directly from the Far
East? What about development
boards that become the basis of end
products?. Wainwright is convinced
the lack of the threat of enforcement
is one of the most serious shortfalls

in the Directives implementation.
This has undermined the whole
effort, he claims, noting there
should be considerably more
publicity of the cross border Market
Surveillance reports and, especially,
their outcomes, such as products
being withdrawn from the market, as
well as complaints and
prosecutions. Improved awareness
will help the industry self regulate,
he maintains.
There are exceptions, such as in
automotive, railways and other
transport sectors. Here, the
customers car makers and service
providers are unofficial regulators,
demanding compliance. Williams
concurs: Companies that comply
with the EMC Directive do so not
through fear of penalties, but
because customers demand it.
Author profile
Louise Joselyn was editor of New
Electronics during the EMC Awareness
Campaign and when the EMC
Directive was implemented.
26 January 2016
15
Plotting a photonics future

A collaborative project is looking to boost the health of UK manufacturing industry through the
development of photonics technology. By Graham Pitcher.
ne of the themes being

pursued by the recently
elected Conservative
Government is the revival of
manufacturing as one way to reduce
the countrys dependence on the
financial and services sectors. While
the UKs manufacturing sector remains
in the worlds top 10, it has been
drifting down the league table since
the 1970s.
In a move to underpin the UKs
manufacturing sector, the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) has launched the
National Hub in High Value Photonic
Manufacturing. The Hub, which is being
funded for the next seven years with
10million, is looking to accelerate the
growth of the UKs photonics industry
and those manufacturing companies
whose output relies on the technology.
According to EPRSC, although the UKs
photonics industry generates revenues
of 10billion a year, it enables 600bn
worth of manufacturing output. The
main aim of the Hub will be to help with
the commercialisation of photonics
technologies, enabling manufacturers
to access new products and services.
The Hub will bring together
expertise from two universities, as well
as from more than 40 industrial
partners. While the University of
Southampton will lead the work, the
contribution of the University of
Sheffields National III-V Centre will be
crucial.
Dr Gilberto Brambilla from
Southamptons Optoelectronics
Research Centre (ORC) will be one of
the Hubs leaders. He said there will
be two main areas of work: platforms
and integration. There are four
themes within the platform area, he
noted. High performance optical
fibres; light generation and delivery;
16
SECTOR FOCUS
silicon photonics; and materials. The

bottom line for these four platform
projects will be to develop processes
that allow photonics devices to be
manufactured on a larger scale.
The second main area of work, said
Dr Brambilla is a significant effort to
develop integration technologies.
Photonics today is like the electronics
world was at its beginning. We want to
wire components together; for
example, integrating optical fibre with
III-V technology.
Professor Jon Heffernan, director of
the III-V Centre, added: Photonics is a
50 year old industry, but there is so
much more to be explored, particularly
at a fundamental level. Were looking
at new wavelengths, different power
levels, different sensitivities. Photonics
power ranges from fW to MW, so it can
be applied widely, and each wavelength
has different applications.
Complementary expertise
The two universities have
complementary areas of expertise. Dr
Brambilla said ORC would bring a range
of technologies to the Hub. Some are
well advanced, he noted, such as
fibres, and we have always been at the
forefront of manufacturing.
Prof Heffernan added: Both
centres have long standing activities in
different parts of the photonics supply
chain. What ORC doesnt have is
optoelectronic sources; if it needs a
laser, for example, it would get it as a
discrete component. We have lasers
and detectors, but need to go
elsewhere for fibre.
Our consultations with industry
have shown the advantage of bringing
these things together. While we can
bring them together effectively, our aim
is to move towards integration. There
are already good examples of
integrated photonics technology and
the advantages are clear, including
cost, functionality and energy
consumption.
Both partners were keen to
highlight the fact that the Future
Photonics Hub will not be involved in
scientific discovery. Rather, the work
will be on developing processes that
scale. Prof Heffernan said: Its a
research project, but the work well do
26 January 2016
is industry informed. We will be

running industry collaborative projects
because industry doesnt yet have the
solutions it needs.
According to Dr Brambilla, fibre will
be one development area. ORC has a
portfolio of technologies, some of
which like fibres are well advanced.
But we will be looking at hollow core
fibre. Most of the time, this is made in
short lengths and the uniformity is not
that good. Not long ago, you couldnt
transmit over 1km of hollow core fibre
because different parts of the fibre
had different properties.
Although we have scaled the
process to enable lengths of up to
10km to be made with good
transmission properties, we want to
scale the process for real
applications.
Dr Brambilla is also interested in
new ways to generate and deliver light.
Fibre lasers, he noted, are only
made in short lengths, while telecom
fibre is manufactured at rates of
2km/minute.
Prof Heffernan agreed with Dr
Brambilla that 2D materials will have
an important role to play in the Future
Photonics Hubs work. The most
important thing is for us to formulate
common solutions to problems and its
likely that 2D materials will be
incorporated.
Dr Brambilla pointed to the
development opportunities. Our
understanding of 2D materials is only
at the early stage and the common
ground between ORC and Sheffield is
that there is not really any process
that can scale.
But its perhaps in the area of
While it may be
a longer term
activity, silicon
photonics is seen
as the future.
Dr Gilberto
Brambilla
Main image:
Southamptons ORC
has been a long
term leader in
developing novel
optical
manufacturing
processes
PHOTONICS
integration where the most exciting

developments will be seen. Under the
general heading of silicon photonics,
the partners will be looking to develop
a range of new devices. While it may
be a longer term activity, Dr Brambilla
accepted, silicon photonics is seen
as the future. We already have three
partner companies working on
packaging issues and well be liaising
with them on optimum solutions,
because packaging might be a critical
element for integrating fibre and
silicon photonics. While the
integration of fibres and sources is an
interesting area for investigation,
there is nothing set as yet.
Solving problems through integration

Prof Heffernan agreed. The whole
idea here is to integrate photonics and
electronics and that should result in
integrated sensors. This is important
because industry uses a lot of
distributed sensing, but there are
many challenges, including energy
consumption. Integration is likely to be
a good way to solve these problems.
As noted above, the Future
Photonics Hub already has an
impressive list of industrial partners
which, between them, have already
promised to contribute 12.5m. And
the two partner universities will each
add another 3m.
This project has flexibility, Dr
Brambilla claimed. EPRSC has given
us extreme flexibility to probe the
industrial environment and for our
partners to tell us where to go with
our research. So, in three years time,
if the telecom industry wants us to
focus more on ways to produce hollow
core fibre in lengths of more than
1000km, well go in that direction. But
a lot of things can happen in seven
years and flexibility will be important.
Were looking for shared
outcomes, Prof Heffernan concluded.
We are pursuing a faster route to
exploitation, but need to find common
problems and challenges. The Future
Photonics Hub is what could be called
a proper collaborative project and
the ideas it develops will be
distributed back into industry in order
to increase its competitiveness and
impact on the UKs economy.
17
he lithium-ion cell is a testament

to the problems of battery
chemistry. Lithium-ion products
are prone to burst into flames
when they get too hot and, even under
good conditions, need careful
management during charging, simply to
avoid capacity-sapping damage.
First commercialised by Sony in
1991, Li-ion has gradually eaten into
the market for high-density
rechargeables carved out by nickelbased chemistries. Although they
present plenty of problems for battery
manufacturers and users, there are
strong reasons for using lithiumbased batteries.
One key reason is lithiums high
electrochemical potential. Although it
has only 75% of the electrochemical
potential of cadmium or strontium, its
much lower weight enables very high
energy densities.
The problems start when trying to
integrate lithium into a safe, highcapacity battery that can handle the
peak demands of todays electronic
systems, as well as the slowly
growing fleet of electric and hybrid
vehicles. So, much of the work is
centred on materials that can go
around the core element to increase
safety and boost capacity.
Because the anode largely
controls how much lithium inside the
battery can be used to store charge,
developing anodes has become a
major focus in improving overall
battery capacity. Modern Li-ion
batteries for mobile phones and
tablets mostly use a carbon anode
and a cobalt oxide cathode.
During charging, lithium ions
captured at the anode form
complexes with carbon atoms lying in
graphite sheets. The anode stores up
to one lithium atom for each
hexagonal ring of carbon atoms in the
graphite sheet.
During discharge, each lithium atom
loses an electron and migrates to the
cathode to form part of a lithium
cobaltate molecule. Power tools and
electric traction batteries use
alternatives to cobaltate for safety
reasons manganese oxide or iron
phosphate need to reach higher
temperatures before they encounter
18
Charging ahead
Lithiums burning need for improvement is producing a wide range of
battery research and development initiatives. By Chris Edwards.
the thermal runaway that characterises

most lithium-battery fires.
Although carbon is cheap and
effective, it only has an energy density
of 370mAh/g. Silicon offers a higher
storage efficiency potentially up to
4210mAh/g and is being researched
by companies like Nexeon.
One silicon atom can form a
complex with more than four lithium
atoms, almost reversing the ratio
encountered with carbon. But that
much improved ratio comes with a
major drawback: the lithium-silicon
complex balloons and the increase in
volume can be as much as four-fold.
The expansion and contraction cycles
shatter the electrodes, fragments of
silicon break off from the cathode
Prototype batteries
under test at Pacific
Northwest National
Laboratory
and the battery quickly loses capacity.

Nanostructures and mechanical
buffer materials may provide a
solution by giving the silicon room to
expand and by controlling stresses.
Calculations performed five years ago
by a team from a variety of US and
Chinese labs indicated that lithium
tends to favour accumulation along
one face of the silicon crystal. Wires
can balloon outwards and form stress
fractures close to where a silicon
nanowire is anchored to the
electrode. Altering the orientation of
the silicon crystal and the overall
shape of the nanowires could help
prevent the stress fractures.
Researchers at Argonne National
Laboratory in the US focused on an
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
electrolyte that can double up as a

shock absorber. The team added
fluorine to ethylene carbonate to make
it behave more like rubber, stretching
as the electrode grows. Another option
is to make a sponge that allows
lithium to be absorbed without forcing
the overall structure to grow. One
example was a mesoporous sponge
containing openings of the scale of
tens of microns in the silicon
Moving away from oxygen as the

main element used in the cathode
material provides another opportunity
to improve density, as well as safety.
Sulphur can perform a similar role to
oxygen with, in principle, less danger
of bursting into flames.
Using sulphur as the cathode
partner and in the electrolyte makes
it possible to have a battery that
charges to the point where lithium
Fig 1: Argonne
National Laboratory
explains the
operation of an
Li-ion cell
BATTERIES
ions between anode and cathode,

which reduces the capacity of the
battery over time.
Although sulphur is an extremely
poor conductor by itself, one option is
to add other elements. Rather than
the usual liquid electrolyte, some
combinations have been used to form
a solid version that should improve
safety and reliability. Five years ago, a
team from Toyota Research and a
group of research institutes
developed a solid electrolyte based
on the combination of lithium,
germanium, phosphor and sulphur. An
immediately obvious problem was the
availability of germanium: there is
enough Ge available to satisfy smallscale use in chip production, but not
for batteries, where the requirements
are much higher.
Materials database
structure developed by researchers at

the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory and the University of
California at San Diego. The structure
doubled the gravimetric storage
capability compared to graphite, but
with only a 30% expansion in size at
full charge.
Researchers at the University of St
Andrews developed the concept of
letting lithium ions capture oxygen
from the air as the battery discharges,
filling pores in a mesh of mesoporous
carbon that forms the core part of the
cathode. However, the lithium-air
chemistry suffers from problems
caused by unwanted products, such
as lithium peroxide, blocking the pores
and preventing full discharge.
26 January 2016
can plate the anode, instead of using

chemistries that avoid the element
from entering its highly reactive metal
state. Not only that, the batteries
could be operated at higher voltages:
a potential five-fold boost in energy
density, compared to todays lithiumion chemistries, according to UK
lithium-sulphur battery startup Oxis
Energy.
Unfortunately, the sulphur cathode
also expands as it acquires lithium
ions, almost doubling in volume, again
calling for nanostructural techniques
that increase manufacturing
complexity. Intermediate lithiumsulphur products also tend to react
with the liquid organic solvents needed
to allow free transfer of the lithium
The hunt for an alternative to Ge

provided an application for the
Materials Project, founded by MIT
materials researcher Professor
Gerbrand Ceder and Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory staff
scientist Kristin Persson. The project,
an attempt to create a database akin
to that built by the Human Genome
Project, contains material properties
that will let computer simulations
explore the likely chemical and
thermodynamic behaviour of different
combinations, avoiding the need to
perform trial and error experiments.
Simulations performed by Prof Ceders
group found possible alternatives to
Ge in tin and silicon both of which
occupy the same column in the
periodic table. A recent experiment by
a team from Munich and Stuttgart
indicated the silicon variant is likely to
perform better than the tin version.
Although work continues on many
fronts, the fact that the same core
materials have remained at the heart
of rechargeable batteries for 25 years
shows how difficult it is to
commercialise new battery designs.
But it seems likely that, with todays
greater understanding of materials
properties and the impetus from highdemand markets, such as transport
and electricity-grid storage, changes
will come faster in the next 25 years.
19
Fig 1: Smaller
processes result in
more complex
verification tasks
20
he system and semiconductor

worlds are in transition. In the
past, the focus in verification
used to be on bug
identification. Today, the electronic
design industry is seeing a shift
towards greater efficiency in finding
bug root causes and in bug
remediation. To that end, SoC
providers have been looking to provide
software with their products. While
this higher value speeds design in
time, it has the tendency to increase
verification complexity and moves the
responsibility of hardware-software
verification to the SoC provider. As a
result, in 2016, we can expect to see
broad application of software-driven
hardware verification methodologies.
Some system companies are
designing their own semiconductors
in fact, all the leading smartphone
companies design their own
application processors. At the same
time, semiconductor companies are
having to create a large part of the
software stack for each SoC since
software and silicon are related
intimately. These trends mean that
software and the SoC need to be
designed in parallel.
But this is not the only change we
are seeing. There is more parallelism
from the inter-relation of thermal
and power to packaging and EMIR
analysis, system architecture and test
strategy and more.
This highly concurrent design
process involves what Cadence calls
System Design Enablement, or SDE.
Ultimately, SDE is about the
convergence of the electrical, software
and mechanical domains, resulting in
an entire end product the system.
Taking such a holistic view accounts
for the fact that software now
represents the greatest cost and the
biggest bottleneck in SoC design. And,
because SoCs play an increasingly
important role in many electronic
systems, it has become vital to
ensure that every part of the system,
from chip to package to board, is
optimised and verified.
Embedded software development
and hardware/software verification
must begin earlier. An SDE toolsuite
and flow can support the increased
Time of
transition
Expect broader application of software-driven hardware
verification in 2016. Chi-Ping Hsu explains why.
role of software by providing presilicon development platforms for

hardware/software codesign and
coverification, virtual platforms,
emulation, simulation and FPGA based
prototyping.
For example, an SoC intended for a
smartphone has to run Android (with
one obvious exception). It doesnt
matter whether a smartphone
company is designing its own chips or
an SoC company which sells standard
products. The requirements are very
similar in either case and Android
simply has to run on the chip. No
company designing such a chip is
going to tape out the design without
first running a simulation of Android

on a model of the chip. This is not just
to ensure the software runs other
characteristics, such as the
effectiveness of the SoCs power
architecture or the thermal effects in
different modes (making a call,
listening to an MP3 file), also need to
be measured. This is software driven
hardware verification, but it is not
specific to the smartphone example.
Chips for automotive, vision and many
IoT devices have large software stacks
and provide the most basic function of
the SoC. But before anything else
needs to be considered, you need to
run the software.
Architecture
Software
Verification and validation
Physical
IP qualification
90nm
65nm
45/40nm
28nm
20nm
16/14nm
Process node
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
far too great to risk taping out an SoC

in which all blocks have been verified,
but the ultimate system verification of
running the software has not been
performed.
There are two key technologies for
software driven hardware verification.
The first is emulation. Emulators are
relatively expensive, but provide value
in terms of efficient and effective
software driven hardware verification.
Over the years, emulation has
sometimes been found to be the weak
link because of the lack of flexibility
and the difficulty of getting a design
into the system. A decade ago, this
could have taken many months, but
now the landscape is different.
Emulation tools can now accept
anything that RTL simulation can
accept and compile it in a matter of
hours.
The second key technology for
software based hardware verification
is virtual platform technology. This
allows code written for one
microprocessor to run on a normal
architecture core. The binary of the
software load runs on a model of the
processor. The word model is in
quotes because, under the hood, the
microprocessor instructions are
compiled on the fly. This so called just
It is not a surprise that system

companies which do their own
semiconductor design have more
software engineers than
semiconductor designers. But the
same is true of semiconductor
companies that do SoC designs.
Verification challenges
Verification always requires a multifaceted approach. Software-driven
hardware verification, in fact, can only
be used relatively late in the design
cycle, when enough of the design has
been completed for the software to
run. Earlier, at the block level,
verification can be done with
simulation and verification IP, or with
formal techniques, or even with FPGA
prototyping. But the software needs to
be run when the design is
approaching tapeout and most of the
blocks exist.
However, there is a major
challenge. Booting Android, let alone
running any application software once
it is booted, requires billions of
vectors. The SoC on which the
software has to run may itself consist
of billions of gates. This makes
verification time-consuming and
complex but it has to be done. The
cost in terms of time and money is
2016 is going to
be the year
where software
based verification
will become more
important
Chi-Ping Hsu
Fig 2: Verifying a
design now calls for
an array of
technologies covering
all aspects of the SoC
EDA
in time compilation is similar to the

way in which Java interpreters work. In
fact, the compilation process
sometimes only takes place the
second time an instruction sequence
is seen, since so much code during
system boot is executed only once
and doesnt justify the cost of
compilation versus simply interpreting
the instructions.
Virtual platforms are used because
they are much faster and simpler than
running a full RTL model of the
processor. Even if an RTL model of the
microprocessor is available, it may not
need all the detailed information to
verify the software application using
emulation may not be the best
approach, even with the enormous
throughput of an emulator.
These two approaches work hand in
hand in what is sometimes called
hybrid verification. The code binary
Android, lets say runs on the virtual
platform, while the rest of the design
can be compiled from RTL and then
run on the emulation platform. The
two parts are linked together
automatically so that, for example,
when the code for a device driver
accesses its corresponding device,
the RTL in the emulation platform
sees the vectors.
More important
Applications
Software development
OS and drivers
(Linux, Android)
SoC hardware/software integration,

verification and architecture analysis
Bare metal
software
SoC
Plan based verification
Middleware
(graphics, audio)
SoC hardware/software use case verification

SoC IP integration verification
SoC interconnect UVM e/SV metric driven
verification and performance analysis
Subsytem UVM e/SV metric driven verification
Subsystem
IP
IP UVM e/SV metric driven verification
Spec
Silicon
UVM: universal verification methodology. e/SV: Specman-e Verilog
Gate level
verification
26 January 2016
The software development team for an

SoC faces a similar problem
checking the software they write runs
on the SoC before it is available.
Software-based verification gives them
a platform on which to test that their
code runs correctly in parallel to SoC
development and potentially cooptimise key performance
bottlenecks.
Software based verification is not
new, of course. But 2016 is going to
be the year where it becomes more
important. Since the software
component of a system grows rapidly,
so too does the requirement for
ensuring that the SoC runs pre
existing software before it is available.
Author profile:
Chi-Ping Hsu is chief strategy officer
for EDA products and technologies at
Cadence Design Systems.
21
More than a bit part

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the death of the 8bit microcontroller have been greatly
exaggerated. By Graham Pitcher.
hen it launched the

Cortex-M range in 2004,
ARM brought 32bit
processing to what had,
essentially, been an 8bit world. The
first core the Cortex-M3 was
adopted enthusiastically by a range
of companies. ARM has since added
the M0, M0+, M4 and, most recently,
the M7.
The arrival of the Cortex-M family
prompted many people to predict the
imminent demise of the 8bit
microcontroller. And yet 8bit devices
continue to be designed into a range
of applications. In fact, market
researcher Gartner found that, in
2014, 8bit and 32bit MCUs held
almost equal market shares when it
came to revenue.
So, despite the attractions of the
32bit MCU more processing power,
more memory and so on 8bit parts
must have something going for them:
after all, some 32bit MCU developers
continue to expand their 8bit
portfolios. But what is it and how long
will the devices remain in favour?
According to Lucio di Jasio,
strategic marketing manager with
Sensor interface
* Comparator
* Configurable logic cell
* Hardware limit timer
Microchip: With the right balance

between hardware and software and
new tools that reduce development
effort and timescales, the place for
8bit MCUs in a wide range of
applications seems more assured
than ever.
Tom Pannell, MCU marketing
manager with Silicon Laboratories,
said: Not every app needs a lot of
I/O or high performance. Only a few
apps need GHz or even hundreds of
MHz. many things we interact with on
a daily basis are simple; they might
just turn an LED on or off or run a
simple control algorithm. These apps
dont need a lot of complexity or a lot
of memory and are well suited to 8bit
MCUs.
Perhaps part of the problem if it
is a problem is that designers
associate 8bit MCUs with 30 year old
technology, whereas 32bit devices are
seen as being closer to the cutting
edge. But Microchip and Silicon Labs
argue that 8bit MCUs have made
significant steps forward over the
years and that the 8051 based
devices of the past bear no
relationship to todays parts.
Signal generation
* PWM
* Complementary output generator
* Angular timer
* Zero cross detect
Central processing unit

Firmware
Start
22
System supervisor
The place for 8bit

MCUs in a wide range
of applications seems
more assured than
ever.
Lucio di Jasio
Fig 1: Microchips
MCC allows
peripherals to be
configured
graphically
Power conversion
* PWM
* Complementary output generator
* High speed comparator
* Operational amplifier
Pannell explained. We like to show

designers that if they are worried
about 8bit performance, we can help
because 8bit MCUs are faster than
ever before. Some customers are
used to 8bit MCUs running at 8MHz,
but we have an 8051 based device
that runs at 100MHz and a 72MHz
part in our EFM8 range. These MCUs
have high performance analogue
blocks, including a 14bit A/D
converter and a D/A converter that
runs at 12ksample/s.
We have to find out what
performance theyre looking for and
whether we can meet those
performance needs and a lot of
times, we can. Our digital peripherals
are hardware blocks and dont need
to be emulated using the MCU. But
cost is often the most important
requirement, he said.
Steve Drehobl, vice president of
Microchips 8bit MCU business, noted
that, in order to be competitive, his
products needed to support fast
development cycles, to have highly
functional peripherals and to have a
good balance between hardware and
software. While 8bit devices dont
solve all of a designers problems,
he said, neither do 32bit parts.
There is a clear market need for 8bit
MCUs, but there has to be a balance
between the hardware and software
elements. Thats because customer
EMBEDDED DESIGN
MICROS
Not every app needs a

lot of I/O or high
performance. Only a
few apps need GHz or
even hundreds of
MHz.
Tom Pannell
profiles are changing; nowadays,

there are a lot of software engineers
on a team and maybe only one
person doing hardware.
Both companies point to the
burgeoning community of makers. Di
Jasio said he was seeing more
entrepreneurs looking at 8bit parts.
While weve always seen that type of
customer, there are now more of them
looking to get into the market.
Pannell said he sees makers
starting at a high level, using
something like a Raspberry Pi. But,
eventually, they will have to go to
production with a reliable piece of
silicon. They may have a simple idea,
but they wont be able to use Linux,
like they did on the Pi. At that point,
depending on the product, they may
well go to an 8bit MCU.
Both companies also have
productivity in mind, particularly when
it comes to configuring peripherals.
Tools are a key part of our 8bit
offering, Pannell contended. We
have a modern 8bit development
environment in Simplicity Studio and
this has a configuration tool to not
only handle peripherals, but also their
pin outs.
Here, Pannell is referring to the
crossbar feature in some of Silicon
Labs 8bit parts. It provides flexibility
in how to use the available I/O and
where to put analogue blocks. The
feature also helps to optimise board
design.
Drehobl pointed out that Microchip
has developed core independent
peripherals and intelligent analogue
block for its 8bit parts. These
peripherals can operate without
interfacing to the core. This allows
more time independent and flexible
peripherals to be integrated. This, in
turn, has allowed us to change our
26 January 2016
approach; we can deploy empowered

peripherals.
Creating an MCU with such
peripherals can be a challenge,
something which Microchip is looking
to handle with its MPLAB Code
Configurator (MCC) tool. Making
peripherals more intelligent might look
simple from the outside, but it
becomes more complex inside. We
have to take that burden away from the
user, Drehobl pointed out, and we do
this using graphical configuration. They
dont have to read the datasheet to
find out how to hook up particular
peripherals: the tool takes care of that
and can reduce what could be months
of development to a matter of weeks.
In fact, it brings a balance between
hardware and software.
According to Drehobl, MCC has
been available for about a year and
Microchip has seen around 25,000
downloads of the tool per quarter.
People are now using it as a primary
I2C
SPI
Making peripherals
more intelligent might
look simple from the
outside, but it becomes
more complex inside.
Steve Drehobl
Fig 2: How Silicon

Labs solves the
problem of
exposing the
resources of a large
device in a compact
package
CMP
CMP
GPIO
ADC
PWM
tool, he claimed, and well be

developing it from configuration of
peripherals by adding libraries.
Microchip is planning to launch the
latest update to MCC shortly and its
likely this will include libraries for
such features as TCP/IP, LIN and
touch interfaces.
While 32bit MCUs have the
attention of many designers, 8bit
parts remain viable design choices.
Pannell concluded: For designers
who have to watch every penny and
for whom being able to squeeze and
optimise a design matters, if they can
get it done with an 8bit MCU, they will
prefer that because of cost.
In di Jasios opinion: With the
right balance between hardware and
software, and new tools that
dramatically reduce development
effort and timescales, the place for
8bit microcontrollers in a wide range
of applications seems more assured
than ever.
Josh Norem, an MCU applications
engineer with Silicon Labs, says that
asking whether a 32bit part or an 8bit
part is better is not a logical
question. A much better question,
he contends, is which MCU will best
help me solve the problem Im
working on?. And, for a wide range
of applications including those
being targeted at the IoT the answer
could well be an 8bit part.
23
24
?? Month 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk
COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN
COMMUNICATIONS TEST
n the near future, several billion

devices will be connected to the
Internet of Things (IoT). According to
Harbour Research, 2billion IoT
devices were sold in 2014; in 2020, it
will be more than 7bn. But this will
only happen with cost effective
communications networks and
wireless devices.
By using technologies such as
Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi or cellular
networks, almost any device anywhere
in the world can be connected to the
Internet quickly and reliably. The latest
cellular technologies LTE-M and
narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) will play an
important role in the IoTs success.
One of the main challenges isnt
posed by new communication
technologies; rather, it is the huge
amount of IoT devices that need to be
tested against regulator, standard and
operator requirements. Currently,
mobile operators probably test a few
hundred mobile phones every year in
order to allow them to connect to their
network. With the adoption
technologies like NB-IoT or LTE-M and
the approximated variation in the
device behaviour against a network,
operators need to be prepared to test
thousands of devices every year. This
requires more efficient conformance
and carrier acceptance testing and
highly flexible and efficient testing
solutions. Overall test efficiency will be
the biggest topic in all phases of the
product life cycle.
Testing times for

IoT devices
If the IoT is to succeed, end to end tests are essential for matching
application behaviour to network behaviour. By Joerg Koepp.
optimised for the M2M market in
terms of cost and power consumption
are already available, with LTE offering
advantages with respect to spectral
efficiency, latency and data throughput.
The need for optimised solutions
Fig 1: A barring bitmap

identifies which classes
are denied access
for the IoT market was recognised in

the early stages of defining the 3GPP
standard and specific improvements
for machine type communication have
been developed. For example, features
defined in Rel. 10/11 are intended to
M2M and LTE

Because LTE is optimised for the
mobile broadband market, the IoT has
generated little demand for 4G
technology, so the costs for an LTE
modem are still relatively high in
comparison to a GSM modem.
However some aspects of LTE make it
increasingly attractive. One is global
accessibility; according to GSMA, 422
operators in 146 countries offered
commercial LTE services as of
September 2015. The long term
availability of LTE is another
consideration. More cellular operators
are saying they will no longer support
2G mobile networks, making it
necessary to convert to the latest
technology. The first LTE chipsets
26 January 2016
Paging
indication
of eab
parameter
modification
(SIB14)
SIB14: eab
SIB14: eab
SIB14: eab
1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
UE RACH
preamble
Device is barred
EAB check:
AC3 = 1
AC: 3
Device under
ttest (UE)
EAB check:
AC3 = 1
EAB check:
AC3 = 1
UE date
available
UE date
available
Access class, one of 10 (0 to 9) randomly allocated mobile populations stored in the device
25
COMMUNICATIONS TEST
protect the mobile network against

overload by IoT devices. Network
operators need to be armed against
the possibility of several thousand
devices trying to connect to the
network at the same time. This could
happen after a sudden event for
example, the power grid coming back
online after a power failure. Overload
mechanisms and options for reducing
the signalling traffic have been
introduced to handle these
possibilities.
Many IoT applications sensor
networks, for example only send data
infrequently and do not need to operate
with precise timing. These devices can
report to the network that they can
accept longer delays during the
connection setup (delay tolerant
access). Rel. 10 includes a process
that permits the network to initially
reject connection requests from these
devices and delay them (extended wait
time). With Rel. 11, access to the
cellular network can be controlled by
means of access classes. In this case,
a device may set up a connection only
if it is assigned a class that is currently
permitted by the network. The network
transmits a bitmap (EAB barring
bitmap) that identifies which classes
are permitted access (see fig 1).
The processes introduced in Rel.
10 and 11 ensure reliable and stable
operation of current and future IoT
devices within cellular networks
without endangering the mobile
broadband service.
The only thing still missing is
solutions optimised for IoT devices
with low data traffic, low power
consumption and low costs. The
committee started to address this in
Rel. 12 and it quickly became clear

there will be no single, simple solution;
the requirements for applications such
as container tracking, smart meters,
agricultural sensors and personal
health trackers are too varied. Rel. 12
therefore concentrates on power
consumption and cost effective
modems. The results are a power
saving mode (PSM) that is especially
important for battery operated devices
and a new LTE device category 0,
which should have only 50% of the
complexity of a category 1 modem.
Idle
T3324
Cost effective devices
There will be the
Power saving mode
need for more end

The PSM process starts after a data
to end application
link is terminated or after the periodic
testing.
tracking area update (TAU) procedure
completes. The device first enters the
Joerg Koepp
normal idle mode, in which it switches
periodically to receive mode. As a
result, it remains available via paging.
PSM is entered after timer T3324
expires (see fig 2). In this mode, the
device is always ready to send
messages because it remains
registered in the network. However the
front end is switched off, so the
device is not accessible via paging.
PSM is thus suited for sensor
networks that need to send data to
the device only rarely and in small
amounts. This process is not suitable
for applications where a quick
response from the sensor or a timecritical reaction is expected.
Applications that use PSM must
tolerate this behaviour and the design
must include the optimal timer values
for idle mode and power saving mode.
Fig 2: Power saving
End to end tests are essential for
matching application behaviour to the mode starts after a
behaviour of the network.
timer expires
TAU
DRX
TAU
Power consumption
COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN
Power saving mode (PSM)
Idle
Development of LTE-M
LTE-M has taken the first steps; Rel.
13 includes additional cost reduction
measures, especially lower bandwidths
in the uplink and downlink, lower data
rates and reduced transmit power.
In Rel. 14, automotive industry
requirements have prompted the
investigation of options for reducing
the latency in communications
between consumer devices, allowing
real time communication between
cars, for example.
End to end testing

In parallel with the standardisation
activity, there needs to be a new
approach to testing. In addition to
verifying the compatibility of the
device, there will be the need for more
end to end application testing in order
to understand how dependencies
between the different communication
layers affect overall application
performance, including such
characteristics as power consumption
or delay. This will guarantee a proper
interworking of all applications.
Additionally, security aspects such as
encrypted communication or resilience
in IoT end to end connections should
not be neglected and therefore need
to be verified and tested.
Author profile:
T3412
Data
26
The introduction of category 0 was a

first attempt at permitting significantly
less expensive LTE modems for M2M
applications. Ideally, category 0
modems will use less power and, to
achieve this, the complexity of the
modem was reduced by lowering the
supported data rate to 1Mbit/s. This
minimises processing power and
memory requirements. Manufacturers
can also eliminate full duplex mode
and multiple antennas and, as a
result, the duplex filters that would be
necessary to prevent interference
between the transmitter and receiver
are not required.
Category 0 devices are still in
development and will probably be
introduced later in 2016.
Joerg Koepp is head of the wireless

market segment at Rohde & Schwarz.
DESIGN PLUS
R&D TAX CREDITS
Take the credit

Is your company one of the many which arent taking advantage of the money being made available to
industry through the R&D tax credit scheme? By Graham Pitcher.
he UK Government has, in
effect, been giving money away
to companies of all sizes since
2000 through the R&D Tax
Credit scheme. But the surprising
thing is that although the Government
believes around 150,000 companies
are eligible under the scheme,
substantially fewer companies than
that have taken advantage.
So what are R&D tax credits?
According to HM Revenue and
Customs (HMRC), they are a tax relief
designed to encourage greater
spending by companies in R&D. They
work by reducing a companys tax bill
by an amount equal to a percentage
of its allowable R&D expenditure. The
effect, it is hoped, is the companies
will make a greater investment in
innovation.
Only 20,100 claims in 2013-2014

Statistics recently released by HMRC
show the total number of claims for
the accounting period from 2013 to
2014 rose to 20,100, driven primarily
by a 23% increase in the number of
claims from small to medium
enterprises (SMEs). The amount of
support claimed was said to have
risen to 1.75billion 380million
more than in the previous year of
which SMEs claimed 800m.
So what is eligible for R&D tax
credits? In order to claim, you must
be seeking to achieve an advance in
science or technology. The issue
youre working on must be subject to
what is called scientific or
technological uncertainty and have
been conducted in a systematic and
thorough fashion. If you can tick
these boxes, you can claim for such
things as staff costs and the cost of
materials.
Jeremy Tear is a director of GGTC
26 January 2016
(www.ggtc.co.uk), which specialises in

helping companies to access R&D tax
credits. He notes the Government is
increasing its investment in the
scheme. When the scheme was first
introduced, the Government gave you
50% relief. Increases over the last six
years have seen that rise to 125%.
In Tears experience, the major
issue with R&D tax credits is that
companies dont know what they can
claim for. It is sometimes difficult to
understand what the definition of
R&D is. One of the claims we have
done was for a horse saddle, but the
claim wasnt for the saddle itself, it
was all about the science behind the
product.
Another useful definition, he
continued, is that technological
uncertainty is something that is not
Although the
Government
believes around
150,000 companies
are eligible for
R&D tax credits,
substantially fewer
companies than
that have taken
advantage
readily deducible by someone in that

field. And if you have to overcome a
problem for which theres not an
immediate solution, the chances are
thats advancing the science.
Tear suspects this confusion about
what is or isnt eligible could be
affecting the readiness of companies
in the electronics sector to claim for
their R&D work. Its quite probable
that electronics companies operate
on the assumption that science is
being done because theyre using it,
rather than the fact that theyre
creating it. But the definition used by
HMRC is that if you come across
what it calls technological uncertainty
and solve that problem, then youre
doing science.
With the large number of
companies making claims and the
29
DESIGN PLUS
sums of money involved, you might

expect the R&D tax credit scheme to
be well staffed, but thats not the
case. Tear says there are just a
handful of inspectors in HMRC
dealing with this issue. Those
inspectors will, however, examine all
claims, perform some risk evaluation
and will probably take a closer look at
around 10% of them. And their
enquiries will be thorough, Tear
pointed out.
Tear sees three broad areas of
confusion when it comes to R&D tax
credits. The main area focuses on
an assumption of what R&D actually
is. Its not about features and
benefits. I have dealt with a client
who couldnt think beyond what his
product did, but he needed to think
about how it was made, Tear
recalled. We have a team of analysts
who can get behind a product and
understand the science involved.
Not understanding the technology

We often have clients who come to
us having been told by HMRC their
application was not accepted. One of
the general issues here is that
accountants dont always understand
the processes or the technology
involved.
Another area where Tear sees
issues is in understanding what can
or cant be claimed for and how
much. Theres a dangerous practice
amongst some
claimants which
suggests that if you
dont claim for too
much, youll get away
with it. The problem here
is that HMRC expects you
to claim for everything, as
long as its a legitimate
claim.
Until recently, companies
could only claim for direct
activities. Now, said Tear,
claims can be made for
related activities, but HMRC
expects the documentation you
submit will be thorough and will
want to see things like contracts
to help it understand that it is for
R&D.
The third main area relates to
30
R&D TAX CREDITS
how information is presented to

HMRC. Its quite an important
aspect, Tear stressed. A lot of
companies believe that if they write
the equivalent of War and Peace,
their claim will be approved. However,
HMRC expects you to follow a tight
brief, outlining what you think is
eligible and why and the relevant
dates. So its important to outline
your claim clearly.
R&D tax credits are claimed using
the CT600 tax return form. This has
space to fill in the amount youre
claiming, Tear pointed out. There
are also two reports: Table A, which is
the descriptive part, and Table B,
which covers what you think can be
claimed.
For some companies, R&D tax
credits can make the difference
between them surviving or not. Its
the only scheme where you can get
money from the Government, even if
you havent paid anything in. All you
need to be is a limited liability
company carrying out this type of
work, Tear noted.
Start ups are often strapped for
cash and I know of four or five
companies which would have gone
out of business without our making a
claim on their behalf, he continued.
Its what the scheme is for: allowing
companies to develop technology and
to finance it. And thats worthwhile.
GGTCs R&D tax

credit checklist
If you can answer yes to any of
these questions, theres a good
chance youll be eligible.
New product development
Do you develop new products or
change the way you make them?
Product improvement
Do you seek to improve products,
materials, processes or devices
through technological or scientific
change?
Technical challenges
Have you faced technical product
or process challenges that you have
tried to resolve?
Software
Do you develop software, IT
solutions or products?
Manufacturing and engineering
Have you sought to develop or
improve your manufacturing or
engineering processes?
Efficiency
Have you improved or sought to
improve your manufacturing
process or costs?
Uncertainty
When starting a project, have you
ever been unsure of how to go
about it or uncertain about its
success?
Testing and prototypes
Do you undertake sampling,
testing, trials or develop prototypes
or tools?
Services
Do you undertake product or
process development or
improvement services at your own
risk?
Call Marc Young on 01322 221144
Calibration Services Expansion
CalibrationHouse has expand its activities into new electronic

instrumentation sectors to include the full range of oscilloscopes
and high spec electronic instrumentation, multimeters, 17th
edition test equipment, PAT testers, high voltage test equipment and production line testers.
The CalibrationHouse advanced workshop service is also complemented by the availability of a national team
of highly trained and qualified engineers providing specialist calibration services at customer premises.
CalibrationHouse is accredited to ISO9001:2008 and ISO17025:2005 with service, calibration and repairs of
all types of electronic equipment being undertaken with assured traceability to national UKAS standards.
www.calibrationhouse.com
9.65mm Diagonal Mdp01 Suits Head-Up Displays And More

MICROOLED is a pioneer in the field of small, high definition, low power OLED displays that target NearEye Display (NED) applications such as head-up displays, sports devices, camera viewfinders, medical
applications and many other professional devices. The companys low voltage device architecture
features a unique sub-pixel arrangement resulting in highest pixel density and lowest power.
The MDP01 micro-display measures just 12.44 x 11.97mm and has an active area of 8.73 x 5.00mm
(9.65mm diagonal). Power consumption is just 25mW in video mode. Resolution is 873 x 500 pixels,
contrast is typically 100,000:1 and luminance is full colour RGBB: up to 250cd/m; 75fL. Response time
is under one microsecond.
Comments Mike Blee, Marketing Manager, Astute Electronics: The MDP01 provides ultra-high contrast,
ensuring black is black which is essential for high image quality. No grid matrix is visible, further
improving resolution, and the manufacturing technology enables a wide viewing angle with no loss in
contrast or changes in colour.
@: info@calibrationhouse.com
: +44 (0) 191 587 8736
@: mike.blee@astute.co.uk
: +44-1920-484838
Horizontal Gecko Connectors
IP66 DN Enclosure/Junction box
Other features common to the Gecko connector family include polarization points that prevent mismating, easy identification of the No 1 position for fast visual inspection and optional latches that allow
simple and fast de-latching. Optional special tooling is available for use in confined applications. The
horizontal style connectors feature a new mechanical hold-down latching system for additional
connection security.
Unique high quality design; solid or

transparent lids; available in five sizes
IP66 DN junction box enclosures are constructed in light grey
RAL 7035 ABS and have a wall thickness of 3-4mm. They are
flame retardant to UL-94HB. Five different sizes are available,
with the option of solid or transparent tops:
125mm x 125mm x 75mm; 125mm x 125mm x 100mm;
175mm x 125mm x 75mm; 175mm x 125mm x 100mm;
175mm x 125mm x 125mm. A 175mm x 175mm x 125mm
model will be available in the second half 2016. The robust DN Range is ideal for a wide variety of both
internal and external applications.
Comments Mark Severn, Director of Sales for Hylec-APL: Our new DN range is a very flexible solution for
the vast number of applications that require protection against water ingress, yet at the same time
house components requiring frequent access.
@: bgreen@harwin.co.uk
: +44-2392 314 532
@: Mark@hylec-apl.com
: +44-1933 234400
InnoSwitch-CP ICs
Overmoulded Electronic Assemblies
FluxLink technology also optimizes the effectiveness of

output synchronous rectification, resulting in extremely high efficiency across the full load range. For
example, no-load consumption at 230 VAC is less than 10 mW, while full-load efficiency exceeds 90%.
InnoSwitch-CP devices easily meet all global energy efficiency regulations.
EC Electronics is one of the UKs leading sub

contract manufacturers of the Overmoulded
electronic assemblies.
We specialise in moulding directly on to electronic assemblies,
including PCBs, cables, sensors and other sensitive components,
providing a totally sealed and encapsulated product. Our overmoulding
processes utilise the latest in thermoplastic hotmelt adhesives that
offer good adhesion to materials like ABS, PVC and have good flexibility at low temperatures and a wide
service temperature range enabling sealing rated up to IP66 .
Overmoulding is an ideal substitute for conventional potting and has the added advantages of
eliminating the need for an enclosure. Additional features like strain relief and corporate branding can be
incorporated with very little additional cost.
EC Electronics Overmoulding service offers complete tooling and mould design along with our in house
capability to manufacture the PCB and cable sub-assemblies therefore providing and total complete
solution to our customers.
@: peter.rogerson@power.com
: (408) 414-8573
@: sales@ecelectronics.co.uk
: +44 1256 461894
Salcomps USB Type-C Charger
Spider fibre optic
USB Type-C is an attractive solution for Salcomps customers along the entire electronics spectrum from
mobile phones to notebooks. Delivering up to 100W of power, USB Type-C is the new connector for many
next generation products that Salcomps customers are developing.
New Spider fibre optic assemblies

from OMC allow livght signals to be
split or combined
October 2015OMC, the pioneer in optoelectronic solutions, is
now offering a range of Spider fibre optic cable assemblies
which can both split an optical signal from a single source
into several outputs as well as combine multiple inputs onto a
single output fibre. This can be useful for sensor applications
and precise triggering, among other applications.
We designed our LIF-UC family of port controllers to provide our customers with various design options
to enable USB Type-C power delivery, said C.H. Chee, senior director of consumer marketing for Lattice.
By leveraging Lattices flexible FPGA architecture, Salcomp was able to bring enhanced charging
capabilities to its latest product offering.
Previously, designers have been forced to use beam splitters for this purpose, but such devices can be
expensive as well as complex to set up. OMCs new Spider fibre optic assemblies, by contrast, are
rugged, reliable and much more cost effective. Perhaps the most important feature is that the spider
assemblies can be manufactured to suit the customers application, with customer-specific lengths,
connectors and numbers of input/output channels.
@: sherrie.gutierrez@latticesemi.com
: 408-616-4017
@: Heathw@omc-uk.com
: +44-1209-215424
www.omc-uk.com
Lattices LIF-UC port controllers offer a seamless connection to the AC/DC controller within the charger to
enable a simple and low cost design. Using an FPGA architecture, Lattices solution delivers the flexibility
needed to enable customization to differentiate Salcomps products. Salcomp is the global market leader
for mobile phone and tablet chargers and a leading manufacturer of external power adapters for other
communications equipment.
www.latticesemi.com
Salcomps USB Type-C Charger with Power Delivery Support

Incorporates Lattices Flexible Port Controller
www.lowpressureovermoulding.com
InnoSwitch-CP ICs use Power Integrations innovative

FluxLink technology which enables high-performance
secondary-side control to be implemented with the simplicity
and low component count usually associated with primaryside regulation.
www.power.com
Constant power profile pairs with

Qualcomm Quick Charge, USB-PD and
other adaptive-voltage protocols
www.hylec-apl.com
G125 series connectors offer high performance in a miniature

package. The 1.25mm pin spacing results in a 35% space
saving over other high-performance connectors such as
Micro-D. Connectors can handle 2A per contact and function
within a wide temperature range (-65 to +150degC) and
under extreme vibration (Z axis 100g 6m/s).
www.harwin.com
Horizontal Gecko connectors from

Harwin reduce PCB stacking height;
increase design flexibility
www.microoled.net
A specialist UKAS accredited calibration service for electronic test

equipment has expanded its operations.
www.calibrationhouse.com
Specialist UKAS accredited calibration

service
Full Colour OLED Micro-Display

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Illlustration: James Fryer

School students are always

The European EMC Directive was fully

Verification techniques are now more focused on

The IoT will only succeed if cost effective

Research and development initiatives are

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the death

A collaborative project bringing together

Is your company one of the many which arent

simply must succeed. Its royalty-free

adX for ARM, Coldre,

Copyright , Express Logic, Inc.

t seems that everyone agrees the UK doesnt have enough engineers to

26 January 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk

Changing voltage changes properties

PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL COULD HAVE APPLICATION IN MEMORIES AND BATTERIES.

Researchers at MIT have developed a thin film

Online Editorial Tom Austin-Morgan

Chris Edwards, John Walko

Sales Manager Marc Young

Nanoparticle inks for reel to reel

New Electronics, incorporating Electronic

Findlay Media is a member of the

When more oxygen is present, it forms a

Battery shuts down when too hot

Large area plastic fingerprint sensor

A lithium-ion battery that shuts down before

FlexEnable and ISORG have unveiled the first large

ith NXPs acquisition of Freescale now complete a deal which

Enlarged NXP to focus

Better OLED performance from copper complexes

Physicists at The University of Nottingham

Bubble pen lithography

Organic LEDs are attractive not only because they

and the University of St Andrews, it is cheaper and

26 January 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk

Lees suggested the company would be working to bring new

Networking is one trend to watch

Dissolvable wireless sensors created

In its annual Trend Watch, National Instruments is highlighting five areas

Li-air battery progress reported

Flexibility from photonics

the IP level, but you cant do that optically

26 January 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk

hotonics defined by some as anything to

EMC Directive in progress

Illustration: James Foster

he EMC Directive is all about

of publications, articles and case

More changes came in December

26 January 2016 www.newelectronics.co.uk

course, the damage to the firms

lamps, power tools, consumer

Wider ranging responsibilities

DESIGNING FOR EMC

One of the major benefits of the EMC Directive,

20 YEARS OF THE EMC DIRECTIVE

Engineers are often unaware that the DoC is a

PROTECTING THE SPECTRUM

The proliferation of radar, radio communications, GHz

assessment procedures have been

Copyright , Express Logic, Inc.