After announcing the world's first 300-millimeter gallium nitride (GaN) power wafer and opening the world's largest 200-millimeter silicon carbide (SiC) power fab in Kulim, Malaysia, Infineon Technologies AG has unveiled the next milestone in semiconductor manufacturing technology. Infineon has reached a breakthrough in handling and processing the thinnest silicon power wafers ever manufactured, with a thickness of only 20 micrometers and a diameter of 300 millimeters, in a high-scale semiconductor fab. The ultra-thin silicon wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as current state-of-the-art wafers of 40-60 micrometers.

"The world's thinnest silicon wafer is proof of our dedication to deliver outstanding customer value by pushing the technical boundaries of power semiconductor technology," said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO at Infineon Technologies. "Infineon's breakthrough in ultra-thin wafer technology marks a significant step forward in energy-efficient power solutions and helps us leverage the full potential of the global trends decarbonization and digitalization. With this technological masterpiece, we are solidifying our position as the industry's innovation leader by mastering all three relevant semiconductor materials: Si, SiC and GaN."

Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, today announced the launch of its latest innovation, the Connect USB-C 11-in-1 Pro GaN Dock 150 W. Designed for businesses and professionals, this all-in-one docking station integrates Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to create a compact yet powerful and efficient workstation solution.

With its sleek, space-saving design, the 11-in-1 Pro GaN Dock provides seamless connectivity, offering up to 150 W of power in a compact, clutter-free form. The dock features a wide array of ports, including support for up to three external displays, making it an ideal choice for professionals who demand multi-screen setups and fast data transfer speeds.

Infineon Technologies AG today announced that the company has succeeded in developing the world's first 300 mm power gallium nitride (GaN) wafer technology. Infineon is the first company in the world to master this groundbreaking technology in an existing and scalable high-volume manufacturing environment. The breakthrough will help substantially drive the market for GaN-based power semiconductors. Chip production on 300 mm wafers is technologically more advanced and significantly more efficient compared to 200 mm wafers, since the bigger wafer diameter offers 2.3 times more chips per wafer.

GaN-based power semiconductors find fast adoption in industrial, automotive, and consumer, computing & communication applications, including power supplies for AI systems, solar inverters, chargers and adapters, and motor-control systems. State-of-the art GaN manufacturing processes lead to improved device performance resulting in benefits in end customers' applications as it enables efficiency performance, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost. Furthermore, 300 mm manufacturing ensures superior customer supply stability through scalability.

Researchers at Fraunhofer IAF have made a significant advance in semiconductor materials by successfully fabricating aluminum yttrium nitride (AlYN) using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). AlYN, known for its outstanding properties and compatibility with gallium nitride (GaN), shows great potential for energy-efficient, high-frequency electronics. Previously, AlYN could only be deposited via magnetron sputtering, but this new method opens the door to diverse applications. Dr. Stefano Leone from Fraunhofer IAF highlights AlYN's ability to enhance performance while reducing energy consumption, making it vital for future electronics.

In 2023, the team achieved a 600 nm thick AlYN layer with a record 30% yttrium concentration. They have since developed AlYN/GaN heterostructures with high structural quality and promising electrical properties, particularly for high-frequency applications. These structures demonstrate optimal two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) properties and are highly suitable for high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs).

Cooler Master, a leading provider of PC components, gaming peripherals, and tech lifestyle solutions, has recently announced an expanded partnership with Infineon Technologies AG, a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. This collaboration brings together Cooler Master's expertise in thermal and power design with Infineon's advanced semiconductor technology to introduce the X series high-wattage power supplies. These new power solutions, ranging from 850 W to 2000 W, are engineered to meet the growing demands of high-performance gaming, AI, and industrial applications.

"Cooler Master is thrilled to collaborate with Infineon, leveraging their cutting-edge semiconductor technology to enhance our power supply products," says Jimmy Sha, Cooler Master CEO. "This partnership underscores our commitment to delivering high-performance solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers." Infineon Technologies is renowned for its cutting-edge power systems and semiconductor solutions, providing reliable and efficient components. This partnership is a significant leap forward in delivering efficient power and innovative thermal management to Cooler Master's power supply products.

While it was keen to show off its earlier released Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2) USB and Live Gamer 4K 2.1 (GC575) PCIe HDMI 2.1 capture cards which have recently got a big firmware update, giving them 4K144 capture, support for 5.1 multi-channel audio, and support for Windows 11 Dynamic Lighting, AVerMedia had a lot of other new things to show at the Computex 2024 show, including the new Premium Go Series, which includes the world's first Capture Dock, the X'tra Go GC515, the Elite Go GC313Pro and Core Go GC313 GaN charger and capture device, new AVerMedia Streaming Center software, and a couple of NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX-based Box PCs for edge AI.

As said, the new AVerMedia Premium Go Series kicks off with the X'tra Go GC515, which is the world's first Capture Dock for various handheld devices. The Xtra Go GC515 does exactly what you think it does, and that is record 4K30 or 1080p120 footage from a handheld gaming device with just a simple click and without a computer. It is compatible with popular models like Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and probably most other handheld consoles. Of course, since it does not require a PC, it records everything on a microSD card. The Premium Go Series also features GaN chargers with video capture capability, including the Elite Go GC313Pro, a 100 W charger with HDMI 4K60 output, USB-C 1080p60 capture, and an ability to charge multiple device. There is also the Core Go GC313 GaN charger and capture device, which allows users to display their video signal on a monitor at up to 4K60 via HDMI while the device is charging.

ASUS at the 2024 Computex showed off the latest revisions of its ROG Strix Platinum and ROG Thor Titanium III power supplies that pack a slew of cutting edge innovations for high-end gaming PCs. In their latest revisions, these PSUs meet the ATX 3.1 specification, and offer updated 12V-2x6 (H++) graphics card power connectors, but there's a key bit of innovation here.

Notice the purple 2-pin connector on the PSU? It is a set of sense pins that lead to the 12V-2x6 connectors, and lets the PSU get active feedback from the graphics card (rather than the motherboard) on how the voltage stability is, so it can actively hold the +12 V domain within a tight tolerance band. This mechanism lets the PSU observe voltage drops and spikes beyond the excursion tolerances of the ATX 3.1 spec. ASUS holds the patent for this innovation. Another major innovation with both these PSU lines is the use of modern GaN MOSFETs for improved switching efficiency, and compact dimensions, which vastly improves the layout of the PSU's mainboard, and serves up more room for heatsinks or airflow. ASUS is backing both these PSU lines with 10-year warranties.

ASUS today announced the ROG Ally X, its ambitious new handheld game console that's a step up from the ROG Ally that the company launched last year. The ROG Ally X is powered by the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor as the ROG Ally, but with 50% more unified memory—now up to 24 GB of LPDDR5X-7500, which runs at an 18% higher speed than the 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 of the original. The designers also implemented an M.2-2280 NVMe SSD slot, which opens the console up to the widest possible selection of NVMe SSDs. The console includes a 1 TB drive, which is double that of the 500 GB that the ROG Ally comes with. The company has also significantly upgraded the thermal solution of the console with a larger fan, and better thermal venting, which offers 6°C lower gaming temperatures.

Perhaps the biggest feature upgrade is the battery, which is 80 Wh, a 100% increase from the 40 Wh of the original ROG Ally. This may not be a linear 100% increase in battery life from the ROG Ally (due to the various hardware upgrades), but should still pose significant improvements to it. Other hardware updates include USB4, which includes DisplayPort passthrough from the iGPU; besides a separate USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-C. The console supports USB-PD with 140 W fast-charging, and is paired with a first-party GaN-based 140 W fast-charger. Dimensions are similar to those of the ROG Ally, except for 4 mm added thickness, and 70 g added weight (608 g vs. 678 g). Available from July, the ROG Ally X is priced at $799, and includes a 3-month Xbox Game Pass. We went hands on with the console at ASUS's pre-Computex event. Stay tuned for several more announcements form the company in the coming days.

Acer today announced three new gaming monitors in its Predator lineup, designed to appeal to professional gamers and gaming enthusiasts who want reliable machines for everyday use. The new models include the Predator X27U F3, Predator X34 X5, and Predator X32 X3 featuring brilliant OLED displays, high refresh rates, and ultra-smooth performance.

These powerhouse monitors are NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible to eliminate stuttering, flicker, and visual artifacts for a smooth and tear-free experience. The monitors also seamlessly integrate AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to eliminate ghosting, provide fluidity and ensure that every frame is rendered flawlessly. With true 10-bit color depth, they deliver cinematic visuals with stunning contrast and vibrant colors further enhanced by DCI-P3 99% color gamut and Delta E<1 color accuracy. In addition, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 ensures deep blacks and incredible brightness for lifelike visuals.

Vinpower, Inc., through a strategic alliance with Phihong Technology, are back in the lab improving on their multiple award winning and highly anticipated release of the iXCharger 65 W, which is a first of its kind compact combination external hard drive and battery charger for nearly every smartphone, tablet, and laptop computer. The upcoming enhanced iXCharger 140 W offers multiple upgrades including 140 W GaN power charger, two separate USB Type-C connections with PD Fast Charging capabilities, up to 2 TB of data storage capacity, and an enhanced Apple App for iOS iPhones and iPads. Yet, all iXCharger models will still offer the patented Trust Circle AES 256 KeyLock Data Protection technology to ensure the stored data is protected against unauthorized access or hackers.

United Microelectronics Corporation ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced the industry's first 3D IC solution for RFSOI technology. Available on UMC's 55 nm RFSOI platform, the stacked silicon technology reduces die size by more than 45% without any degradation of radio frequency (RF) performance, enabling customers to efficiently integrate more RF components to address the greater bandwidth requirements of 5G.

As mobile device manufacturers pack more frequency bands in newer generations of smartphones, the company's 3D IC solution for RFSOI addresses the challenge of integrating more RF front-end modules (RF-FEM) - critical components in devices to transmit and receive data - in a device by vertically stacking dies to reduce surface area. RFSOI is the foundry process used for RF chips such as low noise amplifiers, switches, and antenna tuners. Utilizing wafer-to-wafer bonding technology, UMC's 3D IC solution for RFSOI resolves the common issue of RF interference between stacked dies. The company has received multiple patents for this process, which is now ready for production.

Edifier International, the award-winning audio electronics designer, reveal the QR65 Desktop Active Monitor speakers - a new all-in-one unit that combines the brand's renowned acoustic technology with immersive Lumia light effects and TurboGaN fast-charging capabilities.

One of 4 Edifier products to win a prestigious Visual Grand Prix 2024 award and also highly recommended with a much sought after VGP 2024 Gold Medal Award, the QR65 is remarkably versatile, placing an emphasis on both compatibility and multi-use functionality. As the brand name develops, audio quality remains paramount with the QR65 featuring an advanced Acoustic Architecture. Equipped with 2.75" mid-low drivers, an aluminium alloy diaphragm and a long-throw design, the QR65 can produce consistently punchy bass frequencies whilst bolstering rich and full-bodied mids. Thanks to 1.25" silk diaphragm dome tweeters, finely tuned by Edifier's world-leading audio engineers, the speakers boast precision-tooled high frequency reproduction, creating crisp and bright trebles that stand out above even the most bass-laden of mixes.

OLED is the future of flat screen displays, as they provide superior color reproduction, dynamic range, response-times, and energy efficiency, over LCD. The latest crop of OLED panels powering notebooks and desktop monitors, however, have a problem that wasn't as prevalent with OLED-based televisions—burn-in. This is what happens when an OLED panel displays a static image for too long, causing regions of the panel to permanently discolor. Some PC monitor makers are jumping in to offer extended warranties against burn-in to their customers, as they realize that they just sold an expensive, exotic piece of technology that could potentially degrade within- or not long after their standard warranty periods. Scientists at the University of Cambridge think they have found a breakthrough solution against OLED burn-in.

Scientists discovered that the main culprit behind OLED burn-in is the blue diode. The blue LED has been an elusive technology that only came into existence several decades after green and red. It's only with the arrival of the blue LED that white could be made, turning LED into mankind's primary lighting source, and eventually the OLED panel. Blue is a relatively higher energy diode, and uses more exotic GaN substrate. The Cambridge scientists discovered that jacketing the blue diode alkylene straps would cut down burn-in, and make the manufacturing process more efficient. They have published their method in the Nature magazine. Unfortunately, it will be a while before display manufacturers take an interest in the new method, and re-tool their OLED production lines to incorporate it—we imagine at least a couple of years.

MICLEDI Microdisplays today announced a first closing of its Series A funding round with participation from imec.xpand, PMV, imec, KBC and SFPIM demonstrating strong support for the company's value proposition and commercial and technological progress achieved in the seed round. Series A follows a significant seed round award and additional non-dilutive funding in the form of grants and other vehicles from VLAIO. This brings the company's total funding to date to nearly $30 million.

"The company's achievements during this seed round have been astounding," said Sean Lord, CEO of MICLEDI. "Our door is open to engagements with some of the world's largest and most innovative electronic product manufacturing companies, most of whom are working on their own internal development projects for augmented reality (AR) displays in such diverse use cases as smart-wearable devices and automotive HUDs. This level of total funding to date is almost unheard of for a four-year-old startup."

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced $1.5 billion in planned direct funding for GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) (GF) as part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. This investment will enable GF to expand and create new manufacturing capacity and capabilities to securely produce more essential chips for automotive, IoT, aerospace, defense, and other vital markets.

New York-headquartered GF, celebrating its 15th year of operations, is the only U.S.-based pure play foundry with a global manufacturing footprint including facilities in the U.S., Europe, and Singapore. GF is the first semiconductor pure play foundry to receive a major award (over $1.5 billion) from the CHIPS and Science Act, designed to strengthen American semiconductor manufacturing, supply chains and national security. The proposed funding will support three GF projects:

We already snapped UGREEN''s frankly unexpected debut of its NASync family of home and SMB NAS servers, earlier this week. Today we take a closer look at its power adapters and fast chargers. We begin our tour with the UGREEN Home EV Charging Station. This is simply an adapter that converts 3-phase 240 V domestic power to a Type-1 (JI772) AC-only socket, with a connecting cable. The adapter is capable of delivering 240 V AC at 32 A, or roughly 7 kVA. Its main function, though is access control. You unlock power using an RFID access keycard, or an app, using an NFC/Bluetooth capable smartphone. This device is hence targeted at large apartment blocks with multi-level car parks, with each parking slot having one of these.

Next up, is the Nexode RG GaN 65 W wall charger, which puts out a couple of USB-C ports, and a type-A port. One of the type-C can deliver 65 W continuous, the other one up to 30 W, and the type-A maxes out at 22.5 W. The total switching capacity is 65 W, if you plug in multiple devices, they're shared accordingly. One of its surfaces has an LED segment display that has some cool retro graphics, and monitoring. There are also a couple of UGREEN DigiNest series power strips. The S780 plugs into a single AC wall mount, puts out two downstream AC plugs, and contains a 200 W GaN based DC fast charger that drives four type-C and one type-A. One of these put out 140 W, the other 100 W, the third one 65 W, and the rest 22.5 W. The CD270 is a more compacted version of this, with just 100 W switching capacity, and one of its type-C ports delivering 100 W. Lastly, there were also a handful power banks from UGREEN, including a 25 Ah space-saving bank that can put out 140 W, and a 20 Ah bank that has 145 W PD and a wireless charging surface,

Could a power bank be more than just a little paperweight with ports on it? Sharge is out to answer just this, with its innovative ultra compact power banks. Some of these are as small as a TWS headset's charging case, but carry enough charge to bail your phone or tablet out in crunch time. A unique design element with all Sharge products is their see-through polycarbonate bodies. The Starship Seer is a copper-colored portable charger that's about the size of a hockey puck, and packs a 10,000 mAh battery, with USB type-A and type-C outputs, along with support for 35 W USB-PD fast charging. It also has a little segment display on top that gives you discharging status, and doubles up as an alarm clock. If made to stay on its own with its fully charged 10,000 mAh battery, this thing might run a whole decade, if not more. Sharge is pricing this at $80. We also came across the keyfob sized Sharge Disk, an M.2-2230 NVMe SSD enclosure that can survive 6-foot drops, meets IP54 resistence, has an active cooling fan for the SSD, and offers a 10 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface for the drive, along with UASP. Sharge is pricing this at $60.

The Sharge Internet Hostkey is a retro-futuristic looking power bank that comes in two variants, a 130 W-capable variant packing a 20,000 mAh battery; and a 40 W variant powered by a 10,000 mAh battery. You can charge up to 3 devices at once, with USB-PD of 135 W or 40 W, depending on the variant. It even has a retro-looking 7-segment display that reads out charging and date/time. The 130 W / 20 Ah variant is priced at $199, and the 40 W / 10 Ah variant at $99. Just be careful taking this thing through airports, it might not exactly look like a harmless power bank.

During the 69th annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), Intel demonstrated some of its latest transistor design and manufacturing advancements. The first one in line is the 3D integration of transistors. According to Intel, the company has successfully stacked complementary field effect transistors (CFET) at a scaled gate pitch down to 60 nm. With CFETs promising thinner gate channels, the 3D stacked CFET would allow for higher density by going vertically and horizontally. Intel's 7 node has a 54 nm gate pitch, meaning CFETs are already close to matching production-ready nodes. With more time and development, we expect to see 3D stacked CFETs in the production runs in the coming years.

Next, Intel has demonstrated RibbonFET technology, a novel approach that is the first new transistor architecture since the introduction of FinFET in 2012. Using ribbon-shaped channels surrounded by the gate, these transistors allow for better control and higher drive current at all voltage levels. This allows faster transistor switching speeds, which later lead to higher frequency and performance. The width of these nanoribbon channels can be modulated depending on the application, where low-power mobile applications use less current, making the channels thinner, and high-performance applications require more current, making the channels wider. One stack of nanoribbons can achieve the same drive current as multiple fins found in FinFET but at a smaller footprint.

Avicena, a privately held company headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is demonstrating its LightBundle multi-Tbps chip-to-chip interconnect technology at the European Conference for Optical Communications (ECOC) 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland (https://www.ecocexhibition.com/). Avicena's microLED-based LightBundle architecture breaks new ground by unlocking the performance of processors, memory and sensors, removing key bandwidth and proximity constraints while simultaneously offering class leading energy efficiency.

"As generative AI continues to evolve, the role of high bandwidth-density, low-power and low latency interconnects between xPUs and HBM modules cannot be overstated", says Chris Pfistner, VP Sales & Marketing of Avicena. "Avicena's innovative LightBundle interconnects have the potential to fundamentally change the way processors connect to each other and to memory because their inherent parallelism is well-matched to the internal wide and slow bus architecture within ICs. With a roadmap to multi-terabit per second capacity and sub-pJ/bit efficiency these interconnects are poised to enable the next era of AI innovation, paving the way for even more capable models and a wide range of AI applications that will shape the future."

Baseus Technology, the leading global consumer electronics brand, has prepared a stack of fast-charging USB-C chargers, the "Let's C" lineup. It includes fast chargers, power banks, charging cables, digital power strips, and car chargers for the iPhone 15.

Fast, Durable, and Sustainable Let's C Cables
Baseus Let's C Flash Series II, the USB-C to C Cable is a full-featured cord that supports up to 240 W fast charging and a data transfer speed of up to 40 Gbps, which is perfect for moving ProRes files shot with the new iPhone 15 Pro lineup. It was tested only to take 5s to transfer 10 GB files according to test results from Baseus, and it also supports a high-resolution output going up to 8K@60 Hz. This level would fascinate even videophiles.

Baseus Technology, the leading global consumer electronics brand, launched the PowerCombo Tower Series Power Strip 35 W, an unprecedented charging station on the market with a digital LED display illustrating real-time safety and charging status. The LED display shows the load status, digital protection, and grounded indicators. Its overall design makes it perfect for workspaces, gaming setups, and meeting rooms.

10-in-1 Charging Station in Vertical Space-Saving Design
The Baseus PowerCombo Tower Power Strip 35 W can charge and power up to 10 devices with 6 AC outlets, 2 USB-C ports, and 2 USB-A ports. It comes in a futuristic and space-saving design, like the 6 AC outlets on each side that are more than enough to power an entire desktop ecosystem.

Ugreen, a global leader in charging accessories, has partnered with Navitas Semiconductor, the industry leader in gallium nitride (GaN) power integrated circuits (ICs), to announce the release of the world's first 5-port 300 W GaN desktop charger—the Ugreen Nexode 300 W Desktop Charger.

"Navitas has been working closely with UGREEN for a long time, it is our relentless pursuit of innovation that continues to refresh the milestone of fast charging," said Charles Zha, Vice President and General Manager of Navitas China. "This first 300 W GaN desktop charger based on LLC structure can realize such astonishing power density with such small size, which once again propelled the revolution of GaN fast charging."

Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, today announced 8 new products across its power, audio and connectivity categories, underscoring Belkin innovation, quality and its commitment to building products more responsibly. Belkin International can be found on the IFA show floor, Exhibit Hall 3.2, booth #119.

Wireless Charging

BoostCharge Pro Universal Easy Align Wireless Charging Pad 15 W
Delivers a fast and seamless charge for Qi-enabled devices at up to 15 W. The large charging surface provides easy alignment, and its non-slip grip material keeps it in place if jostled or vibrates from an incoming call. It's designed with two separate thermal protection systems to control temperatures and prevent overheating of the charger and connected devices.

Anker, the world's #1 mobile charging brand, today introduced its highly anticipated Anker Prime Series, setting a new standard for best-in-class charging solutions for every need. The new generation of high-speed, multi-port chargers were developed to leverage the full benefits of Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, including more efficient power transfer, compact design and active heat reduction and monitoring. The Anker Prime lineup features the 240-watt charger for high-performance laptops and the 250-watt power bank (also available in two lower watt models) with an optional 100-watt charging base. The compact charging base enables users to wirelessly charge their power bank, and also doubles as a standalone charger. In addition, the Anker Prime series includes a 100-watt charger and 67-watt charger, as well as a sleek and powerful 6-in-1 charging station, ideal for maintaining an uncluttered workspace.

"When you are on the road with a phone, a tablet, a smartwatch, headphones, and a laptop - how often have you had to make a choice about which product to keep powered on?" asks Steven Yang, CEO of Anker. "At Anker, we understand these dilemmas and are dedicated to providing solutions that empower our customers to stay connected without compromise. Our latest Anker Prime Series has taken a leap forward in delivering charging accessories that not only charge everything faster but also cater to the growing demands of today's diverse devices. With the Anker Prime Series, Anker continues its mission to charge everything, anywhere, faster and all at once; empowering users with unrivaled power, portability, and performance."

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced its latest foundry technology innovations and business strategy at the 7th annual Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) 2023. Under the theme "Innovation Beyond Boundaries," this year's forum delved into Samsung Foundry's mission to address customer needs in the artificial intelligence (AI) era through advanced semiconductor technology.

Over 700 guests, from customers and partners of Samsung Foundry, attended this year's event, of which 38 companies hosted their own booths to share the latest technology trends in the foundry industry.