What's New

Scientists have developed a new simple design that could lower costs and improve the performance of solar cells. They used alternative, transparent materials that can be deposited at room temperature, which is a huge advantage over traditional chemical doping techniques. Today’s commercially available silicon solar cells are built using doping, a process that increases the cell’s electrical conductivity.

Magnetic materials could help expand the capabilities of traditional electronic components. A new $26 million DARPA program called Magnetic, Miniaturized, and Monolithically Integrated Components aims to integrate miniaturized magnetic components with chip-based RF systems to help meeting growing military and civilian demands for new tools as the electromagnetic spectrum becomes crowded.

Engineering students recently competed in a unique competition where they saw their designs in action. Solar Splash is a solar electric boating competition that is sponsored by the IEEE’s Power Electronics Society. This year’s event was held June 15-19 in Dayton, Ohio, hosted by reigning champion Cedarville University.

UL has released UL 810 B, the standard for DC Power Capacitors. The first edition can now be purchased on UL's website.

A new patented MIMO antenna system that fits inside a laptop’s hinge cavity and can replace as many as 5 separate antennas found in a standard laptop. It was developed by Smart Antenna Technology (SAT), a spin-off company that was started by scientists at the University of Birmingham.

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has released a new standard, ANSI/TIA-470.210-F. This standard covers “Telecommunications - Telephone Terminal Equipment - Resistance and Impedance Performance Requirements for Analog Telephones.”

Volkswagen is expected to reach a $10 billion settlement for using illegal software to cheat emissions tests for its diesel vehicles.

Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business presented CDM Electronics a 4-Star Supplier Excellence award at Raytheon's Operational Excellence Conference on June 7, 2016, in Danvers, Massachusetts. The award recognizes suppliers that consistently deliver outstanding service and partnership in exceeding customer requirements.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released IEC TR 60601-4-2:2016. This technical report covers "Medical electrical equipment - Part 4-2: Guidance and interpretation - Electromagnetic immunity: performance of medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems."

GraphExeter —a material made from graphene—can be used to improve the effectiveness of large, flexible displays.