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Semiconductors, transistors, integrated circuits in 2013 Print
February 2013

What is Semiconductors?

o The context here is conduction of electricity.  Some materials such as wood and stone do not conduct electricity and some materials such as copper and steel conduct electricity.  There are also some materials that conduct electricity but not efficiently. They are called semiconductors.  Is sand or silicon a semiconductor?  Pure sand or silicon is not a conductor, but impure silicon is a semi-conductor.  Why is it?

o Silicon has an atomic number of 14 and this means it has 14 electrons.  These electrons are arranged in 3 layers: 2 of them are close to the nucleus, 8 next, and 4 in the outer layer.  This is a pure Silicon atom. When more pure Silicon atoms are present, the outer 2 electrons of each atom will join force with 3 other atoms to form a stable configuration of 8.  This group of Silicon atoms will not conduct electricity.  However, if Silicon is mixed with Aluminium (atomic number 13), the mixture will have 7 electrons in the outer layer and there is a hole for another electron from somewhere.  This is a Positive charge situation.  Similarly, if Silicon is mixed with Phosphorus (atomic number 15), the mixture will have 9 electrons in the outer layer and there is an excessive electron.  This is a Negative charge situation. When these 2 mixtures are placed together, they conduct electricity when the excess electrons from one mixture fill the holes of the other mixture.  Either PN or NP arrangement allows electricity flow in one direction and both are called diodes.  Both are semiconductors.

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o We can construct a circuit for executing the Boolean ADD with 2 diodes linked in series, and a circuit for Boolean OR with 2 diodes linked in parallel.  We can also produce LED for lighting or various purposes.

Why is Semiconductor so well known?

o When a semiconductor is further configured to PNP or NPN arrangement, we can control the amount of electricity flowing through the diode by controlling one of the junctions of the arrangement.  This device becomes a triode and is called a transistor. 

o We can construct circuits for executing the Boolean NOT with 1 triode and 2 resistors.  Combining NOT and AND is NAND.  It is the basic element of USB drive and Solid State Disk as both use NAND memory for storage and is non-volatile. 

o A group of transistors that is manufactured together in a compact arrangement is an integrated circuit. 

o Semiconductors, transistors, and integrated circuits are the basic elements that make up a lot of electronic devices such as computers, camera lens sensors, CPU, memory, and a large number of electronic control devices.

END

 
2013-02 Semiconductors, Parallel Computing, Adaptec 7 Print
February 2013

Compucon CPD Seminar
Wed 13 February 2013
Compucon House

4:00pm - 4:20pm             Inside the Square
4:20pm – 5:00pm             Parallel Computing (TN)
5:00pm - 6:00pm             Adaptec-7 RAID Introduction (Neil Cameron)
6:00pm - 7:30pm             Wine & Cheese


Inside the Square- Semiconductors

Whilst we stepped onto the Moon that is 384,405 kilometres away more than 40 years ago, we have not gone inside the Earth deeper than a single kilometre.  Likewise we have talked about “outside the square” many times in previous years, we have never mentioned semiconductors and transistors that are the core of our computers, servers, laptops, tablets and smart phones.  We will go inside the square on this occasion and discuss about terms that our customers expect us to know as IT professionals.  We will talk about these terms and how they relate to each other: semiconductors, transistors, CMOS, diodes, LED, triodes, wafer, Boolean algebra, integrated circuits, chips, and this one not to be missed- silicon.  Most if not of all these terms are in the domain of Electronics.  However, this session is not a lesson in Electronics, but is an exploration trip of a laymen team into a silicon cave just underneath the surface.   We believe these discussions will give our peers more confidence at work and when dealing with customers.

Parallel Computing- a preview of 2013 developments

We have discussed parallel computing in previous years in 2 different contexts. The earlier discussions were on digital content creation such as 3D CAD, engineering design, video and movie making.  The special hardware is Quadro GPU.  The more recent discussions were on digital concept creation such as the very huge as in N-Body astronomical behaviour simulations and the very small as in NAMD microbiology dynamic studies.  The special hardware is Tesla GPU.   As far as parallel computing is concerned, both areas use the same technology but with different emphases.  This session will go deeper to examine why parallel computing will dominate the digital age from now on, how software applications can benefit from GPU which is called heterogeneous computing (as against pure CPU),  efforts being made to expedite or simplify the relationship between hardware and applications, and the current state of technology.  This session is a preview of a presentation to be given in Wellington 6 days later in an international conference that is lined up with architects from Intel, IBM, Oracle (Sun), FreeBSD, and many university researchers on parallel computing- www.multicoreworld.com.   The conference registration fee is $950 + GST.   This session is free of charge for Compucon peers.  This session is not meant to tell peers how to fix a computer fault.  It is meant to provide the very fundamental knowledge that will help us move up the ladder over time in the near future.

Adaptec-7 RAID Product Introduction

Adaptec Asia Pacific Storage Advisor Neil Cameron will talk about how to get high performance from RAID. Adaptec have released their new Series 7 range of RAID controllers with a strong focus on SSD performance and flexibility in storage configurations. With solutions from 8 to 24 ports onboard, new 16-port low-profile connectors and PCIe v3 performance, the Series 7 brings a wide range of possibilities to the storage provider.  Neil is well known for his breath and depth of RAID controller knowledge and is a frequent speaker in Compucon seminars.

 
IP Camera CAE-53 Print
January 2013
         

Main Features:

• Progressive Scan CMOS
• Minimum illumination 0 lux with IR LED on 
• Built-in f3.6mm / F1.8 Megapixel fixed lens 
• 15 fps at 2048 x 1536 resolution
• Selectable H.264 HP, MJPEG compressions with dual streaming
• Powered by PoE Class 2
• Basic WDR 
• Video motion detection
                                          
 
 
IP Camera CAE-53 Print
January 2013
         

Main Features:

• Progressive Scan CMOS
• Minimum illumination 0 lux with IR LED on 
• Built-in f3.6mm / F1.8 Megapixel fixed lens 
• 15 fps at 2048 x 1536 resolution
• Selectable H.264 HP, MJPEG compressions with dual streaming
• Powered by PoE Class 2
• Basic WDR 
• Video motion detection
                                          
 
 
IP Camera CAE-82 Print
January 2013


Features of CAE-82:
  • Progrssive Scan CMOS
  • Day and night function with Mechancial IR cut filter
  • Minimum Illumination 0 lux with IR LED on
  • Full HD 1080p
  • 15 FPS at 2048 x 1536
  • 30 FPS at 1920 x 1080
  • Wide Dynamic Range
  • Local MicroSDHC Storage
  • Powered by PoE Class 3/ DC 12V
  • Weather Proof
  • Vandal Proof


Full Product Specification:
 
   
 
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