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Multi-sensor system for water analysis

Leveraging developments in the Fraunhofer IPMS’ capacitive conductivity
field of chemical sensor technology, sensor uses a metallic 4-electrode
the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic arrangement coated with a robust metal
Microsystems IPMS is establishing oxide, with a design that ensures the
standards for water quality assessment measuring medium only contacts the
for humans and the environment. oxide and not the electrode metal.
Addressing key parameters such as
conductivity and pH and nutrients such This prevents the release or contamination
as nitrate, phosphate, and potassium, the of metal ions during measurement. The
evaluation is particularly important in sensors have a cell constant of 0.8 to 1.1
environmental analysis, agriculture, and The properties of the pH sensors from cm-1 and can be used at a measuring
water management. Fraunhofer IPMS are noteworthy, with a frequency in the range of 100 Hz to 1MHz.
drift of less than 20 µV/h, an addressable pH
The Chemical Sensors and Systems range from pH 1 to pH 13, and an extremely The ISFET from Fraunhofer IPMS uses a
business unit of the Fraunhofer IPMS small hysteresis along with low light transistor technology where the sensor
research team has been working sensitivity are noteworthy, along with their area in contact with the medium consists
to develop advanced ion-sensitive rugged mechanical stability. Conductivity of a pH-sensitive amphoteric metal oxide
field-effect transistors and capacitive sensors offer a measuring range from layer that reversibly adsorbs hydronium
conductivity sensors for integration into 10 µS/cm to 100 mS/cm for versatile or hydroxide ions from the measuring
environmental measurement systems. application solutions in environmental medium based on the pH value. The
Novel control electronics are developed analysis. Adaptable to customer-specific voltage (VGS) measured between the
for the comprehensive and optimum use requirements, both sensory and electrical, source electrode and the gate or reference
of sensors, enabling extremely flexible and the technology will significantly increase the electrode (Ag/AgCl in 3M KCl) is then used
energy-efficient use. efficiency and precision of environmental as the measurement signal.
analysis and open up new possibilities for
individual applications in various industries. https://www.ipms.fraunhofer.de/

u-blox
Adélie penguins are one of only five
species on the continent, and serve as a
bellwether species sensitive to shifts in

helps
climate and the environment.
The project monitors the population
to help assess changes in the marine

save
ecosystem from climate change and
human activities like commercial fishing,
and the scientists in such remote regions

penguins
face an array of technical challenges, from
the small size of the Adélie penguins to
their speed and time spent underwater to
the lack of affordable connectivity.
Operating in one of the harshest Any tracking device must be extremely
environments on Earth, u-blox recently light and non-invasive for the animal,
provided Cellular Tracking Technologies consuming very little battery power, while
©AnnieSchmidt
(CTT) with its CloudLocate positioning being extremely data efficient to minimize
service to enable scientists to track and expensive satellite connectivity costs, u-blox CloudLocate positioning offloads
monitor the diving and feeding behaviour while also being inexpensive. the power-hungry positioning calculation
of a large Adélie penguin colony on Ross from the device to the cloud with a
Island, Antarctica. CTT and u-blox developed a novel and very small 50-byte message with crucial
sustainable monitoring solution for location information , This must all be
Point Blue, an American wildlife the Penguin Iridium GPS tracker that is done in the brief window of time (around
conservation leader, contacted CTT for strapped to the back of a penguin, with three seconds) when the penguin surfaces
support to develop a tracking device for a compact and efficient u-blox GNSS to breathe.
their research into the travel of juvenile module that captures the raw location
Adélie penguins on Ross Island. data of a penguin. www.u-blox.com

4 April 2024 www.mouser.com

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Innoscience denounces South Korea

Infineon lawsuit and Europe
Innoscience has denounced the accusations made by Infineon Technologies in a to strengthen
6G and chips
recent patent infringement lawsuit filed in a U.S. district court in California on March 13,
2024, asserting a single U.S. patent. Innoscience denies Infineon’s allegations of patent

co-op
infringement as well as the validity of the Infineon patent. Innoscience also brought
Infineon’s intention with this litigation into question, claiming that the patent has
significant defects. Particularly, Innoscience asserts that the alleged ‘invention’ of the
asserted patent was already disclosed in Infineon’s own earlier prior-art patents; the South Korea and Europe announced a joint
company claims this raises concerns that Infineon may have committed fraud on the semiconductor research forum at the EU-
United States Patent and Trademark Office, by not making proper disclosures during the Korea Digital Partnership Council meeting
prosecution of the asserted defective patent. in Brussels on 26 March, connecting
European and Korean researchers and
Innoscience also asserts that the lawsuit only addresses a small fraction of the
facilitating joint research projects.
company’s packaged 650V to 700V high-voltage GaN transistors, and does not affect
the majority of its other products, including unpackaged transistors and wafers, low-
voltage transistors, and certain packaged transistors. Therefore, the lawsuit should
have little to no effect on Innoscience’s current ability to make, use, sell, offer to sell, or
import into the United States its products for customers.

www.innoscience.com

It addresses a variety of IoT devices as

well as smart homes, smart buildings, The endeavour will also explore
and smart cities, among others, offering developing ways to improve security
ease of implementation and minimal and resilience of chip supply chains. The
development time. EU’s Chips Act is expected to bring a
significant boost to the bloc’s domestic
Leveraging the robust security features chip production, taking its global share
of Infineon’s OPTIGA Trust M, with its to about 20% by 2030.
Verified Boot hardware-based root-of-trust, the solution

technology offers a high level of protection against

unauthorized firmware modifications and
China's domestic production is likely to
be dampened due to US sanctions, giving
bundled with sophisticated cyberattacks. Europe an opportunity to ramp up its
own production and plug the gap in the
Infineon’s According to Vijayaraghavan Narayanan,
Senior Director and Head of Edge Identity
market.

OPTIGA Trust M & Authentication at Infineon, “since The meeting, chaired by EU

the start of our partnership in January Commissioner for the Internal Market,
2023, Thistle has developed a software Thierry Breton and the Korean Minister
Thistle Technologies, a pioneer of integration for our OPTIGA Trust M within for Science and ICT, Lee Jong-Ho, is the
advanced security solutions, has Linux to extend our hardware capability second under the Digital Partnership,
integrated Infineon’s OPTIGA Trust M into the application software domain for announced in 2022. The aim is to
security controller into its Verified Boot Linux-based system architectures. improve cooperation in digital emerging
technology to create tamper-resistant technologies.
hardware certified to Common Criteria The new solution enables our shared
EAL6+. The integrated solution defends customers to quickly enhance the security The effort will also foster synergies in
devices against firmware tampering of their development.” standardization bodies for a common
and protects software supply-chain vision for 6G, with a joint call for research
integrity with improved end-user security, Window Snyder, CEO of Thistle proposals on topics targeting Radio
important in industries such as healthcare, Technologies, added “integrating our Access Networks and integrated device
automotive and device manufacturing. Verified Boot technology with Infineon's network approaches that demonstrate
OPTIGA Trust M is a significant step 6G technology. WIth the EU investing
Providing a secure boot process for IoT forward in making it easy to incorporate around €3m, and Korea about €2M, the
devices,Thistle Technologies’ Verified sophisticated security capabilities into project should start at the end of 2024,
Boot cryptographically examines the devices quickly.” with the third meeting of the Digital
device firmware to ensure it has not been Partnership Council planned to take
tampered with. www.infineon.com/OPTIGA-Trust-M place in the first half of 2025 in Seoul.

www.mouser.com April 2024 5