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There's still time to register for Micronarc's annual meeting, mAm 2012! See the conference web site at the link below for full details and technical program. 

Lien externe :
http://www.mam2012.ch

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-- $90 million center, which features a cleanroom and noise free labs, is based on a unique public private partnership

-- Scientists will collaborate and research novel nanoscale structures and devices for enhancing information technologies

-- Dedicated and named for the pioneering work of Nobel Laureates and IBM Fellows Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer

ZURICH, May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and ETH Zurich, a premiere European science and engineering university, hosted more than 600 guests from industry, academia and government, to open the Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center located on the campus of IBM Research – Zurich. The facility is the centerpiece of a 10-year strategic partnership in nanoscience between IBM and ETH Zurich where scientists will research novel nanoscale structures and devices to advance energy and information technologies.

For more details and photos, please follow the external link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-and-et

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Lausanne / Budapest, 4th May 2011 - The European Commission announced today in Budapest that two projects headed by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, have been selected among the final six pilot projects. Out of an initial twenty-six projects, the Commission has chosen these six as finalists for the FET Flagship projects—one of the most important research initiatives in the world.

The Human Brain Project from professor Henry Markram (EPFL) and the Guardian Angels from professor Adrian Ionescu (EPFL) and Christofer Hierold (ETHZ) are now part of a six-way selection for the final Flagship Project selection in 2012. These two projects, which receive European funds to further develop the project proposal, are international research consortiums under EPFL direction. At least two of the six pilot projects presented today will receive next year a funding that could reach one billion Euros over a ten-year period.

More information is available at the EPFL news site at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/europe-selects-two-epfl-p

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Developing new high-tech materials and conducting research in cutting edge micro- and nano-technologies for the flourishing watchmaking industry: this is the goal of the new Patek Philippe Chair. Created in collaboration with EPFL, the Chair will be associated with the Institute of Microengineering (IMT) and based in Neuchâtel.

More information and full press release available at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/meeting-the-challenges-of

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Our annual magazine, produced in collaboration with Bilan, is available now. 

The magazine is full of company features and regional micro-nano news. A comprehensive business guide (by sector) for Western Switzerland is also included.

Local companies within the Micronarc area will receive a copy very shortly. In the meantime, you can view the magazine on-line as a virtual flip-book at the link below.

Happy reading !

Lien externe :
http://static.bilan.ch/flipbooks/technologies_0203

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JobsForBrains.ch is a new platform specializing in the recruitment of highly profiled engineers, architects and scientists. Under EPFL's Career Center management, it is bound to become the reference job board to target EPFL Alumni.

Visit the new web site at the link below for more information.

Lien externe :
http://www.jobsforbrains.ch

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SpectraTime, a company of the Orolia Group, based in Neuchâtel, today announced it signed a 11M€ contract with Selex Galileo S.p.A to supply the core element of the Passive Hydrogen Masers for the first 14 Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellites of the Galileo global navigation satellite system. A second contract to supply the secondary atomic clocks (Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standards) should be signed in early 2011.

For more information, please see the full press release at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.spectratime.com/pdfs/news/Spectratime_G

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In an article appearing on November 11th in the journal Science, researchers at EPFL and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics announce the discovery of a method for coupling photons and mechanical vibrations that could have numerous applications in telecommunications and quantum information technologies.

For more information, please see the link below.

Lien externe :
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/all-optical-transistor/

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Frost & Sullivan Award Highlights Colibrys' Outstanding Advances in Enabling Technology of MEMS Accelerometers

The 2010 Frost & Sullivan award for Enabling Technology in MEMS accelerometers has been awarded to Colibrys SA. The company has been recognised for its development and exploitation of high precision MEMS based capacitive accelerometer products.

Find the full press release at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.colibrys.com/e/page/2/

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Siemens Mobility and Colibrys announced today that Colibrys’ MEMS accelerometers have been successfully qualified for the latest generation of German ICE high speed trains. The Velaro D train is the fourth generation of interoperable high-speed trains made by Siemens using distributed traction and the first integrating innovative bogie monitoring systems.

Future train systems are looking to reduce maintenance costs, facilitate repair planning whilst at the same time improving passenger and driver safety and comfort. Siemens has developed a bogie monitoring system that detects wear within bearings, shafts, brakes or wheels and identifies any potential bogie instability that could provoke an accident.

Lien externe :
http://www.colibrys.com/files/pdf/press%20release/

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The solar-powered plane is getting ready to hit the skies once again - this time, at night.

It will be the first ever manned night flight on a plane propelled exclusively by solar energy.

Solar Impulse will lift off from an airfield in Switzerland, on a sunny day sometime at the end of June.

It will then fly around, charging the solar cells on the plane's wings, in a bid to store enough energy for the electric motors to last until dawn.

To read the full story, please follow the link below to the BBC web site.

Lien externe :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment

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Lien externe :
http://www.solarimpulse.com/common/documents/news_

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After a successful “flea hop” near Zurich, the Solar Impulse aircraft has moved home to Payerne in preparation for its first high-altitude and night flights.

On Tuesday the 64-metre wing was re-assembled after it had been safely transported in three sections from Dübendorf to Payerne airfields.

The first major test flight is due in mid-March with the long-term aim of flying around the world set for 2012.

Full the full story, see the link to Swissinfo below.

Lien externe :
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/science_technology/Sol

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Nanotechnology, a science dealing with minute particles, has huge potential for Switzerland, according to a report.

The first ever Swiss Nanotech Report into the domestic industry was not yet able to come up with figures for the present situation, but experts agreed the country played a leading global role.

Full the full story, see the link to Swissinfo below.

Lien externe :
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/science_technology/Sci

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Now you can follow Micronarc on Twitter for live event updates and all news related to the cluster and everything micro-nano in Western Switzerland.

Follow the link below to follow us.

Lien externe :
http://www.twitter.com/micronarc

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Registration is now open for MAM2010 - The Micronarc Alpine Meeting; Equipment for Microproducts, being held in Villars-sur-Ollon from January 20-22, 2010.

There are limited places available so be sure to register early.

Please refer to the conference web site at the link below for program and registration details.

Lien externe :
http://www.mam2010.org

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The first Swiss satellite in history—extremely small and 100% student designed and built—has been successfully launched from the Sriharikota space station in India. Constructed by the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne) with many institutional partners (Swiss Space office, HES-SO, UNINE, UNIBE, Haute Ecole Technique de Brugg) as well as private (Ruag Space, Loterie Romand), the SwissCube has gone into orbit today. An educational project—those who worked on it adhered to extremely precise requirements for space travel. For these students, it is truly one great step toward understanding the high-tech work world.

For the complete story, please see the news release of the EPFL news service at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://actualites.epfl.ch/presseinfo-com?id=800

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Lyncée Tec introduces the new DHM R2000 family and a new software dedicated to biological applications

DHM R2100 - R2200 series
- real-time measurements extended to 15 µm high steps keeping nanometer vertical resolution.

Lyncée Tec is proud to introduce the new Family of Simultaneous Dual Wavelength Digital Holographic Microscope Reflection Family DHM R2000. This new family is a world premiere in interference microscopy and a new level for real-time measurements is reached with this technology unmatched on the market.

The new DHM R2000 Family consists of:

DHM R2200 series
- up to 15 microns vertical range at 15 measurements per second

The use of three light sources allow two different simultaneous dual wavelength measurement ranges.

DHM R2100 series
- simultaneous dual wavelengths for 3.4 microns vertical steps

A cost-effective instrument providing simultaneous dual wavelength measurements for steps up to 3.4 microns in real-time.

For more information (EN et en français), see the company's news release at the link below

Lien externe :
http://www.lynceetec.com/content/view/499/98/

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Micronarc has opened a new web site for the announcement of MAM2010 at the Mancef-COMS conference, taking place this week in Copenhagen, Denmark.

MAM2010 (Micronarc Alpine Meeting) will take place from January 20-22, 2010 in Villars-sur-Ollon, an idyllic ski resort in the Vaud Alps.

The theme of the congress is « Equipment for Microproducts » and will be organised in collaboration with Mancef.

For more information, please see the conference web site at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.mam2010.org

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Asycube: innovative solution for feeding miniature parts (patent pending)
Asyril is proud to launch Asycube. Asycube sets new standards in miniature part feeding. Its 3D vibratory platform allows fast and flexible presentation of miniature parts (0.2 mm to 3 mm) to a robot equipped with a vision system. By selecting appropriate actuator excitation signals high flexibility in displacing parts on the platform is reached (forward, backward, sidewise) and flipping is made possible.
Visit Asyril at the EPMT Trade Fair in Lausanne, May 12 to 15, 2009, Booth 13, Hall 14.

Lien externe :
http://www.asyril.ch

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The 2009 call for proposals for Nano-Tera.CH Research Technology and Development projects is open.

You can find details and application forms on this page:

http://nano-tera.ch/proposals.html

Details on existing RTD projects can be found here:

http://nano-tera.ch/projects/rtd.php

You can find out more, and discuss existing or future projects, in the TopDownBottomUp section of our web site:

http://nano-tera.ch/topdownbottomup/index.html

Nano-Tera.ch
EPFL / VPAA
INF 335 Station 14
CH-1015 Lausanne
T: +41 21 693 09 21
F: +41 21 693 55 39
info@nano-tera.ch

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Pursuing their firm commitment to the development of renewable energies, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and Romande Energie have joined forces to build a photovoltaic centre covering an area of around 20,000 m2 on the EPFL campus. Equipped with state-of-the-art R&D facilities, the new centre will be commissioned in stages from 2009 onwards and will ultimately produce over 2 million kWh a year of electricity. The project will cost an estimated CHF 20 million and will be financed by Romande Energie through its subsidiary, Romande Energie Renouvelable.

Pour lire la suite, voir le site externe...

Lien externe :
http://actualites.epfl.ch/presseinfo-com?id=697

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Nanoparticles for new vaccines, nanostructures on credit cards, microscopy and spins are just some of the range of research projects currently underway at institutions across Switzerland.

To read the full article, click the external link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/readArticle.php?id=3

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Who is doing what ? What is available where ? The Swiss MNT Network launches a new web portal in micro and nanotechnology bringing awareness on the activities within the different institutions and simplifying access for industries looking for competences and external expertise.

The new web portal was launched at the beginning of October in order to bring about a heightened awareness of competences available and breakthroughs made in science and technology within the research institutions. Using only a few mouse clicks, news can be posted directly from any internet browser to draw attention to competences and new developments within one of the member's institutions.

The Swiss MNT Network was created to simplify access for industries looking for competences and external expertise in micro- and nanotechnology. It is the result of an initiative of the leading Swiss R&D institutions active in micro- and nanotechnology, an initiative supported by KTI/CTI, the Swiss agency for the promotion of innovation. By combining the strengths of its partners, the Swiss MNT Network forms the basis for establishing and maintaining Switzerland's leading role in micro- and nanotechnology. Swiss MNT Network is firmly industry-oriented and strives to bring innovative and more complete solutions to its industrial partners.

Progress in science opens new frontiers for technological applications. Micro- and nanotechnologies enable the creation of new products that allow us to work better, communicate more freely and improve our quality of life. Switzerland has a long tradition in micro- and nanotechnology, a heritage from the centuries-old watch industry, and plays a leading role in innovation. More and more companies are seeking new solutions for their projects requiring miniaturization, lower energy consumption or more sophisticated functions.

Lien externe :
http://www.swiss-mnt-network.ch

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Governments and industries in nations around the world are investing billions of dollars, euros, yen, yuan and rubles to position themselves as leaders in the emerging enterprise called nanotechnology - science on the scale of atoms and molecules.

Each nation has a vision and strategy, and representatives from five of the top contenders - the US, European Union, Japan, Russia and China - met September 23 during a panel on the first day of the three-day Nanotech Northern Europe 2008, where 800 participants from 44 countries are examining nanotechnology’s influence on health, electronics, energy, water, food, construction, safety and investment.

“Today there are lots of nanoproducts but they’re typically not revolutionary. They’re improvements on existing processes and products - better materials, better coatings, more efficient chemical processes,” said Richard Russell, associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a conference speaker.

“All those things add to the bottom line for companies and provide society with benefits,” he said, “but I think many people are waiting for the revolutionary nanoproducts. Those are a little further out because we’re still spending time and effort characterising nanomaterials. There’s still a lot of basic research to do.”

"Nanoscience" describes the ability to see, measure, manipulate and manufacture things on a scale of one to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

At the nano scale, the physical, chemical and biological properties of materials differ in basic and valuable ways from bulk matter.
Nanotechnology research and development are helping scientists and engineers understand and create materials, devices and systems that use these new properties.

Nanotechnology applications are being developed in nearly every industry, including electronics and magnetics, energy production and storage, information technology, materials development, transportation, and medicine and health.

In 2007, nations and private industry around the world together spent $13.8bn on nanotechnology. Of that total, the US is among the top investors. Government spending on basic research in nanotechnology is $1.5bn, up from $500mn in 2001, and private-sector investment in research and development is just over $3bn.
About 5% of the US investment is spent on research to determine the implications of nanotechnology on public health and safety and the environment. On September 18, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $38mn to establish two centres for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology. EPA contributed $5mn, the largest award for nanotechnology research in the agency’s history.

The centres, led by the University of California-Los Angeles and Duke University, will build on NSF’s Centre for Biological and Environmental Technologies and EPA’s Science to Achieve Results nanotechnology grants.

In Europe, two-thirds of nanotechnology funding comes from governments, the European Commission (EC) and member states, and one-third comes from the private sector, said Christos Tokamanis, head of the EC nanotechnology unit.

"The action plan has two main focus points," he said. "One is competitiveness and the societal challenges we have to resolve and solve with nanotechnology, and the other is the responsible development of this emerging science."

The EC developed and adopted in 2008 a code of conduct for nanoscience based on seven principles that cover issues like sustainability, precaution and accountability. It invites member states to take action to promote the safe development and use of nanotechnology among universities, research institutes and companies.

In the 2,500-year-old city of Suzhou, a 1.5-hour flight from Beijing, China’s central government is helping to fund and promote the International Nanotech Innovation Park, an aggressive effort to accelerate the growth of the nation’s nanotechnology industry. The park’s major organisations are BioBay, a technology incubator, and the Suzhou Nanotech and Nanobionics Institute.

BioBay general manager Liu Yuwen said the park already has 14 nanotechnology start-up companies and expects its 200 employees to grow to 700 over the next several years. Scientific collaboration is important to the park’s growth, she said, and talks have been held with representatives from Russia, Finland, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.

In Japan, according to Kazunobu Tanaka, a fellow at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, nanotechnology materials are among the nation’s four strategic priorities.

Public funding alone for the period 2006 to 2010 will be $824mn, focused on nanotechnology materials for energy, environment and resources; advanced research and development; research evaluation of manufactured nanoparticles; and an X-ray free electron laser, a facility that will open in 2010 to develop new nanotechnology materials.

For Russia, said Mikhail Kovalchuk, director of the Kurchatov Institute, nanotechnology is to become the basis of a "new technological culture that will completely change industrial policy and industrial economy. It will be new revolution."

The government has allocated more than $2bn, he said, for nanotechnology and biotechnology over the next six years. Through Rosnano, the Russian nanotechnology corporation, the goal is to set aside $6bn to help the private sector commercialise developed nanotechnology.

Kovalchuk said Russia’s education and science infrastructure, which has weakened over the past 15 years, will make it easier to carry out the major overhaul that nanotechnology requires.

"In this case," he said, "you must change completely the system of education in order to (stimulate) such new type of vision for scientists, and (undertake) many different changes in infrastructure."

Source: America.gov

Lien externe :
http://www.nanochina.cn/english/index.php?option=c

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Searching for Absolute Time (Science Switzerland)

The Swiss are world leaders in measuring time, and that's largely thanks to the work of Professor Pierre Thomann and his team at the Time-Frequency Laboratory of Neuchâtel University. They were the first to produce an atomic clock using rubidium atoms, which allowed very accurate time measurement. The technology is now used in GPS navigation satellites. (The Science Switzerland series is produced by SRG SSR idée suisse.)

Click on the link below to watch the video.

Lien externe :
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multimedia/video/detai

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EPFL researchers have developed a new method to fabricate borosilicate glass nanoparticles. Used in microfluidic systems, these "Pyrex"-like nanoparticles are more stable when subjected to temperature fluctuations and harsh chemical environments than other nanoparticles made of polymers or silica glass. Their introduction could extend the range of potential nanoparticle applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields.

Thanks to their large surface-to-volume ratio, nanoparticles have generated wide interest as potential transporters of antibodies, drugs, or chemicals for use in diagnostic tests, targeted drug therapy, or for catalyzing chemical reactions. Unfortunately, these applications are limited because nanoparticles disintegrate or bunch together when exposed to elevated temperatures, certain chemicals, or even de-ionized water. Using borosilicate glass (the original "Pyrex") instead of silica glass or polymers would overcome these limitations, but fabrication has been impossible to date due to the instability of the boron oxide precursor materials.

In this week's advance online issue of Nature Nanotechnology, a group of EPFL researchers, led by Professor Martin Gijs, reports on a new procedure to fabricate and characterize borosilicate glass nanoparticles. In addition to biomedical applications, the new nanoparticles could also have applications in the production of photonic bandgap devices with high optical contrast, contrast agents for ultrasonic microscopy or chemical filtration membranes.

Lien externe :
http://actualites.epfl.ch/index.php?module=procont

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Nanotech 2008 Proceedings Now Available

Catch up on a Year of Nano Innovation

An authoritative and comprehensive compendium for all participants in the nano revolution, from researchers and engineers to investors, consultants, and attorneys.

Lien externe :
http://www.nsti.org/procs/

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August 14, 2008 -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust, using its atomic force microscope.

The particle -- shown at higher magnification than anything ever seen from another world -- is a rounded particle about one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across. It is a speck of the dust that cloaks Mars. Such dust particles color the Martian sky pink, feed storms that regularly envelop the planet and produce Mars' distinctive red soil.

"This is the first picture of a clay-sized particle on Mars, and the size agrees with predictions from the colors seen in sunsets on the Red Planet," said Phoenix co-investigator Urs Staufer of the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, who leads a Swiss consortium that made the microscope.

"Taking this image required the highest resolution microscope operated off Earth and a specially designed substrate to hold the Martian dust," said Tom Pike, Phoenix science team member from Imperial College London. "We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small."

It took a very long time, roughly a dozen years, to develop the device that is operating in a polar region on a planet now about 350 million kilometers or 220 million miles away.

The atomic force microscope maps the shape of particles in three dimensions by scanning them with a sharp tip at the end of a spring. During the scan, invisibly fine particles are held by a series of pits etched into a substrate microfabricated from a silicon wafer. Pike's group at Imperial College produced these silicon microdiscs.

The atomic force microscope can detail the shapes of particles as small as about 100 nanometers, about one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. That is about 100 times greater magnification than seen with Phoenix's optical microscope, which made its first images of Martian soil about two months ago. Until now, Phoenix's optical microscope held the record for producing the most highly magnified images to come from another planet.

"I'm delighted that this microscope is producing images that will help us understand Mars at the highest detail ever," Staufer said. "This is proof of the microscope's potential. We are now ready to start doing scientific experiments that will add a new dimension to measurements being made by other Phoenix lander instruments."

"After this first success, we're now working on building up a portrait gallery of the dust on Mars," Pike added.

Mars' ultra-fine dust is the medium that actively links gases in the Martian atmosphere to processes in Martian soil, so it is critically important to understanding Mars' environment, the researchers said.

The particle seen in the atomic force microscope image was part of a sample scooped by the robotic arm from the "Snow White" trench and delivered to Phoenix's microscope station in early July. The microscope station includes the optical microscope, the atomic force microscope and the sample delivery wheel. It is part of a suite of tools called Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer.

{Ed. see the link below for images and videos...}

Lien externe :
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/08_14_pr.php

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European Microelectronics and Packaging Conference 2009

The IMAPS EMPC is a Europe’s premier conference planned every two years in a different European country, bringing together specialists from industry and academia.

The European Microelectronics and Packaging Conference & Exhibition, EMPC 2009, will be held in Rimini, Italy on June 14-17, 2009.

The EMPC addresses “everything in electronics between the chip and the system”. The Technical Programme Committee of the EMPC 2009 invites you to send abstracts of original work describing recent developments in microelettronics technologies: for all the details see the conference web site at the address below.

Lien externe :
http://www.empc2009.org/

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Two organizations establish Nanotechnology Center in Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland, June 25, 2008 —IBM (NYSE:IBM) and ETH Zurich, a premiere European science and engineering university, today announced the formation of a partnership in the field of nanotechnology.

See the IBM press release at the link below for the full article.

Lien externe :
http://www.zurich.ibm.com/news/08/nanotech.html

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Young scientists prepare for lift-off

The first all-Swiss satellite is due for launch early in 2009, designed entirely by students from universities in western Switzerland.

The project is one of nine CubeSats accepted by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the first mission of the new European rocket Vega. It was pitted against a total of 22 proposals submitted by students at European universities.

CubeSat is a generic name for a satellite measuring only 10x10x10cm and weighing not more than one kilo – rather like a carton of milk. Within these constraints, the students were free to design whatever they liked.

SwissCube is not only small size, but also low cost, having been put together from components that are commercially available.

"Some of our integrated circuits cost a few dozen francs, while the same thing made especially for space would cost $35,000," Sylvain Decastel of the Fribourg University of Applied Sciences (UAS), one of the institutions involved in the project, told swissinfo.

It contains nearly 1,000 components, including a mini-telescope, 16 electronic cards and 357 different wires welded in more than 700 places to the components.

Its solar panels will have a power of 1.5 watts, barely more than a mobile phone.

Project mission

SwissCube's mission is to take photos of the "airglow", faint bands of green and mauve light caused by high-energy radiation from the sun colliding with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere.

Since the satellite has only two receivers on Earth, one in Lausanne and one in Fribourg, the pictures it transmits must not be too big. There will only be a small window on each orbit during which they can be sent.

The photos will be compared with mathematical models of the airglow to see whether the intensity of the light varies with the time, position, altitude and angle of observation.

The satellite is only expected to function for about four months, but it is hoped that within that time it will supply information which could help to develop low-cost positioning systems for satellites.

"At the moment, large satellites are equipped with 'star trackers' that determine where they are by reading the position of the stars. But these systems are complex and expensive," explained Nicolas Steiner of the Yverdon UAS.

Inexpensive systems, which are also reliable, are certain to find a market as the commercial use of space expands.

Although the precise launch date has not yet been set, the SwissCube team is working flat out to ensure that their project is ready in time.

The components are currently undergoing tests to see how they react to changes in sunlight and temperature in a vacuum chamber. Once in space SwissCube will experience a dawn and a sunset once every 90 minutes, with temperature variations ranging from minus 40 to 60 degrees.

Encouraging space scientists

The CubeSat programme was launched in 2000, the brainchild of two US universities. The aim is to give potential space scientists a taste of what it means to work in the sector "for real", and to gain experience of coordinating their efforts across universities and with the private sector.

In Switzerland the project is being overseen by Muriel Noca of the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). She spent 12 years at the prestigious Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in California, which produces much of what Nasa sends into space.

A total of 35 students will have been involved in SwissCube by the time it is launched. Some will only spend a semester on it, while others will continue as engineers once they have taken their degree.

The EPFL is joined in the project by Neuchâtel University, four UASs in western Switzerland, and several Swiss aerospace enterprises, including Oerlikon and RUAG.

The students' hard work is accompanied by a mixture of nervousness and confidence.

"We know we can't do anything about it if something goes wrong once SwissCube has been launched, but we are all hoping it'll work," said Noémie Pétignat of St Imier UAS.

"And it will work!"

article from swissinfo, based on an article in French by Marc-André Miserez

Lien externe :
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Young_scientists

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Meeting Place for Innovations

The 6th NanoEurope, leading European exhibition for the transfer of nanotechnology know-how, will be held in St.Gallen, Switzerland from September 16 – 17, 2008.

The international congress will present successful commercial nanotechnology applications and introduce new scientific knowledge that can be commercialized.

The exhibition, held concurrently with the congress, offers businesses from a wide range of technology sectors a platform to display solutions for commercializing nanotechnology research results.

Congress
Linking business and science

The NanoEurope 2008 will for the first time organize a forum for decisionmakers from the business community. Top managers from successful nanotechnology companies will discuss the business perspectives of nanotechnology and show how opportunities can be seized by developing concrete commercial applications. One of the subjects will be ideas for investors planning to invest in nanotechnology.

Register before July 31, 2008 to benefit from the earlybird discount. See the conference web site for full details, including the updated conference program

Lien externe :
http://www.nanoeurope.com

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Neuchâtel, le 20 mai 2008. Le 25 mai 2008, à 1h53 du matin : la mission Phoenix devrait enfin toucher le sol martien avec à son bord un microscope à force atomique (AFM) conçu à l'Université de Neuchâtel. Une petite merveille technologique partie le 4 août 2007de Floride ! Expédition à haut risque !

« C'est un peu notre bébé », dit Sebastian Gautsch en parlant de son microscope à force atomique AFM. Car comme tout chérubin qui se respecte, le petit trésor aura mis neuf mois pour traverser les étoiles et débarquer... sur Mars. Lancée en août 2007 par la NASA, la sonde Phoenix qui l'héberge atterrira en effet le 25 mai prochain, à 1h53 du matin, sur la planète rouge. Après un voyage de 680 millions de kilomètres !

Mission humaine sur Mars

« Si tout se passe bien, les mesures que prendra notre microscope vont provoquer une onde de choc aux retombées gigantesques, tant pour la communauté scientifique que technologique », prédit Sebastian Gautsch. En effet, aucune image à l'échelle nanométrique n'a encore été prise sur Mars. Or, s'il atterrit sans encombre (moins de 50 pourcent de toutes les tentatives précédentes ont été couronnées de succès), et s'il fonctionne comme prévu, l'AFM fournira des images d'une résolution de cet ordre. Il s'intéressera aux particules du sol et contribuera entre autres à déterminer la possibilité d'une forme de vie passée dans la région arctique de Mars. Cette dernière s'attachera également à la préparation d'une éventuelle mission humaine sur la planète rouge.

Aujourd'hui post-doctorant à l'Institut de microtechnique de l'Université de Neuchâtel, Sebastian Gautsch a assisté aux tout premiers pas de ce microscope de l'espace. Aux côtés du professeur Urs Staufer (au Laboratoire de capteurs, actuateurs et microsystèmes), il consacre sa thèse de doctorat à développer cet instrument ultra-perfectionné. La partie n'est alors pas gagnée ! Les AFM sont à cette époque des appareils beaucoup trop lourds et volumineux pour embarquer dans une sonde spatiale. Au fil d'années de dur labeur, les scientifiques de l'Université de Neuchâtel parviennent à un degré de miniaturisation suffisant, réalisant ainsi une véritable prouesse technologique. Ils dotent également la petite merveille du maximum d'automation. « Plus le microscope est capable de se gérer tout seul, meilleures sont ses chances d'obtenir des images de haute qualité », explique le microtechnicien. Enfin, ses géniteurs l'arme contre les rudes conditions auxquelles il sera soumis : chocs, vibrations, radiations, froid, etc. Un travail de longue haleine mené en collaboration avec l'Université de Bâle et la compagnie Nanosurf, également située en Suisse.

En direct de Tucson

A l'Université de Neuchâtel, deux thèses de doctorat auront été entièrement consacrées au développement de cet appareil. Après Sebastian Gautsch (dont la thèse a été publiée), Daniel Parrat consacre également la sienne au petit microscope. Il suit à l'heure actuelle la progression de la mission en direct au centre opératoire de Tucson (Texas), où il a rejoint l'une des équipes de contrôle de la NASA (voir son blog et celui des autres Européens sur place ).

Apparenté au microscope à effet tunnel (STM) qui fut inventé il y a une vingtaine d'années par des Suisses, le microscope à force atomique (AFM) est un instrument qui permet d'établir le relief d'une surface avec une précision de l'ordre du nanomètre (milliardième de mètre). Son principe de fonctionnement est la détection des forces agissant entre la surface mesurée et l'extrémité d'une pointe microscopique balayée sur celle-ci.



For the latest news, see the Mission home page here. (English only).

Lien externe :
http://www2.unine.ch/presse/page23869.html

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Solid Profit Underscores Tronics’ Success and Efficiency in Executing End-to-End Development and High-Yield Manufacturing Services for Custom Products

GRENOBLE, France - April 8, 2008 - Tronics Microsystems SA, a leading global manufacturer of high value-add and highly differentiated custom MEMS components and microsystems, announced today that it achieved a 56 percent increase in annual revenue, to 10.5 million Euros ($15.4 million) in its fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2007, and posted a net profit of 1.3 million Euros ($1.9 million) representing 12 percent of total revenue.

In releasing its full-year results, the privately held company confirmed the forecast it presented to the press last October, when it said 2007 revenue would exceed 2006 revenue by 50 percent. The full-year and fourth-quarter results also extend Tronics’ net profitability to six consecutive quarters.

See the full article at link below.

Lien externe :
http://tronics.eu/news/press_detail.php?subaction=

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Amid $100-per-barrel oil, rising instability in petroleum-producing regions and mounting concerns over the environmental impact of fossil fuels, renewable energy—particularly solar—has emerged as a critical technology of the 21st century.

“Technology companies around the world now are focusing on the solar/photovoltaic segment, bringing to bear their expertise in diverse areas such as wafer processing, cell manufacturing and complex systems integration,” said Derek Lidow, president and chief executive officer of iSuppli Corp. “Those companies that can successfully identify and capitalize on the technologies, products and regions that will dominate the future of the photovoltaic market stand to benefit enormously. To help the industry understand the fast-changing world of solar systems, iSuppli is launching its Photovoltaic service, which will provide unique essential data and analysis including complete input/output models.”

To establish the Photovoltaic service, iSuppli has acquired Munich, Germany-based Wicht Technologie Consulting (WTC), a leading provider of market intelligence on photovoltaics, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), sensors and nanotechnology.

See full article at the link below.

Lien externe :
http://www.isuppli.com/news/default.asp?id=8894&am

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Expansion du partenariat européen HTA, l’Alliance pour les Technologies Hétérogènes, incluant le CSEM (Suisse), le CEA (France), le Fraunhofer Verbund Mikroelectronik (Allemagne) et le VTT (Finlande).

Une alliance technologique européenne unique qui répond à la mondialisation croissante du secteur de la recherche dans le domaine des micro et nanotechnologies.

Neuchâtel (CH), Grenoble (F), Berlin (D) et Espoo (FI) – 26 mars 2008 – Comme annoncé à Bruxelles le 26 mars, le partenariat qui lie le CSEM, le CEA et le Fraunhofer Verbund Mikroelectronik au sein de l’Alliance pour les Technologies Hétérogènes (HTA) est étendu au VTT, le centre de recherche technique finlandais. Ce regroupement stratégique permet d’enrichir l’Alliance déjà existante depuis janvier 2006 en y ajoutant le leadership technologique du VTT et son réseau industriel. Cette expansion renforce également le positionnement de l’Alliance en Scandinavie.

>> For the English version go here.

Lien externe :
http://www.csem.ch/media/pdf/press-08/CP-HTA-Bruss

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Measurement Specialties Announces Acquisition of Intersema Sensoric SA

Extends pressure sensor line and expands global footprint

Hampton VA January 2,2008 Measurement Specialties Inc NASDAQ: MEAS a global designer and manufacturer of sensors and sensorbased systems announced the acquisition of Intersema Sensoric SA wwwintersemacom Located in Bevaix Switzerland Intersema is a leading designer/manufacturer of pressure sensors and modules MEAS acquired the outstanding capital stock of Intersema for approximately $39.7 million in cash and notes plus an additional $17.3 million if certain performance thresholds are achieved MEAS acquired approximately $9.6 million in cash as part of the transaction The transaction closed December 28, 2007.

See the link below for the full story.

Lien externe :
http://www.meas-spec.com/myMeas/investor/press_rel

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Leading supplier of Micromorph Tandem Production Solutions to supply Taiwan’s Auria Solar Co. Ltd. with 60 MWp and Italian based PRAMAC SpA with 30 MWp capacity Production Lines

Oerlikon Solar announced that it has been awarded contracts with both Taiwan’s Auria Solar Co. Ltd. with a 60 MWp and Italian’s Pramac SpA with a 30 MWp thin-film solar module production lines. Together with these new contracts Oerlikon has added more than 650 Mio. CHF worth of solar equipment to its order books this year. These stateof- the art production lines include Oerlikon Solar’s innovative micromorph tandem technology that combines two different silicon materials - amorphous and microcrystalline - boosting energy conversion efficiency levels by up to 50 percent compared to traditional amorphous single cells. The agreement marks Oerlikon Solar’s second major contract in Taiwan in 2007 and first contract in Italy/Switzerland. Exciting for Oerlikon Solar is that the Italian based Pramac’s manufacturing location will be in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. Oerlikon Solar’s Swiss manufacturing technology will be producing for the first time in Switzerland. With the Auria Solar contract, Taiwan will exceed a total production capacity of 100 MWp.

Lien externe :
http://www.oerlikon.com/ecomaXL/index.php?site=OER

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Carbon nanotubes for high-tech applications
Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS) has entered a distribution agreement for its carbon nanotubes, BayTubes®, with Brenntag Schweizerhall AG. BMS is a leading manufacturer of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and is seeking strategic cooperation partners to foster the development of industrial applications. Bayer MaterialScience currently has a production capacity of 60 metric tons of BayTubes® at the manufacturing site of H. C. Starck GmbH in Laufenburg in Germany’s southern Baden region. In the medium to long term, Bayer MaterialScience plans to erect a large-scale production facility in Germany with an annual capacity of 3,000 metric tons.

Lien externe :
http://www.press.bayer.com/baynews/baynews.nsf/id/

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Public tender offer expected to be launched beginning of January 2008

Lam Research Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the SEZ Group, supplier of single wafer clean technology and products to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. In an all cash transaction, Lam Research has agreed to pay CHF 641 million, which approximates US$568 million at the current exchange rate. Net of cash acquired, the purchase price approximates US$447 million. Lam will effect the acquisition by offering to acquire, as provided in the agreement, all of the outstanding shares of SEZ at a price of CHF 38 per share. SEZ’s proprietary Spin-Process single wafer technology forms the basis of a broad equipment solution portfolio for wafer cleaning and decontamination, a key process adjacent to etch where Lam Research is the global market share leader. SEZ is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and maintains development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and service operations in Europe, Asia and North America. For 2007, SEZ currently expects to record total revenues of approximately CHF 330 million (US$293 million). Under the terms of the agreement, Lam Research will offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SEZ, and therefore effectively all of its assets, including its principal facilities in Villach, Austria. Following the closing, SEZ will become a division of Lam Research and offer a full spectrum of leading edge clean solutions, comprising products from its current businesses as well as Lam’s single wafer level and wet clean applications.

Lien externe :
http://investor.lamrc.com/releasedetail.cfm?Releas

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The new technology could become an important tool for both biological research and materials research, say Matthew J. Lang and David C. Appleyard, whose work is being published in an upcoming issue of the journal Lab on a Chip. Lang is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Appleyard is a graduate student in Biological Engineering.

The idea of using light beams as tweezers to manipulate cells and tiny objects has been around for at least 30 years. But the MIT researchers have found a way to combine this powerful tool for moving, controlling and measuring objects with the highly versatile world of microchip design and manufacturing. Optical tweezers, as the technology is known, represent "one of the world's smallest microtools," says Lang.

Lien externe :
http://www.euroasiasemiconductor.com/mns-news-full

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The CSEM is partner in the Biotex project An EU-funded project, named Biotex (Bio-sensing textile for health management), is developing optimal electric, electrochemical and optical sensors that will be embedded into a textile substrate to assess people’s health. CSEM is among the 8 partners.

Lien externe :
http://eetimes.eu/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1997

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e2v technologies announces the acquisition of MiCS MicroChemical Systems SA e2v technologies plc, a specialist developer and manufacturer of high technology components and sub-systems, acquired MiCS MicroChemical Systems SA for a total cash consideration of CHF 12m.

Lien externe :
http://eetimes.eu/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1996

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BASF researchers have succeeded in homogeneously incorporating and fixing inorganic nanoparticles in organic polymer particles. Herbol®, the brand for professional architectural paints and coatings from Akzo Nobel, now introduced the first facade coating based on BASF’s innovative nanobinder. Facades coated with Herbol-Symbiotec™ display much lower dirt pick-up and excellent colour retention.

Lien externe :
http://www.investor.basf.com/en/innovationen/felde

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Debiotech and STMicroelectronics today announced on April 19, 2007, a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at manufacturing and delivering to the market a unique miniaturized insulin-delivery pump. The Nanopump, which relies on microfluidic MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology, is a breakthrough concept that allows a tiny pump to be mounted on a disposable skin patch to provide continuous insulin infusion.

Lien externe :
http://www.debiotech.com/news/index_nw166.html

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Nanoscience research and investment in Switzerland is gearing up to make 2007 another banner year for fostering start-ups, graduating and attracting new researchers, commercializing products and maintaining a very favorable climate for financing investments. Swiss private companies and universities continue to cultivate a nanotechnology focus in many of their traditional areas of expertise, including:

• Life Sciences – Miniaturization and special coatings for medical devices. New nano-instruments for diagnosis and treatment, and even micro-implants to administer drugs.
• Instrumentation and Tooling – High-precision tools for measurement and manufacturing in MEMS, micro and nanofabrication.
• Chemistry – Processes and products for designing and manufacturing micro-components, and emphasis on new molecular compounds and nanoscale self-assembly.
• Textiles – Various nano-coatings for textiles, ranging from anti-microbial to cut down on infections all the way to new “conductive” coatings to enable wearable computing.

Beyond these sectors, Swiss industry and academia have ambitions to blend these distinct disciplines to create new nanotechnology science and solutions.

See the external link for more information...

Lien externe :
http://www.nsti.org/news/item.html?id=133

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