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Thermally conductive polymer composites hold great potential for thermal management applications in the electronics industry, but achieving metal‐like thermal conductivity (>200 W m−1 K−1) remains challenging due to the inevitable phonon scattering and the thermal resistance at filler‐filler and filler‐matrix interfaces. Herein, an efficient approach is presented to overcome this long‐standing barrier by designing a densified interconnecting filler framework, featuring a macro‐level carbon fiber (CF) array welded with a high‐quality, self‐assembled graphene network. In this framework, vertically aligned continuous CFs function as primary through‐plane thermal conduction paths, minimizing phonon scattering and thermal resistance. Meanwhile, the secondary graphene network interconnects the CFs into a more integrated and densified framework while introducing supplementary thermal conduction paths. Following polymer backfilling, the resulting epoxy nanocomposite exhibits an unprecedented through‐plane thermal conductivity of 262 W m−1 K−1 at a filler loading of 23.3 vol%, establishing a new benchmark among the thermally conducting polymer composites. When employed as a thermal interface material, this composite offers a 68.2% enhancement in cooling efficiency compared to standard commercial counterparts. Furthermore, the functional composite presents excellent Joule heating and interfacial adhesion properties, making it promising for thermal interface healing and multifunctional thermal management applications in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Advancements in the synthesis of sulfur‐rich materials are driving progress across diverse fields owing to the rich and tunable functionalities of those materials. These materials are typically valued for their electrochemical behaviors, high refractive indices, heavy metal affinity, and ability to form dynamic covalent bonding. As a result, their applications span various industries including electronics, catalysis, lithium‐sulfur batteries, water reclamation, and optoelectronics. Moreover, elemental sulfur, a byproduct of the petroleum industry, is produced abundantly, necessitating the exploration of novel valorization routes for polymers made from this feedstock. The unique combination of properties of sulfur‐rich polymers also makes them an ideal platform for the development of high‐performance functional coatings, offering durability and tailored functionalities for protective coatings, thus enhancing materials lifespan and performances in a variety of environmental conditions. The presence of dynamic covalent bonds in many sulfur‐rich polymers enables the creation of self‐healing coatings, while sulfur itself or the comonomers can contribute to antimicrobial, antifouling, and corrosion‐resistant properties. Furthermore, sulfur‐rich polymers have the potential to be used in the design of icephobic and superhydrophobic coatings. This underscores the versatility of sulfur‐rich polymers as a platform for the creation of advanced coatings with superior properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InSb colloid quantum dots (CQDs) are liquid “green” semiconductor materials. Their band gaps can be readily adjusted by controlling their particle size. Their excellent photoelectric properties and non‐toxic properties render them highly suitable for the fabrication of low‐cost infrared photodetectors and image sensors in industrial and consumer electronics applications. Despite the concept and preparation of InSb CQDs having been reported for decades, the performance of InSb CQDs‐based photodetectors still lags behind that of their toxic PbS CQDs‐based counterparts. This is mainly due to the immature synthesis process and the lack of sufficient device research. Fortunately, significant advances have been made in the synthesis of InSb CQDs and ligand exchange strategies over the past three years, resulting in notable enhancements in device performance. This review presents a summary of the recent advances in InSb CQDs and their applications in photodetectors. A particular focus is placed on the development of controllable synthesis routes for high‐quality InSb CQDs, which represents a significant challenge due to the high valence nature of InSb. Furthermore, the performance of these devices is discussed in detail, with a particular focus on ligand exchange and surface treatment strategies. Finally, a brief summary and outlook on InSb CQDs‐based photodetectors is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SiCp/Al matrix composites exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical properties, making them highly desirable in aerospace, automobile, and electronics industries. However, a drawback arises during the welding process, wherein the brittle Al4C3 compound tends to form in the weld joint of SiCp/Al matrix composites, leading to a significantly diminishes the toughness and strength. To mitigate the issue of brittle Al4C3 formation in the weld joint, laser welding with TixSi powders as a filler was employed. The microstructure, interfacial behavior and microhardness of the SiCp/Al matrix composites in the weld joint were characterized. The results reveal that the weld beads are smooth and uniform, with no observed pores, cracks, sparks, or other defects. Within the weld joint, there are TiC particles and bulk Al3Ti present, and notably, no needlelike Al4C3 phase is found in the zone. As the Ti/Si molar ratio of the mixed powder TixSi increases, the number and volume of the bulk phase reach a peak value at the molar ratio of 3:1 (Ti3Si). The weld interface zone consists of five layers: a serration-shaped layer near the base materials, a layer with white particles, a layer with white slender reticular structures, and chrysanthemum-like structures. Additionally, numerous white particles form around the SiC particles in the interface zone. The microhardness value of the weld joint initially decreases and then increases with the increase in the Ti/Si molar ratio of the TixSi filler powder, and the minimum microhardness value is about 148.6 HV for the Ti2Si. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium-based liquid metal has significant research value in interfacial heat transfer due to high its thermal conductivity. However, its great fluidity frequently causes the risk of leakage and corrosion when in direct contact with heat sinks. In this paper, a high-performance thermal pad with diphase continuous structure reinforced by liquid metal is proposed. Nickel-coated copper particles connected by liquid metal ensure heat-transfer performance, while silicone rubber provides softness and strength. Utilizing the remarkable processability and insulation properties of conventional polymers, they function as a barrier layer to avoid liquid metal from overflowing. The findings indicate that the composite exhibits favorable insulation performance, mechanical characteristics, and a thermal conductivity of up to 12.41 W/(m K). Most notably, the problem of liquid metal overflow has been effectively resolved, rendering it highly applicable in the field of thermal management within the electronics industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-power switching applications such as electric grids, transportation, and industrial electronics, power devices are supposed to have kilo-voltage (kV) level blocking capability. In this work, 1200-V gallium nitride (GaN) lateral field-effect rectifiers (LFERs) are demonstrated. The GaN-on-sapphire epitaxial structure is adopted to prevent vertical breakdown. To address electric field crowding, a p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN junction termination extension (JTE) is embedded in the anode region of the LFER. Comparing to the conventional LFER (Conv-LFER) fabricated on the same wafer, the JTE-anode LFER (JTE-LFER) achieves an improved breakdown voltage (>2.5 kV) and a lower dynamic ON-resistance (RON). The proposed p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN JTE offers a semiconductor-based solution (contrasted to the dielectric-based solution, i.e., field plate) to mitigate the high electric field, which is highly desirable for wide bandgap semiconductor power devices as it enhances the dielectric reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-power switching applications such as electric grids, transportation, and industrial electronics, power devices are supposed to have kilo-voltage (kV) level blocking capability. In this work, 1200-V gallium nitride (GaN) lateral field-effect rectifiers (LFERs) are demonstrated. The GaN-on-sapphire epitaxial structure is adopted to prevent vertical breakdown. To address electric field crowding, a p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN junction termination extension (JTE) is embedded in the anode region of the LFER. Comparing to the conventional LFER (Conv-LFER) fabricated on the same wafer, the JTE-anode LFER (JTE-LFER) achieves an improved breakdown voltage (>2.5 kV) and a lower dynamic ON-resistance (RON). The proposed p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN JTE offers a semiconductor-based solution (contrasted to the dielectric-based solution, i.e., field plate) to mitigate the high electric field, which is highly desirable for wide bandgap semiconductor power devices as it enhances the dielectric reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs), which belong to the class of zero‐dimensional carbon‐based nanomaterials, have garnered significant interest owing to their wide array of applications spanning from the electronics industry to the healthcare sector. This work employs a facile, inexpensive approach to synthesize green luminescent carbon dots (J‐10) from a potential medicinal plant named Justicia Wynaadensis by the one‐step hydrothermal method. A nanocomposite (JT‐10) of the CDs is prepared by adding TiO2 nanoparticles derived from green synthesis of Lavandula leaves. The J‐10 and JT‐10 are further characterized by X‐ray Diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Raman analysis X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared techniques (FTIR), UV–vis spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL), and Fluorescence or PL lifetime analysis. The average size of synthesized CDs is 1.85 nm and exhibits an excitation‐dependent fluorescence nature at 320 nm. PL lifetime analysis of J‐10 and JT‐10 is calculated to be 5.80 and 2.84 ns respectively. Offering these unique optical properties and biocompatibility, the synthesised material is suitable for investigating their binding affinity and interaction mechanisms with DNA. The use of JT‐10 in DNA binding studies contributes to the development of sustainable and efficient nanomaterials for applications in biosensors, drug delivery, and gene therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential part of integrated circuit, chip manufacturing has increasingly demanding requirements for quality, cost and others. Some technical limitations and the development direction of miniaturisation and high density have led to defects in the manufacturing process, which affect the performance and life of the chip. Therefore, the detection, identification and classification of defects are very important to improve the chip reliability. Based on the orderly and concise literature research, this paper focuses on a comprehensive review of the main research results in the field of non-contact non-destructive testing imaging methods for chip defects. Firstly, various defects that may occur in the chip design and packaging process are introduced. Then the contact detection methods including manual and probe method are clarified, and the principles, properties and development applications of NDT methods are introduced in detail, also the defect identification methods after imaging are briefly introduced. Moreover, the advantages and limitations of NDT technologies are summarised through comparative studies. Finally, the future development trend of non-destructive testing methods is predicted. This work hopes to provide some reference for the non-destructive testing of chips, which is of great significance for the health testing of chips in the electronics manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan plans to rapidly increase its industrial production capacity of electronic components while concurrently setting policies for its ecological transition. Given that the island is responsible for the manufacturing of a significant part of worldwide electronics components (including the most advanced CMOS technology nodes), the sustainability of the Taiwanese electronics industry is of critical interest. In this paper, we survey the environmental footprint of 16 Taiwanese electronic components manufacturers (ECMs) using corporate sustainability responsibility reports. Based on data from 2015 to 2020, we find out that the sample of ECMs in this study increased its greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5% per year, its final energy and electricity consumption by 8.8% and 8.9%, and its water usage by 6.1%. We show that the volume of manufactured electronic components and the environmental footprint compiled in this study are strongly correlated, which suggests that relative efficiency gains are not sufficient to curb the overall environmental footprint of ECMs on the island. Given the critical nature of the electronics industry for Taiwan's geopolitics and economics, the observed increase of energy consumption, and the slow renewable energy roll‐out, Taiwan could face a carbon lock‐in situation which will most likely prevent the achievement of carbon reduction goals and sustainability policies on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase in power density of electronic devices, thermal management has become urgent for the electronics industry. Controlling temperature in the back-end-of-line is crucial for maintaining the reliability of integrated circuits, where many atomic-scale interfaces exist. The theoretical models of interface thermal conductance not only accurately predict the values but also help to analyze the underlying mechanism. This review picks up and introduces some representative theoretical models considering interfacial roughness, elastic and inelastic processes, and electron–phonon couplings, etc. Moreover, the limitations and problems of these models are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic electroplating production lines have been widely used in electronics industries to reduce the labour intensity and improve the production efficiency. In the multi-variety and low-volume electroplating production, it is known that the task loading sequence and hoist scheduling are coupled with each other, and they codetermine the production efficiency, while all the existing scheduling methods consider them separately, and thus the optimal production schemes become unavailable. Therefore, this paper develops a Task sequence-Hoist scheduling Coupled Optimization (THCO) model which simultaneously considers the requirements and practical constrains of task sequence and hoist scheduling, having an optimization objective of minimizing the maximum completion time. For this model, a double-layer code is developed and an Improved Salp Swarm Algorithm (ISSA) is developed by introducing three improvement strategies: the random spare strategy which is used to increase the population diversity, the nonlinear adaptive weight strategy which is used to balance the exploration and exploitation capacities, and a golden sine algorithm which is used to improve the convergence rate. Experiments based on 23 benchmark functions are then conducted. The obtained results show that ISSA has better convergence and solving quality than existing algorithms. Furthermore, several production cases prove that THCO can generate production schemes that better meet the requirements of production lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the information age progresses, the electronics industry is evolving towards smaller and more sophisticated products. However, electrostatic potentials easily penetrate these components, causing damage. This underscores the urgent need for materials with superior antistatic properties to safeguard electronic devices from such damage. Antistatic coatings typically rely on polymers as the primary material, enhanced with conductive fillers and additives to improve performance. Despite significant progress, these coatings still face challenges related to advanced processing technologies and the integration of electrical and mechanical properties. Among various conductive fillers, the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS stands out for its exceptional conductivity, environmental stability, and long cycle life. Additionally, epoxy resin (EP) is widely utilized in polymer coatings due to its strong adhesion to diverse substrates during curing. Here, we develop highly conductive and strongly adhesive PEDOT:PSS inks by combining PEDOT:PSS with EP using a composite engineering approach. These inks are used to fabricate PEDOT:PSS coatings by direct ink writing (DIW). We systematically evaluate the DIW of PEDOT:PSS-EP coatings, which show high electrical conductivity (ranging from 0.59 ± 0.07 to 41.50 ± 3.26 S cm−1), strong adhesion (ranging from 15.84 ± 2.18 to 99.3 ± 9.06 kPa), and robust mechanical strength (8 MPa). Additionally, we examine the surface morphology, wettability, and hardness of the coatings with varying PEDOT:PSS content. The resultant coatings demonstrate significant potential for applications in antistatic protection, electromagnetic shielding, and other flexible electronic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes structural changes of regional production network (RPN) for the electronics industry across 20 Northeast Asia regions for the period 2005–2015. We develop an extended Structural Decomposition Analysis approach which decomposes changes in Vertical Specialization (VS) share into seven components of foreign intermediate suppliers, input composition, and import intensity in terms of the import structure; and production structure, trade balance, trade openness, and domestic demand in terms of the export one. The development of production fragmentation in Northeast Asia's electronic industry was associated with the coexistence of nine subregional patterns, including four VS patterns of Coastal China, Inland China, North China, and Central China; four vertical integration (VI) patterns of Northeast Japan, Central Japan, Seoul region, and Busan region. The substantial increases in the VS of North China and Central China result from changes in domestic demand and production structure, while the decline in the VS in Central Japan and Busan region is influenced by the shifts in import intensity and trade openness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural adhesives that do not require heating are in high demand in the automotive and electronics industries. However, it remains a challenge to develop robust adhesives that rapidly achieve super adhesion near ambient temperature. Herein, a room‐temperature curable, fast‐bonding, and super strong epoxy‐based structural adhesive was designed from the perspective of cross‐scale structure, which lies in threefold pivotal aspects: (i) high branching topology of glycerol carbonate‐capped polyurethane (PUGC) increases the kinetics of the ring‐opening reaction, contributing to fast crosslinking and the formation of abundant urethane and hydroxyl moieties; (ii) asynchronous crosslinking of epoxy and PUGC synergistically induces phase separation of PUGC within the epoxy resin and the resulting PUGC domains surrounded by interpenetrated shell serves to efficiently toughen the matrix; (iii) abundant dynamic hydrogen bonds including urethane and hydroxyl moieties, along with the elastomeric PUGC domains, dissipate energy of shearing force. As a result, the adhesive strength rapidly grows to 16 MPa within 4 hours, leveling off to 21 MPa after 7 hours, substantially outperforming commercial room‐temperature curable epoxy adhesives. The results of this study could advance the field of high‐performance adhesives and provide valuable insights into designing materials for efficient curing at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials, owing to highly tunable electrical conductivity, remarkably free stackability, and excellent compatibility for heterojunction integration, has provided abundant research diversity of artificial synapses. Here, an innovative 2D vdW heterosynaptic memtransistor (vdW‐HT) synapse is proposed with a ferroelectric CuInP2S6 inserted layer. Neuromorphic synaptic weight change of the vdW‐HT synapse in this work are modulated by the synergistic effects of interlayer coupling and ferroelectric polarization reversal. It is the first time to evaluate the required initial energy consumption of ferroelectric vdW‐HT synapses with matrixed biomimetic characteristics of “Learning–Forgetting–Re‐learning–Memorizing.” The required initial energy consumption is only ≈3.06 pJ, which provided supporting evidence to indicate the promising potential of vdW‐HT synapses in exploring neuromorphic applications. A vdW‐HT computing system with artificial recognition capability for intelligent automobiles is established and demonstrated outstanding recognition abilities for multiple targets in various environments. The highest recognition accuracy for pedestrians is 98%. In addition, the excellent recognition property is integrated with a robotic arm, successfully achieving high‐precision grasping behavior and designated position transmission for identified targets. These results provide promising strategies for the integrated development of emerging neuromorphic electronics and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filters with high throughput, minimal dead volume, and greater sensitivity to particle size are needed, which traditional benchtop filtration cannot provide. Leveraging microfabrication techniques developed by the electronics and optics industries, the filters presented here feature a unique serpentine "NanoRidge" structure, offering a continuous filtration gap spanning over three meters on a compact 4 × 14.5 mm2 footprint. This design provides more precise size filtration cut-offs and consistent flow paths compared to traditional membrane filtration systems. Despite challenges associated with glass substrate deformation impacting uniform filter gap sizes, the study provides valuable insights into the development of NanoRidge filters (NRFs) for enhancing filtration efficiency in preparatory techniques and sample analysis. This study describes the fabrication and testing of these new filter types and directly compares the performance to traditional membrane filters using the metrics of particle size cut-off (the smallest difference in particle size which can be filtered vs passed) and particle loss. The NanoRidge filters were characterized using imaging (during fabrication, post-fabrication and use, fluorescent particles captured and small molecule dye), pressure and flow measurements, and a series of particle sizes "filter or pass" studies. Particle capacity (100–250 nm) ranged from 5 × 108 to 7 × 109 in 1 ml samples at a flow rate of 100 μl/min with backpressure in the range of 1–3 Bar. The optimized fabrication procedure for the 150 nm NRF yielded a small particle recovery of 95% while also achieving a large particle filtration of 73%. High filtration efficiency was also proven in the final 60 and 80 nm NRF fabrication procedures at 96% and 91%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electronic product usually contains numerous electronic components. To improve market competitiveness and operational flexibility, the electronics industry has begun to outsource electronic components. To help firms ensure that the lifetimes of procured electronic components meet market needs, this study proposes a fuzzy supplier selection model based on the confidence interval of the lifetime performance index proposed by (Chen and Yu, Annals of Operations Research 311:51–64, 2022). Under the assumption that the lifetime of an electronic component follows an exponential distribution, we derive the confidence intervals of the lifetime performance index for each supplier and use the confidence intervals of various suppliers to construct a fuzzy membership function. We propose a model based on this function to identify the optimal supplier. The fuzzy test incorporates historical data and expert experience to maintain evaluation accuracy in cases of small sample sizes. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the efficacy of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid advancement of the flexible electronics industry, there is an urgent need to enhance the mechanical properties and thermal stability of flexible electronic devices to expand their range of applications. To address this need, flexible conductive composites have been developed using waterborne polyurethane (WPU) as the matrix, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene (GA) as conductive fillers, and incorporating cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). The carbon fillers create a conductive and thermal conductivity network within the matrix, while the presence of CNFs improves the dispersion of CNTs and GA, thereby enhancing the overall network structure. The resulting WGNF composites exhibit a resistivity of up to 1.05 × 104 Ω·cm, a tensile strength of 26.74 MPa, and a thermal conductivity of 0.494 W/(m·K). This demonstrates that incorporating cellulose offers an effective solution for producing high-performance polymeric conductive and thermally conductive composites, showing promising potential for flexible wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few East Asian newly industrialized countries that used to belong to the Global South not only have joined the Global North but also have organized their own production chains in specific industries. Given the imperialist and exploitative nature of global production chains established by the Global North, it should be questioned whether the production chains organized by the East Asian newly industrialized countries are free from the innate nature of production chains. This article adopts a multiregional input-output analysis to examine the bilateral trade relationship between Korea and Vietnam. It finds that the Korean economy has unequally captured the benefits from the bilateral trade with Vietnam in terms of the domestic value-added share and the spillover effect derived from the final demand for Vietnamese products in the textile and electronics industries. JEL Classification: F62, F63 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualification is a process that demonstrates whether a product meets or exceeds specified requirements. Testing and data analysis performed within a qualification procedure should verify that products satisfy those requirements, including reliability requirements. Most of the electronics industry qualifies products using procedures dictated within qualification standards. A review of common qualification standards reveals that those standards do not consider customer requirements or the product physics‐of‐failure in that intended application. As a result, qualification, as represented in the reviewed qualification standards, would not meet our definition of qualification for reliability assessment. This paper introduces the application of diagnostics and prognostics techniques to analyze real‐time data trends while conducting qualification tests. Diagnostics techniques identify anomalous behavior exhibited by the product, and prognostics techniques forecast how the product will behave during the remainder of the qualification test and how the product would have behaved if the test continued. As a result, combining diagnostics and prognostics techniques can enable the prediction of the remaining time‐to‐failure for the product undergoing qualification. Several ancillary benefits related to an improved testing strategy, parts selection and management, and support of a prognostics and health management system in operation also arise from applying prognostics and diagnostics techniques to qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast technological progress in the electronics industry leads to an ever-growing generation of electronic waste or e-waste. Proper recycling of e-waste is, therefore, of great importance, not only for ecological reasons but also to valorize its material content. With gold being the most valuable metal in electronic waste, it is the main driver for recycling, even though it is only present in minor concentrations compared to base metals like copper and iron. This study presents a continuous flow module for potential-controlled electrowinning of gold out of AuCl4− complexes from a multi-metal solution containing nickel, copper, iron, and gold ions, as a representative solution of a typical Printed Circuit Board leachate after a pre-washing and gold leaching step. Concentrations as low as 0.1 mM of AuCl4− were selectively reduced to metallic gold on a glassy carbon plate in a continuous flow cell for 4 h with a maximum recovery of up to 86%. Both electrochemical and engineering parameters were investigated, such as the impact of the flow rate, potential, presence of competing reactions from other ions in the solution, and the addition of turbulence promoters in an attempt to optimize the electrowinning. An increase in recovery was observed by raising the flow rate, whereas the potential showed an optimum at + 0.4 V vs Ag/AgCl, with lower potentials leading to more side reactions and lower current efficiencies. Addition of turbulence promoters mainly played a role in the surface utilization and crystal growth, leading to similar overall recoveries but with a more homogeneous deposit and lower variation. With this technique, it is demonstrated that selective gold electrowinning from small concentrations in the presence of base metals, such as copper, nickel, or iron, is feasible in an efficient manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Stringent environmental regulations and the need for a robust supply chain (SC) network have necessitated organizations to adopt circular economy (CE) practices. With proven impact of CE practices on SC activities, digital technologies are prompting organizations to digitalize SC networks. Yet, the correlation between SC digitalization and CE practices has been less examined. This study aims to identify and evaluate, the critical success factors (CSFs) necessitating SC digitalization and strategies helping in SC digitalization. Design/methodology/approach: An extensive literature review was performed to identify CSFs and strategies for SC 4.0 (SC4.0), and for finalization, experts' input was obtained with the Delphi approach. An integrated Fermatean fuzzy set – analytic hierarchy process – decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory – combined compromise solution technique was used to evaluate CSFs and strategies. Findings: Smart work environment, performance monitoring and data reliability and relevance were identified as the top three important CSFs for SC digitalization. Enhancement of analytical capability, data-driven process optimization and development of an integrated digital platform were identified as potential SC4.0 transition strategies. Practical implications: This study helps SC practitioners better understand the CSFs and strategies for the SC4.0 transition. Furthermore, this study explores the integration of CE principles within these digital strategies, emphasizing how sustainability practices can be embedded in the SC4.0 framework to foster a more resilient and environmentally conscious electronics SC in India. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this work is the first to analyze CSFs for SC4.0 in the Indian electronics industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper uses evidence to argue that effective active industrial policies helped stimulate industrial upgrading from low and medium value-added activities to high value-added activities in the electronics industry of South Korea and Taiwan. However, passive industrial policies, largely driven by foreign direct investment have restricted industrial upgrading so that the electronics industry in Malaysia and Thailand have not upgraded beyond low and medium value-added activities. Consequently, the paper suggests that it is possible to attract foreign multinational operations in labour-intensive activities by countries endowed with surplus trainable labour, efficient customs coordination, financial incentives, and political stability, but active industrial policies focused on developing the embedding science, technology, and innovation infrastructure and stringent appraisal and monitoring are necessary to stimulate upgrading to high value-added activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell phones, tablets, laptop computers, and many other consumer technology gadgets use lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The characteristics of lithium batteries include a high specific energy, great efficiency, and a long life. Owing to their distinctive qualities, lithium batteries are now the preferred power source for the electronics industry, with annual production in billions of units. This paper discusses several safety hazards introduced by mechanical, thermal, and electrical abuse as well as cutting-edge fixes for these difficulties. This review sought to achieve a deeper understanding of the safety risks of lithium-ion batteries depending on materials chemistry together with a positive response to these problems. This review discusses different methods for enhancing cell safety, including cooling, balancing, and cell chemistry. It then examines current safety regulations and associated testing procedures. Finally, it concludes with observations on potential future advancements and the prospects for safer lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroelectric materials have been widely studied because of their important role in infrared detectors, sensors, thermal imaging, and other applications, among which, lead-based ceramics are extensively adopted. However, the environmental problems caused by lead-based compounds in production and processing are becoming increasingly serious. Meanwhile, the surface mounting technology is extensively employed in the electronics industry for device miniaturization and integration. However, due to its high processing temperature (∼260 °C), it makes most pyroelectric ceramic materials unsuitable for this process. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop novel high-performance lead-free pyroelectric ceramics with high depolarization temperature (>260 °C). In this work, we report the Na0.995Ag0.005NbO3-0.1%Mn (NANM) pyroelectric ceramics. The antiferroelectric–ferroelectric phase transition field and coercive field of NaNbO3 ceramics were reduced by the introduction of AgNbO3 and Mn, making it easier to induce the ferroelectric phase and realize poling in NANM ceramics. The NANM ceramics exhibited an excellent pyroelectric coefficient of 2.55 × 10−4 C m−2 K−1 and figures of merit as Fi = 0.93 × 10−10 m/V, Fv = 6.46 × 10−2 m2/C, and Fd = 2.92 × 10−5 Pa−1/2 at room temperature. More importantly, a high depolarization temperature of 280 °C was achieved, ensuring the ability to withstand high temperature during production and operation. The NANM ceramics with excellent pyroelectric properties and high depolarization temperature are expected to be a promising lead-free candidate for uncooled infrared detector applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid advancement of the electronics industry has continuously increased demands for the E‐glass yarn's quality and production capacity. The twisting and winding process stands out as a crucial step in E‐glass yarn production. Twisted bobbin yarns are produced separately using constant spindle speed technology and constant tension technology in order to address issues such as high yarn breakage rates and excessive yarn hairiness during twisting. By comparing the twisting tension, yarn breakage rates, and yarn hairiness between these two technologies, this study delves into the impact of twisting technology on E‐glass yarn quality and production capacity. The results indicate that, in comparison with constant spindle speed technology, constant tension technology reduces the unevenness ratio of twisting tension from 8.94% to 0.55%, decreases yarn breakage rates from 3.05% to 2.03%, reduces long hairiness by 20.3%, and reduces short hairiness by 25.1%. By reducing the spindle speed when the bobbin yarn's diameter increases, constant tension twisting technology reduces the unevenness ratio of twisting tension, yarn breakage rate, and yarn hairiness. These research findings lay the foundation for the development of high‐end E‐glass yarn products and carry significant practical value in improving yarn quality, enhancing production capacity, and reducing E‐glass yarn losses. Highlights: The twisting and winding principle of E‐glass yarn is revealed.The relationship among four tensions in the twisting and winding process is clarified.The parameters for the constant tension twisting technology are developed.The measurement method for the twisting tension is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonic wire bonding is a highly automated production process that is used billions of times a year in the electronics and electromobility industries. Due to the complexity of the process and the large number of influencing parameters, there are currently no automated methods that can be used without additional sensors to evaluate the shear force bond quality quantitatively and non-destructively with sufficiently high precision. For this reason, this paper presents a new methodology that uses machine learning to enable quantitative, non-destructive prediction of bond quality without additional sensors. For this purpose, a machine learning algorithm was developed that uses various machine data and process data from existing sensors to quantitatively predict the shear force of the bonded joint. In addition, features are extracted from process time series, such as current, power, and frequency of the ultrasonic generator as well as deformation during bonding. Of the total of 2,090 features considered, the number of features could be reduced to 26 by recursive feature elimination, while maintaining the prediction accuracy. By using optimized deep neural networks, on average, a prediction precision of the regression on the shear force of the source bond of over 89.6% R2-score and a mean absolute error of 241 cN can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, a higher level of reliability has become a compulsory demand when it comes to modern DC-DC converters. This work addresses the main reliability metrics: in many studies, the failure rate λ and MTBF of an output capacitor bank used within a high-current low-voltage buck converter have shown that the output capacitor bank is the most critical component within the converter. Many authors dealt with this issue by performing reliability predictions. The majority of studies use only one specific standard prediction to solve the problem. Herein, the calculation was performed using both the older standard, MIL-HDBK-217, and the latest one, Telcordia SR-332, providing a benchmark comparison between the two, which is a helpful tool for output capacitor selection in early-stage design. The military standard was well accepted for decades in reliability prediction, even in industrial electronics, and is still used today in a critical manner because there have been no more updates after the latest version, MIL-HDBK-217F—Notice 2, was released in 1995. Since then, newer prediction standards have appeared in the electronics reliability market. Over time, this standard was mostly used, but it does not accurately model the reliability because of a lack of taking account of the mission profile. The above-mentioned newer standard—i.e., Telcordia SR-332—also tries to compensate for the lack of the newest component technology in the older standard (which is the first standard released on the market), supplying useful design data for design engineers who use the so-called "design with reliability in mind" concept. This provides the designer of DC-DC converters with a comparison between the reliability values when the two mentioned standards are used. This paper establishes the environmental condition for the passive components by means of a point of load (PoL) buck converter that is used for both calculation methods. The influence of temperature and several specific concepts, like reference conditions, operating conditions, ripple, and internal self-heating, were taken into account in order to display the results. The temperature for the capacitor's capsule needed in πT stress factor calculation was derived using PSPICE simulation. High-fidelity and dedicated SPICE models provided by the manufacturer were used for MOSFETs, polymer electrolytic, and MLCC capacitors that comprise the converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the demand for miniaturization and lightweighting in the electronics industry, achieving enhanced energy density of dielectrics is crucial. Constructing nanocomposites consist of ceramic fillers and polymer matrix is an effective strategy in this regard. To address the adverse coupling between polarization and breakdown strength of the nanocomposites, a series of BaTiO3@SiO2 nanofillers with customizable SiO2 shell coverage degrees (90°, 180°, and 360°) is designed and synthesized by surface‐confined winding assembly of SiO2 on the surface of BaTiO3. When a half area of BaTiO3 core is coated by SiO2 layer, it is defined as 180°. A larger coverage degree implies better reduction of leakage current injection, and more effective suppression of local electric field concentration. However, it also leads to a more pronounced reduction in the polarization. 180° BaTiO3@SiO2 demonstrates the most effective mitigation of the adverse coupling between polarization and breakdown strength in nanocomposites. The 180° BaTiO3@SiO2/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposite achieves high breakdown strength while maintaining relatively higher polarization intensity, for example, the energy density reaches 20.64 J cm−3 at 650 MV m−1, which is 2.62 times of pure PVDF. This work reveals the growth mechanism of customizable SiO2 shell coverage degrees on BaTiO3 surfaces, providing an effective strategy for high‐performance dielectrics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a prominent short-range wireless communication protocol widely extended for communications and sensor systems in consumer electronics and industrial applications, ranging from manufacturing to retail and healthcare. The BLE protocol provides four generic access profile (GAP) roles when it is used in its low-energy version, i.e., ver. 4 and beyond. GAP roles control connections and allow BLE devices to interoperate each other. They are defined by the Bluetooth special interest group (SIG) and are primarily oriented to connect peripherals wirelessly to smartphones, laptops, and desktops. Consequently, the existing GAP roles have characteristics that do not fit well with vehicular communications in cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), where low-latency communications in high-density environments with stringent security demands are required. This work addresses this gap by developing two new GAP roles, defined at the application layer to meet the specific requirements of vehicular communications, and by providing a service application programming interface (API) for developers of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications. We have named this new approach ITS-BLE. These GAP roles are intended to facilitate BLE-based solutions for real-world scenarios on roads, such as detecting road traffic signs or exchanging information at toll booths. We have developed a prototype able to work indistinctly as a unidirectional or bidirectional communication device, depending on the use case. To solve security risks in the exchange of personal data, BLE data packets, here called packet data units (PDU), are encrypted or signed to guarantee either privacy when sharing sensitive data or authenticity when avoiding spoofing, respectively. Measurements taken and their later evaluation demonstrated the feasibility of a V2X BLE network consisting of picocells with a radius of about 200 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of wireless communication technologies and the miniaturization trend in the electronics industry, the reduction of electromagnetic interference has become an important issue. To solve this problem, a lot of attention has been focused on polymer composites with combined functional fillers. In this paper, we report a method for creating an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic composite with a low amount of conductive carbon and magnetic fillers preparation. Also, we investigate the mechanical, thermophysical, and electrodynamic characteristics of the resulting composites. Increasing the combined filler amount in the ABS composite from 1 to 5 wt % leads to a composite conductivity growth of almost 50 times. It is necessary to underline the temperature decrease of 5 wt % mass loss and, accordingly, the composite heat resistance reduction with an increase in the combined filler from 1 to 5 wt %, while the thermal conductivity remains almost constant. It was established that electrodynamic and physical–mechanical characteristics depend on the agglomeration of fillers. This work is expected to reveal the potential of combining commercially available fillers to construct effective materials with good electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection using mass production methods (extrusion and injection molding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk feeders that can automatically feed materials are one of the most commonly used vibration devices in the electronics industry. This study uses voice coil motors to design and implement a dual-axis bulk feeder and a quad-axis bulk feeder, allowing them to handle many kinds of materials. The implemented feeders can improve some of the problems in traditional bulk feeders, such as only one direction of movement, can only handle one kind of material, the contact time between the material and the platform is too long, and the feeder is not suitable to process materials with particular shapes. Two or four voice coil motors are placed under the platform of the implemented feeder. The vibration of the platform is controlled by the up-and-down movements of the voice coil motors, so that the bulk materials on the platform can be moved to the desired direction according to the feeding requirements. This study proposes a control method to control voice coil motors. For example, using different combinations of up-and-down movements of these four voice coil motors, the quad-axis voice coil feeder can move the material in eight horizontal directions, such as up, down, right, left, up right, up left, down right, and down left, as well as vertically flip. Since the frequency and amplitude of each vibration of the voice coil motor can be easily and instantly adjusted through the program, the implemented feeder can handle other types of materials without modifying the hardware of the device. Finally, some experimental results illustrate that the implemented dual-axis and quad-axis voice coil feeders can indeed effectively handle various bulk materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) has been used in various applications, including the medical health industry and electronics. It is a synthetic polymer with advantages such as being transparent, flexible, biocompatible, biodegradable, and a simpler synthesis process. These advantages make PVA a very promising material for human wearable antennae. In this research, the bending effect of an antenna using a PVA substrate is studied to analyze its durability in the wearable application. Firstly, the thin film substrate synthesis is performed using PVA 2488 with the measured average dielectric constant and tangent loss of 1.24 and 0.066, respectively, across S-Band frequency. Later, a 5G antenna is designed and fabricated using the PVA substrate. Finally, the bending effects of the fabricated antenna are measured at different bending radii. Four different antenna-bending radii are selected to represent different curvatures of human body parts. Results show that bending does not have a significant effect on the reflection coefficient of the antenna, where the frequency shifts from 2.2% up to 7.4% only for all bending conditions. Hence, in that aspect of finding, the PVA thin film is a potential candidate for flexible and wearable antenna material in various human body parts in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of employee turnover is triggered by high turnover intention in employees caused by internal or external factors. This study aims to determine how job insecurity and work environment can contribute to the phenomenon of turnover intention in Indonesia State-Owned Companies (SOE's) in the field of electronics for industry and infrastructure. By using descriptive causality analysis and quantitative approach. Data from 250 samples were collected through questionnaires and tested with multiple linear regression analysis with the help of SPSS version 29 software to determine the magnitude of variable contributions. The results showed that job insecurity partially influenced turnover intention positively but insignificantly, while workers' surrounding conditions significantly influenced turnover intention negatively. The influence of job insecurity and work environment together affect 8.1% of employee turnover intention in the state-owned company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chains are very important for the economy of a country. With increased globalization and outsourcing, the supply chain risks have increased. It becomes imperative to identify the various risks inherent in a supply chain and to find out the interrelationships between them so that we can manage/mitigate them. The electronics industry plays a major role in the country's economy. This paper seeks to understand the risks inherent in an electronics supply chain and model the risks using interpretive structural modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toward a sustainable development of the flexible electronics industry, the design and facile preparation of sustainable flexible substrates with satisfactory mechanical properties and transparency is still a challenge. Herein, taking structural advantages of biobased eugenol and vanillin, a polymerizable aromatic carbonate monomer with α,ω‐diene functionality (2E), and a robust aromatic acetal monomer with α,ω‐tetraene functionality (4E), are designed and prepared. Then, they are cross‐linked with pentaerythritol tetrakis(2‐mercaptoacetate) (4SH) via thiol‐ene click reaction to generate a series of ternary poly(thioether carbonate acetal) thermosets. It is found that the introduction of 4E allows the production of thiol‐ene thermosets with higher crosslink density, which can balance their mechanical, optical, and surface properties. In addition, the thermoset shows good resistance against various natural environmental conditions and can be decomposed into recyclable small molecules under harsher conditions (3 m NaOH, 80 °C). As a result, the optimal thermoset is well‐suited for the fabrication of flexible organic solar cells (OSCs), yielding a power conversion efficiency of 15.41%, which is superior to polyethylene terephthalate‐based OSC. The results provided significant insights for the design and preparation of sustainable polymer substrates for OSCs, even flexible electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the advancements in the electronics industry, the demand for new electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and microwave absorption (MA) materials has increased significantly in recent decades. Researchers are investigating a variety of new materials to replace conventional metal sheets in response to these growing demands. Consequently, there is a growing interest in lightweight EMI shielding materials that can meet the demand for lightweight and highly integrated electronic equipment. 2D structural transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are good candidates for EMI shielding and MA due to their unique properties. This article examines the latest developments in TMDCs and their composite nanomaterials, focusing on their EMI shielding effectiveness and MA performance. The investigation includes a thorough examination of these materials' shielding effectiveness, maximum reflection loss value, and effective absorption bandwidth. Moreover, this review analyzes the challenges and opportunities that arise in the development of TMDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived social support is about the perception that the subject has about the support they receive from their social network, while academic stress is conceptualized as a series of processes of systemic origin, whether adaptive and psychological. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived social support and academic stress in university students. The sample was made up of 140 students with an age range between 18 and 32 years old from the Faculty of Systems, Electronics and Industrial Engineering of a University in Ambato. The research had a quantitative approach, non-experimental design, with cross-sectional and descriptive-correlational scope. To measure these variables, the MOS social support questionnaire developed by Sherbourne and Stewart (1991) and the SISCO academic stress inventory SV-21 created by Arturo Barraza in 2018 were used. The results showed that there is no correlation between the dimensions of social support perceived and academic stress, likewise, no significant differences were found between academic stress levels and gender. In conclusion, the lack of relationship between these two variables may be due to multifactorial causes, so that perceived social support did not perform its buffering function against stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of partial shading in solar power systems presents a substantial challenge with widespread implications, sparking extensive research, notably in the field of maximum power point tracking (MPPT). This study emphasizes the critical process of accurately tracking the maximum power points with the characteristic curves of photovoltaic (PV) modules under real-time, diverse partial shading patterns. It explores the various stages of the tracking process and the methodologies employed for optimization. While conventional methods show effectiveness, they often fall short in swiftly and accurately tracking maximum power points with minimal errors. To address this limitation, this research introduces a novel machine learning approach known as adaptive reinforcement learning with neural network architecture (ARL-NNA) for MPPT. The results obtained from ARL-NNA are compared with existing algorithms using the same experimental data. Furthermore, the outcomes are validated through different factors and processing time measurements. The findings conclusively demonstrate the efficacy and superiority of the proposed algorithm in effectively tracking maximum power points in PV characteristic curves, providing a promising solution for optimizing solar energy generation in partial shading patterns. This study significantly impacts various realms of electrical engineering including power engineering, power electronics, industrial electronics, solid-state electronics, energy technology, and other related field of engineering and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronics manufacturing industry has undergone a transition towards lead-free processes and miniaturization; these changes require advancements in assembly techniques. Recent studies have identified that solder paste misalignment leads to larger component shifting, particularly observed with small passive components, resulting in more frequent quality rejections based on Institute of Printed Circuits standards. To address these challenges, various placement methods have been introduced. Among these, the AI-based mounter optimization module emerges as a leading approach, leveraging advanced machine learning methods to optimize component placement. However, it requires a substantial design of experiments and intentionally applies solder paste and chip placement offsets, which can lead to lower assembly quality, increased rework, or higher scrap rates. This paper proposes a placement method that collects real-time data from all inspection machines and positions a component considering the displacement occurring during the reflow process to reduce component misalignment after soldering. The proposed method utilizes a statistical approach by estimating the upper and lower confidence intervals for the average self-alignment degree and updates the chip placing location without requiring the design of experiments. The purpose of this study is to develop a placement method that enhances assembly quality, such as side overhang and end overlap, under solder paste misalignment. The proposed method is compared with the industry-standard placement method to demonstrate its effectiveness in improving assembly quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overview: Prior research has understood the process of digital transformation as shifts between digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation phases and has treated the digital transformation process tautologically. In the literature, digital transformation is understood as transforming the whole organization, including its business processes and value proposition. This understanding is problematic because it fails to capture the need for achieving alignment between the organization, the environment, and the strategy based on the finer details of an organization's context. Achieving this fit is important in a VUCA environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. We conducted a single case study of Linn Products, a UK-based high-tech company renowned for designing and manufacturing high-end home entertainment systems, including digital streaming products, music players, and speakers. This award-winning firm has not only embraced digital transformation but also sustained its performance proactively amidst the dynamic shifts in the consumable electronics industry. Our interpretive longitudinal study spans 2007 to 2023 and incorporates insights from 23 in-depth interviews. Our research provides valuable guidance for practitioners seeking to build resilience and adaptability in an era of digital disruption and polycrisis. In an era marked by polycrisis, organizations must cultivate a combination of threshold and core capabilities to attain organizational fitness amidst the challenges of a VUCA environment. To leverage digital transformation, companies must adopt a strategic approach, whether through providing digital support in business processes or opting for full digital participation. Success in digital transformations hinges on the harmonious alignment of strategy, an organization's unique circumstances, and the dynamic conditions of the VUCA environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolytic copper foils are functional basic raw material in the electronics manufacturing industry. Due to different electrolytic process conditions (such as types of additives, current density, electrodeposition time, etc.), different microstructures will be formed during the raw foil manufacturing process, such as grain size, morphology, twinning, and texture. These microstructures are closely related to the performance of the electrolytic copper foil (ECF). Texture is one key aspect among them, as it affects various properties of ECF to a certain extent, including tensile strength, elongation, and hardness. Therefore, texture is receiving increasing research attention. This article reviews recent studies on the texture of ECF, analyzes the influence of electrolytic process conditions on the formation of texture, and explores the intrinsic relationship between texture and the mechanical properties of ECF. It also provides an outlook on the mechanisms for the study of ECF texture and its future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]