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Technologies of the Year

Analog:

Best ADC for Medical Applications (Tie):
Texas Instruments - ADS5281
National Semiconductor - ADC12EU050

Best Implementation of a Fast Interface on an ADC:
Linear Technology - LTC2274

Best Raw Performance for an ADC:
Analog Devices - AD7626 SAR

Best Power/Performance Ratio for an RF ADC:
Texas Instruments - ADS6149 and ADS61B49

Best Continuous Improvement to Industry Standards for an Amplifier (Tie):
Analog Devices - ADA4857 operational amplifier
Texas Instruments - INA333 instrumentation amplifier

Communications:

Best Wireless Chip:
G2 Microsystems - G2C547 Wi-Fi SoC

Best Wireless Chipset:
Quantenna Communications - QHS series of Wi-Fi chips

Components:

Best Image Sensor Technology:
OmniVision Technologies - OmniBSI digital imaging architecture

Best LED Technology:
Osram Opto Semiconductors - white-LED prototype

Best Enclosure Accessory:
Spiralock - self-locking fasteners

Digital:

Best All-Around FPGA:
Actel - ProASIC3 and Igloo FPGA families

Best Performance FPGA:
Achronix Semiconductor - Speedster FPGA family

Best Memory Chipset:
MetaRAM - MetaSDRAM chip set

EDA:

Best EDA Product:

Mentor Graphics - Olympus-SoC place-and-route system

Embedded:

Best Embedded USB Standard (Tie):
Micro/sys - StackableUSB
Small Form Factor - MiniBlade; utilized by SiliconSystems and Samtec

Power:

Best Power Semiconductor:
Qspeed Semiconductor - Q-series silicon-based diodes

Test & Measurement:

Best Test Instrument
LeCroy - WavePro 7 Zi oscilloscopes

Automotive:

Best Vision Processor:
STMicroelectronics and Mobileye N.V. - second-generation EyeQ2 vision processor

Computers:

Best Microprocessor:
Intel - 7400 Xeon processors

Best GPU:
Nvidia - Tesla C1060 processor

Best Graphics Board:
AMD - ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 board

Consumer:

Best HDTV:
Samsung - LN46A750 HDTV

Best Media Product:
Archos - 5 and 7 Internet media tablets

Best Audio Product:
Logitech - Squeezebox Boom audio system

Industrial:

Best IC:
Texas Instruments - SN65HVS882 serializer

Best Sensor:
Analog Devices - ADIS16365 inertial sensor

Medical:

Best Sensor:
Tronics Microsystems - MEMS pressure-sensor system

Military:

Best Silicon Transistors (Tie):
Freescale Semiconductor - MRF6V14300H transistor
HVVi Semiconductor - PVV1011-300, PVV1214-25, PVV1214-100, HVV1012-060, HVV1012-100, and HVV1012-250 HVVFET transistors

Best Silicon Carbide Transistor:
Microsemi - 0150SC-1250M, 0405SC-1000M RF power transistors

Best Clock Oscillator:
Vectron International - VMEM5Q military clock oscillator

Best Signal Source:
ITT Corp. - WaveCorSLO 2.0 signal source

Best RF Memory:
KOR Electronics - 10-bit digital RF memory

Best Optical Shutter Technology:
UniPixel - Time Multiplexed Optical Shutter (TMOS) technology

Best Video Technology:
EffectiveUI and Intelligence Gaming - RealityV video technology

Best Surveillance Camera:
Electrophysics Corp. - Hurricane surveillance camera

Best Leapfrog:
Analog Devices - ADIS16209 dual-axis MEMS inclinometer and accelerometer
Read Contributing Editor Roger Allan's commentary on the ADIS16209.

Best Idea for Design:
“New Way To Use Kirchoff’s Law Simplifies Circuit Analysis,” Anshi Chen, Stanford Research Systems

Best Idea for Design Runner-Up:
“Two AA Cells Power Class D Amp To Produce Huge Audio Volume,” Nick Allen-Rowlandson, Maxim Integrated Products

Engineering Hall of Fame:

• Joseph Engelberger, the “Father of Robotics”
• Jay Forrester, inventor of RAM
• George Frye, inventor of hearing aid analyzers
• James Gosling, inventor of Java
• Alan Kay, computing pioneer
• Marvin Minsky, robotics pioneer