Optoelectronics
Branch of electronics involving optics
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We include updates on Fiber-optic cable, Photovoltaics, Optical disc, Gallium arsenide, Optical disc drive, Direct and indirect band gaps, Opto-isolator, Carrier generation and recombination, Digital light processing, Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, Electro-optic modulator, Optical storage, Digital micromirror device, Deep-level trap, Silicon photomultiplier, Resistive opto-isolator ... and more.
| 2024 | Massive increases in solar panel production in China caused module prices to drop to as low as $0.11/W, representing over a 90 percent reduction from 2011 prices. |
| October 2024 |
Thunderbolt
Apple announced Mac Mini (M4 Pro, 2024) and 14-inch and 16-inch Macbook Pro (M4 Pro/Max, 2024) models, which feature three Thunderbolt 5 ports.
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| September 2024 |
Thunderbolt
Intel introduces the Barlow Ridge family Thunderbolt 5 controller (JHL9540), offering 40 Gbit/s speed, USB4 v2 compliance, 3x DisplayPort 2.1, and PCIe x4 Gen 4 support.
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| 2023 | A solar PV project in Qatar achieved a record-low bid pricing of 0.015 US$/kWh. |
| 2023 | International Energy Agency declared solar PV as the cheapest source of electricity in history for projects with low-cost financing and high-quality resources. |
| September 12 2023 |
Thunderbolt
Intel previewed Thunderbolt 5 (codenamed Barlow Ridge), aligning with USB4 2.0 specification. The new interface provides symmetric bandwidth of 80 Gbit/s and unidirectional bandwidth of 120 Gbit/s for displays, supporting dual 8K displays at 60 Hz.
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| July 2023 |
Gallium arsenide
China implemented export restrictions on gallium, dramatically impacting the global gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafer market, with China having been responsible for approximately 90% of global gallium supply. These controls led to significant disruptions including sharp declines in gallium availability and elevated prices for GaAs wafer producers worldwide.
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| 2022 | China achieved the world's largest solar power capacity at 390 GW of installed capacity. |
| April 2022 | Worldwide installed solar photovoltaic capacity reached one terawatt. |
| March 2022 |
Thunderbolt
Apple released Studio Display featuring one Thunderbolt 3 port.
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| 2021 |
Thunderbolt
Apple started to include Thunderbolt 4 on some of their devices, beginning with the MacBook Pro.
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| 2021 |
Thunderbolt
Copper Thunderbolt 4 cables were released, offering full 40 Gbit/s speed and supporting backward compatibility with USB and DisplayPort standards.
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| January 2021 |
Thunderbolt
Intel introduces the Hoover Ridge Thunderbolt 4 controller (JHL8140) in Q1, providing TB4/USB4 endpoint support and compatibility features.
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| 2020 | Energy payback time calculations were performed for different locations worldwide, including Ottawa (Canada), Catania (Italy), and Jaipur (India), to determine the time required for photovoltaic systems to produce the energy equivalent to their manufacturing process. |
| November 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Supporting products for Thunderbolt 4 began arriving in the market, including Intel Tiger Lake mobile processors for Intel Evo notebooks and 8000-series standalone Thunderbolt controllers with Goshen Ridge (for devices) and Maple Ridge (for hosts) codenames.
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| October 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Intel launches the Maple Ridge family Thunderbolt 4 controllers, including the JHL8340 and JHL8540 models, featuring 40 Gbit/s speed and USB4 compliance.
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| September 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Intel releases the JHL8440 Thunderbolt 4 peripheral controller, offering 40 Gbit/s speed, USB4 compliance, and support for 4 Thunderbolt ports with advanced tunneling capabilities.
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| September 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Corning released optical Thunderbolt 3 cables in multiple lengths.
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| July 2020 |
Thunderbolt
The final specification for Thunderbolt 4 was released, detailing key technical improvements including minimum 32 Gbit/s PCIe link bandwidth, support for dual 4K displays, and enhanced direct memory access protection.
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| May 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Seven major security flaws collectively named 'Thunderspy' were discovered in the Thunderbolt protocol, revealing significant vulnerabilities that allow unauthorized data access on computers with Thunderbolt 1, 2, and 3 ports, even when devices are locked or encrypted.
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| April 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Taiwanese company Areca released optical Thunderbolt 3 cables in various lengths.
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| January 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Intel certified ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3 motherboard, allowing vendors to freely produce Thunderbolt controller silicon.
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| January 2020 |
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4 was officially announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), introducing new technical specifications and improvements over the previous Thunderbolt 3 version.
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| 2019 | Honduras generated the highest percentage of its energy from solar at 14.8%. |
| 2019 | Solar photovoltaics scientific output increased to 14,447 publications, demonstrating substantial research expansion. |
| 2019 | World record for solar cell efficiency achieved at 47.1% using multi-junction concentrator solar cells, developed at National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, US. |
| 2019 | University labs at Oxford, Stanford, and other institutions reported perovskite solar cells achieving significant efficiency levels between 20-25%, demonstrating promising advances in thin-film photovoltaic technology. |
| December 2019 |
Thunderbolt
Release of Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR with Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| August 29 2019 |
Thunderbolt
USB Implementers Forum released the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol specification.
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| June 2019 |
Thunderbolt
Apple unveiled Mac Pro and Mac Pro (Rack) with up to twelve Thunderbolt 3 ports, and Pro Display XDR with one Thunderbolt 3 port.
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| April 2019 |
Thunderbolt
Corning showed an optical Thunderbolt 3 cable at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
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| March 4 2019 |
Thunderbolt
The Thunderbolt 3 specification was released to the USB-IF, making it royalty-free and enabling its use in forming USB4.
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| October 2018 |
Thunderbolt
Apple announced MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch) with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and Mac mini with four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| January 8 2018 |
Thunderbolt
Intel announced a product refresh (Titan Ridge) with enhanced robustness and support for DisplayPort 1.4, offering single and double port host controllers and a peripheral controller supporting two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| December 2017 |
Thunderbolt
Release of iMac Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| June 2017 |
Thunderbolt
Apple announced iMac models (21.5-inch, Retina 4K, and Retina 5K, 27-inch) with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the iMac Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| May 24 2017 |
Thunderbolt
Intel announced Thunderbolt 3 would become a royalty-free standard to OEMs and chip manufacturers in 2018, aiming to boost protocol adoption.
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| 2016 |
Thunderbolt
Apple first included Thunderbolt 3 ports on Mac devices, with Dell being the first to include Thunderbolt 3 in laptops via their XPS Series and Alienware range.
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| 2016 |
Thunderbolt
Copper Thunderbolt 3 cables became available at longer lengths, with specific limitations on passive and active cable performance.
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| October 2016 |
Thunderbolt
Apple announced MacBook Pro models with Thunderbolt 3 ports: 13-inch with 2 ports and 13-inch with 4 ports, as well as a 15-inch model featuring four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
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| April 2016 |
Thunderbolt
Intel releases the JHL6240 Thunderbolt 3 controller for computers and peripherals, offering 40 Gbit/s speed and DisplayPort 1.2, with a lead-free design.
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| December 2015 |
Resistive opto-isolator
Excelitas ended the production of Vactrol resistive opto-isolators.
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| December 1 2015 |
Thunderbolt
First devices with Thunderbolt 3 ports began shipping, including notebooks from Acer, Asus, Clevo, HP, Dell, Dell Alienware, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, and Sony, as well as motherboards from Gigabyte Technology and a 0.5 m Thunderbolt 3 passive USB-C cable from Lintes Technology.
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| October 2015 |
Thunderbolt
Intel introduces the DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, part of the Alpine Ridge family, featuring 40 Gbit/s speed, DisplayPort 1.2, PCIe 3.0, HDMI 2.0, and 100W power delivery.
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| January 2015 |
Thunderbolt
Intel launches the DSL6340 Thunderbolt 3 controller, offering 40 Gbit/s speed and DisplayPort 1.2 support.
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| 2014 | Grid parity was reached in 19 markets globally for photovoltaic energy production. |
| 2013 |
Thunderbolt
Intel introduces the DSL4510 Thunderbolt controller, part of the Redwood Ridge family.
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| 2013 |
Thunderbolt
Apple introduced Thunderbolt 2 ports with the late 2013 Retina MacBook Pro, becoming the first product to feature this upgraded connection technology.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Photovoltaics, Gallium arsenide, Thunderbolt (interface) & Resistive opto-isolator, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.