Abstract: A DC-DC converter including a current error amplifier and a voltage error amplifier connected in parallel to control the charging phase of the battery, during which a charging current is supplied to the battery to bring the voltage of the battery gradually up to a full charge voltage; a charging interruption stage for interrupting the charging phase before the voltage of the battery has reached the full charge voltage; and an activation stage for activating the charging interruption stage when the full charge voltage is close to the supply potential at which the supply line of the current error amplifier is set.

Abstract: A method for autoaligning lines of a conductive material in circuits integrated on a semiconductor substrate is presented. The method includes forming several regions projecting from the substrate surface and aligned to one another, and forming a fill layer in the gaps between the projecting regions. The fill layer is planarized to expose the regions, and a portion of the regions is removed to form holes at the locations of the regions. Next an insulating layer is formed in the holes. The insulating layer is selectively removed to form spacers along the edges of said holes and at least one conductive layer is deposited over the exposed surface. Later, a step of photolithograpy with a mask is performed and the conductive layer is etched to define lines and collimate them to the underlying regions.

Abstract: An inductive load is controlled using a PWM control signal at the control terminal of a current switch. In parallel to the first circuit branch containing the inductive load to be controlled, there is located a second circuit branch including a flyback diode and a measuring resistor. The actual current signal corresponding to the current in the inductive load to be regulated, which is formed using the current in the measuring resistor as measurement voltage, is compared to a desired current signal, and the result of the comparison is processed by a PWM circuit to form a PWM control signal for current switch. Due to the fact that measuring resistor is disposed in the circuit parallel to the inductive load to be controlled, a favorable behavior of the power dissipation in the measuring resistor is obtained in accordance with the duty cycle of the PWM control signal. With a preset value of the measuring resistor, the power dissipation and the required chip area can thus be reduced.

Abstract: Method of fabrication of a no-field transistor with no extra process costs, providing for defining an active area for the transistor surrounded by a thick field oxide layer, insulatively placing a polysilicon gate electrode across the active area to define source/drain regions of the no-field transistor, providing an implant protection mask over a boundary between at least one of the source/drain regions and the field oxide layer, selectively implanting in said source/drain regions a relatively heavy dose of dopants to form relatively heavily doped source/drain regions and to simultaneously dope the polysilicon gate electrode, the polysilicon gate electrode formed with lateral wings extending towards the at least one source/drain region, and the implant protection mask extending over the lateral wings but not over the polysilicon gate.

Abstract: A voltage converter circuit with a self-oscillating half-bridge configuration has a first and a second input terminal, and a first and a second output terminal, and including: a first power switch coupled between the first input terminal and the first output terminal, a second power switch coupled between the first output terminal and the second input terminal, a first voltage sensor having a first and a second sensing terminals coupled between the first input terminal and a control terminal of the first power switch, and a second voltage sensor having a first and a second sensing terminals coupled between the first output terminal and a control terminal of the second power switch. Each voltage sensor detects a voltage variation supplied on its respective first sensing terminal and generates on the respective second sensing terminal an activation potential for the respective power switch.

Abstract: An integrated power operational amplifier can alternatively be operated in a master or a slave mode, such that a master amplifier can be connected in parallel with one or more slave amplifiers. This arrangement allows very low impedance loads to be driven, as well as allowing the heat dissipation to be distributed over a number of operational amplifiers, thereby raising the maximum dissipation limits of integrated power systems. In addition, by eliminating the ballast resistors, more power can be delivered by the system, for the same supply voltage, and less power is dissipated.

Abstract: An integrated power operational amplifier can alternatively be operated in a master or a slave mode, such that a master amplifier can be connected in parallel with one or more slave amplifiers. This arrangement allows very low impedance loads to be driven, as well as allowing the heat dissipation to be distributed over a number of operational amplifiers, thereby raising the maximum dissipation limits of integrated power systems. In addition, by eliminating the ballast resistors, more power can be delivered by the system, for the same supply voltage, and less power is dissipated.

Abstract: A control device for a vehicle having at least one semiactive suspension arranged between a vehicle body and a wheel and having a damping coefficient that can be varied in a controlled way by an actuator governed by a control device, the control device including an accelerometric sensor generating a vehicle body acceleration signal; a potentiometer generating a suspension position signal; a signal conditioning unit for the calculation of the vehicle body speed and the damping speed; a fuzzy control unit that calculates the subsequent position of the actuator on the basis of the vehicle body speed and of the damping speed; and a driving unit which generates a control signal for the actuator.

Abstract: A manufacturing process including forming a first insulating region on top of an active area; forming a tunnel region laterally to the first insulating region; forming a floating gate region; sealing the floating gate region with an insulating region; forming a control gate region on top of the floating gate region; and forming conductive regions in the active area. The floating gate region is obtained by depositing and defining a semiconductor material layer through a floating gate mask. The floating gate mask has an opening with an internally delimiting side extending at a preset distance from a corresponding externally delimiting side of the mask, and the semiconductor material layer is removed laterally at the external and internal delimiting sides so that the tunnel area's length is defined, by the floating gate mask alone.

Abstract: On a substrate of semiconductor material, a sacrificial region is formed and an epitaxial layer is grown; a stress release trench is formed, surrounding an area of the epitaxial layer, where an integrated electromechanical microstructure is to be formed; the wafer is then heat treated, to release residual stress. Subsequently, the stress release trench is filled with a sealing region of dielectric material, and integrated components are formed. Finally, inside the area surrounded by the sealing region, a microstructure definition trench is formed, and the sacrificial region is removed, thus obtaining an integrated microstructure with zero residual stress.

Abstract: A switching device having a first and a second electronic switch connected in a half-bridge configuration and each having a control terminal for receiving a switching signal alternatively having a turn-on value and a turn-off value for taking the first and second electronic switches to an on state and to an off state, respectively; the switching device includes, for each switch, means for detecting the state of the switch and means for keeping the switching signal at the turn-off value for one of the electronic switches when the detected state of the other electronic switch is the on state.

Abstract: A reading device having an A/D converter of n+m bits receiving an input signal correlated to the threshold voltage of the memory cell, and supplying a binary output word of n+m bits. The A/D converter is of a double conversion stage type, wherein a first A/D conversion stage carries out a first analog/digital conversion of the input signal to supply at the output a first intermediate binary word of n bits, and the second A/D conversion stage can be activated selectively to carry out a second analog/digital conversion of a difference signal correlated to the difference between the input signal and the value of the first intermediate binary word. The second A/D conversion stage generates at the output a second intermediate binary word of m bits that is supplied along with the first intermediate binary word to an adder, which generates the binary output word of n+m bits.

Abstract: A comparator having a differential amplifier with a signal input to receive an input signal and a reference input to receive a reference voltage, and having a controllable bias current source for supplying to the differential amplifier a bias current that has a low quiescent current or a higher active current as a function of whether the input signal is constant or variable. The controllable bias current source is further configured to adjust the bias current in accordance with the rate of change of the input signal.

Abstract: A circuit for selectively enabling one circuit from among a plurality of circuit alternatives of an integrated circuit, comprising selection circuit means for selecting one among said circuit alternatives. The selection means are controlled by bistable circuit means having a preferred state. Disactivatable forcing means associated to said bistable means are provided for forcing said bistable means in a state opposite than said preferred state, so that when said forcing means are disactivated the bistable circuit means automatically switch to said preferred state.

Abstract: A circuit having an anti-interference filter constituted by an inductor in series with one of the supply terminals of the car radio and by a capacitor in parallel with the supply terminals, and a diode connected in series with the inductor for protection against reversal of the polarity of the battery. The connection circuit may include an electronic switch between the node of the connection of the inductor to the diode and the other supply terminal, and a circuit for controlling the switching of the electronic switch. A voltage raiser that utilizes the components of the filter for its operation is thus produced.

Abstract: A switching regulator having a switching element, a control loop for varying a duty cycle of the switching element according to a difference between a switching regulator output electric quantity and a target output electric quantity, and a digital soft start-up circuit for digitally controlling the duty cycle of the switching element, independently from said difference, in a start-up phase of the switching regulator operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an avalanche diode of determined threshold in a substrate of a first conductivity type with a low doping level, including the steps of diffusing in the substrate at least one first region of the first conductivity type; diffusing in the substrate a second region of the second conductivity type protruding from the first region. The opening of a mask of definition of the first region has a lateral extent smaller than the diffusion depth of the first region in the substrate, this lateral extent being chosen all the smaller as the desired avalanche threshold is high.

Abstract: A device for synchronizing a reference event of an analog signal, which includes an analog-to-digital converter receiving an input signal, a register receiving the converter output, a phase-locked loop including an oscillator generating several phase-shifted clock signals of same period, a first clock signal clocking the register, a multiplexer receiving the other clock signals on respective inputs, the output of which clocks said converter, and an analysis circuit connected to control the multiplexer according to successive values of the register output.

Abstract: The analog processor of this invention is programmable and capable of storing the processing coefficients in analog form. It comprises a storage section having at least one output, plural outputs in most cases, and being adapted to respectively generate programming signals on such outputs; the storage section is input a plurality of supply voltage signals and is operative to produce, in connection with information stored therein, one of the supply voltage signals on each of the outputs, it being understood that one voltage signal may be produced on several such outputs. Advantageously, the processor can also be programmed in a simple manner from circuits of the digital type if switches controlled by storage elements are used in the storage section.

Abstract: A manufacturing process that includes, in succession: depositing a gate oxide layer on a silicon substrate defining a transistor area and a resistor area; depositing a multicrystal silicon layer on the gate oxide layer; removing selective portions of the multicrystal silicon layer to form a gate region over the transistor area and a protective region completely covering the resistor area; forming source and drain regions in the transistor area, laterally to the gate region; forming silicide regions on and in direct contact with the source and drain regions, the gate region and the protective region; removing selective portions of the protective region to form a delimitation ring; and implanting ionic dopants in the resistor area, inside the area defined by the protective ring, to form a lightly doped resistor which has no silicide regions directly on it.