Patents Represented by Attorney Murphy, Bilak & Homiller, PLLC
  • Patent number: 8187937
    Abstract: A method for producing a semiconductor component has the following step: the front side (101) of the semiconductor body (100) is irradiated with high-energy particles using the terminal electrode (40) as a mask, in order to produce recombination centers (80A, 80B) in the semiconductor body (100) for the recombination of the first and second conduction type of charge carriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Reiner Barthelmess, Hans-Joachim Schulze
  • Patent number: 8189374
    Abstract: A memory cell includes a first electrode having a first region and a second region, a second electrode and a phase change material. The phase change material is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode with the first region of the first electrode arranged closer to the phase change material than the second region. The first region of the first electrode includes an inner portion laterally surrounded by an outer portion. The outer portion has a greater resistivity than the inner portion. The second region of the first electrode has the same resistivity as the inner portion of the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Qimonda AG
    Inventor: Shoaib Zaidi
  • Patent number: 8190848
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, memory is allocated between an interleaver buffer and a de-interleaver buffer in a communication device based on downstream and upstream memory requirements. The upstream de-interleaver memory requirement is determined based on upstream channel conditions obtained for a communication channel used by the communication device. The memory is allocated between the interleaver and de-interleaver buffers based on the downstream and upstream memory requirements. The downstream interleaver memory requirement may be determined based on one or more predetermined downstream configuration parameters. Alternatively, the downstream interleaver memory requirement may also be determined based on the upstream channel conditions by estimating the downstream capacity of the communication channel based on the upstream channel conditions and determining an interleaver buffer size that satisfies one or more predetermined downstream configuration parameters and the downstream capacity estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Lantiq Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Umashankar Thyagarajan
  • Patent number: 8183906
    Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement comprising a logarithmizing unit and a subtracting unit, wherein the subtracting unit has an output at which a voltage value linearly proportional to the temperature can be tapped off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Roland Thewes, Ralf Brederlow
  • Patent number: 8183879
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring arrangement, a semiconductor arrangement and a method for operating a reference source, wherein at least one semiconductor component and a voltage source are connected to a measuring unit and the measuring unit provides a measured value that is proportional to the number of defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Ralf Brederlow, Roland Thewes
  • Patent number: 8185838
    Abstract: A universal computer event translator, which can be implemented as a computer program for execution on a personal computer, handheld device, or other computer processing platform, provides configurable event translation to map essentially any type of computer input event into essentially any other type(s) of computer input event. The program detects occurrences of desired types of input events, which may be generated via a particular input device, a timer, or another program or processing running on the computer, and provides rules-based translation processing of those events. For example, the program can translate mouse events into keyboard events, MIDI or other port events into mouse or keyboard events, or into custom events. One incoming input event can spawn one or more translated input events of one or more types; conversely, different types of incoming input events can be mapped to a single type or multiple types of translated input events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Inventor: Florian U. Bomers
  • Patent number: 8179109
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a power supply according various aspects of the present invention operate in conjunction with a voltage converter for converting an input voltage to an output voltage. For example, the converter may comprise a controller configured to generate a control signal and an integrated power stage. The power stage may include a segmented switch coupled in parallel between the input voltage and the output, and a driver circuit responsive to the controller and connected to the switches. The segmented switches may be parallel devices with separate gates, which may be activated independently. The driver circuit controls the switches according to the control signal to sequentially activate the switches in the switch circuit. For example, the driver circuit may activate a second switch following a predetermined period after activating a first switch, and the first switch and second switch may be activated sequentially and remain activated simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Benjamim Tang, Kenneth A. Ostrom, Laura Carpenter
  • Patent number: 8178411
    Abstract: A method for producing a buried stop zone in a semiconductor body and a semiconductor component having a stop zone, the method including providing a semiconductor body having a first and a second side and a basic doping of a first conduction type. The method further includes irradiating the semiconductor body via one of the sides with protons, as a result of which protons are introduced into a first region of the semiconductor body situated at a distance from the irradiation side. The method also includes carrying out a thermal process in which the semiconductor body is heated to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time duration, the temperature and the duration being chosen such that hydrogen-induced donors are generated both in the first region and in a second region adjacent to the first region in the direction of the irradiation side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Reiner Barthelmess, Anton Mauder, Franz Josef Niedernostheide, Hans-Joachim Schulze
  • Patent number: 8164176
    Abstract: A semiconductor arrangement has a silicon body with a first surface and a second surface and a thick metal layer arranged on at least one surface of the silicon body. The thickness of the thick metal-layer is at least 10 micrometers (?m).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Dirk Siepe, Reinhold Bayerer
  • Patent number: 8164381
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a circuit includes an amplifier and an open-loop control system. The amplifier has an output stage for amplifying a signal, a power supply for driving a supply voltage of the output stage to different voltage levels responsive to being modulated and a pulse width modulator for modulating the power supply responsive to a mask input. The open-loop control system includes a mask generator and a detector. The mask generator is configured to generate the mask input as a function of the envelope of the signal. The detector is configured to detect discontinuities in the mask input and compensate for the discontinuities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Lantiq Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Steffen Trautmann, Alexander Kahl
  • Patent number: 8159822
    Abstract: The invention relates to a power semiconductor module including a module housing and at least one substrate populated with at least one power semiconductor chip. The module housing has a bottom side and a top side spaced away from the bottom side in a positive vertical direction. In addition, the substrate has a bottom side facing away from an interior of the module housing. The substrate is arranged in an opening of the module housing configured in its bottom side and attached to the module housing by a resilient bonding agent for freedom of movement of the substrate parallel to the vertical direction in relation to the module housing. In the non-mounted condition of the power semiconductor module, the substrate assumes a resting position in relation to the module housing. To deflect the substrate from the resting position parallel to the vertical direction, a deflection force of 0.1 N to 100 N per mm is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Peter Kanschat, Olaf Hohlfeld, Thilo Stolze
  • Patent number: 8159289
    Abstract: The present invention shows a contactless chip card comprising a controllable demodulation unit for demodulating an amplitude-modulated carrier signal, a measuring unit for determining a degree of modulation of the modulated carrier signal, and a control unit for controlling the demodulation unit on the basis of the determined degree of modulation of the carrier signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Walter Kargl, Thomas Leutgeb, Albert Missoni, Richard Sbuell
  • Patent number: 8146445
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for extracting gas samples from a particle-laden fluid stream are disclosed. An exemplary sampling probe apparatus includes a probe head having an upstream face and a downstream face, an intake orifice inwardly tapering from the upstream face into a central bore region of a cavity within the probe head, and an outlet orifice outwardly tapering from said central bore region to the downstream face, so as to permit fluid gas flow through the central bore region of the cavity. A filter device disposed within the cavity of the probe head extends between the intake orifice and the outlet orifice so as to divide a low-pressure sampling region of the cavity from the central bore region. A sampling tube in fluid communication with the low-pressure sampling region provides for extracting gas samples from the low-pressure sampling region of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Delta Measurement and Combustion Controls, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas William Ferri, Antonio Volpicelli
  • Patent number: 8143870
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for current sensing according to various aspects of the present invention operate in conjunction with a current sensor adapted to sense the current provided to a load via a transistor. In one embodiment, a power supply includes the current sensor, and supplies the current through a series combination of an inductor and the transistor. The current sensor is adapted to generate the inductor current signal according to a sensed current in the inductor, and may comprise a series combination of a first resistor and a second resistor. The resistive series combination is adapted to be connected in parallel to the series combination of the inductor and the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Inventors: Timothy M. Ng, Jinghong Guo, Kenneth Ostrom
  • Patent number: 8145327
    Abstract: A system of electrical modules includes a plurality of modules, including power modules, control modules, and output modules. Power modules provide power for powering one or more control and output modules. Control modules provide control signals to one or more output modules. Output modules perform predefined functions responsive to receiving power from a power module and/or a control signal from a control module. All of the modules have like mating connectors and like connector wiring. This arrangement forms a system bus across any given plurality of modules, when those modules are serially interconnected in a daisy chain. In at least one embodiment, the mating connectors and the connector wiring are standardized across the system such that any module can be coupled to any other module, and the ordering of the modules in the daisy chain is not fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Inventors: Susan Banks, Scott D. Elliott, Brad Forrest
  • Patent number: 8144755
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and an apparatus for determining a skew of each data bit of an encoded data word received by a receiver via an interface from a transmitter comprising the steps of performing an error check and correction of the received and sampled encoded data word to calculate an error corrected encoded data word corresponding to the encoded data word transmitted by the transmitter, and correlating a sequence of error corrected encoded data words with the sampled encoded data words to determine a skew of each data bit of said received encoded data words.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Inventors: Michael Bruennert, Christoph Bilger, Peter Gregorius, Maurizio Skerlj, Wolfgang Walthes, Johannes Stecker, Hermann Ruckerbauer, Dirk Scheideler, Roland Barth
  • Patent number: 8134354
    Abstract: Disclosed is a multi-phase pulse width modulated voltage regulator and method in which transient voltage excursions or deviations that exceed the load line voltage by more than a predetermined amount are detected by an ATR circuit and a correction signal is applied. The correction signal is in the form of asynchronous pulses and the number of such pulses is a function of the magnitude of the voltage excursion as determined by the number of thresholds that are exceeded. Also disclosed is an adaptive voltage positioning (AVP) circuit and method for early detection of a transient event by sensing voltage changes at the load and adjusting the target voltage with pre-determined current values prior to the time that ATR event changes in the current at the load are detected. The AVP load line is pre-positioned for more precise current control. Also disclosed is an adaptive filter with adjustable frequency characteristics in response to an ATR event. Also disclosed is a pulse limiting circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventors: Benjamim Tang, Robert T. Carroll, Scott W. Southwell, Kenneth A. Ostrom, Richard C. Pierson
  • Patent number: 8135767
    Abstract: A cell for an arithmetic logic unit includes a first input; a second input; a carry-in input; a first control input and a second control input; and a circuit connected to the first input, the second input, the carry-in input, the first control input, and the second control input. The circuit has a first output and a second output, the second output having a first value as a function of the first input and the second input when the first control input and the second control input are supplied values equal to a value at the carry-in input, and having a second value as a function of the first input and second input when the values at the first control input and the second control input are independent of the value at the carry-in input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventor: Thomas Kuenemund
  • Patent number: 8134837
    Abstract: A power semiconductor module system includes a power semiconductor module, a heat sink and at least one fastener. The power semiconductor module includes a bottom side with a first thermal contact surface and the heat sink includes a top side with a second thermal contact surface. The power semiconductor module is conjoined with the heat sink by means of the at least one fastener. The power semiconductor module includes a number N1?1 of first positioning elements and the heat sink a number N2?1 of second positioning elements. Each of the first positioning elements corresponds to one of the second positioning elements and forms a pair therewith. The power semiconductor module and the heat sink are alignable relative to one another so that the two positioning elements of each of the pairs are interfitted when the power semiconductor module is mounted on the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventors: Olaf Hohlfeld, Peter Kanschat, Thilo Stolze
  • Patent number: 8130008
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a circuit used for storing or processing data and a radiation-sensitive thyristor structure configured to conditionally short two power supply terminals of the integrated circuit. The thyristor structure is configured to turn on in response to a region of the thyristor structure being irradiated with radiation to which the thyristor structure is sensitive, in order to establish an electrically conductive connection between a first power supply terminal of the power supply terminals of the integrated circuit and a second power supply terminal of the power supply terminals of the integrated circuit. The thyristor structure is further configured so that a power density of the radiation needed for turning on the thyristor structure is lower than a power density of the radiation needed for a change of data of the circuit used for storing or processing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Thomas Kuenemund