Abstract: In an embodiment an electric circuit arrangement includes a current generator circuit having a first output terminal and configured to generate an output current, a controller configured to generate control signals to control the current generator circuit, a random code generator configured to generate random codes and a counter configured to generate a count, wherein the current generator circuit comprises a plurality of output current paths and a plurality of controllable switching circuits, wherein each of the output current paths includes a respective electrical component to define a current in the respective output current path, wherein a respective one of the controllable switching circuits is coupled to a respective one of the output current paths to connect the respective electrical component to the first output terminal, and wherein the random code generator is configured to provide a respective code derived from a respective one of the random codes.

Abstract: In an embodiment a semiconductor transducer device includes a semiconductor body and a diaphragm having a first layer and a second layer, wherein a main extension plane of the diaphragm is arranged parallel to a surface of the semiconductor body, wherein the diaphragm is suspended at a distance from the semiconductor body in a direction perpendicular to the main extension plane of the diaphragm, wherein the second layer comprises titanium and/or titanium nitride, wherein the first layer comprises a material that is resistant to an etchant comprising fluorine or a fluorine compound, and wherein the second layer is arranged between the semiconductor body and the first layer.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement comprises a first branch comprising a resistor of variable resistance and a diode-connected bipolar transistor and a second branch comprising a resistor of fixed resistance and another diode-connected bipolar transistor. A control loop reproduces a voltage drop at the resistor of variable resistance to a voltage drop at the resistor of fixed resistance. Output terminals are connected to the bipolar transistors to supply a differential voltage. The circuit arrangement may be used as an analog frontend circuit in a gas sensor or a temperature sensor arrangement.

Abstract: A calibration arrangement has a sealable and thermally-isolated chamber comprising a socket mount having a number of reference samples in thermal contact with the socket mount and a number of sample sockets for devices-under test, DUTs, with each sample socket being arranged in proximity to and associated to at least one of the reference samples. The arrangement further comprises a thermal chuck and a circuit board, which is configured to provide electrical connection to the reference samples in the socket mount and DUTs in the sample sockets. The thermal chuck is configured to thermalize the socket mount and the circuit board to a temperature set point.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an integrated MEMS transducer device includes a substrate body having a first electrode on a substrate, an etch stop layer located on a surface of the substrate, a suspended micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) diaphragm with a second electrode, an anchor structure with anchors connecting the MEMS diaphragm to the substrate body and a sacrificial layer in between the anchors of the anchor structure, the sacrificial layer including a first sub-layer of a first material, wherein the first sub-layer is arranged on the etch stop layer, a second sub-layer of a second material, wherein the second sub-layer is arranged on the first sub-layer, and wherein the first and the second material are different materials.

Abstract: In an embodiment a method includes transmitting a signal train through a medium, wherein the signal train includes a sequence of waves of a first group and of a second group, the first and second groups being shifted in a time domain according to a predetermined phase shift, receiving the signal train as a received signal train and as a function of time, detecting a phase shift in the received signal train, assigning wave periods of the received signal train to respective wave periods of the first group using the detected phase shift as reference and determining a sequence of time-of-flight signals from the sequence of waves of the first group and the assigned wave periods of the received signal train, respectively.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an ADC converter includes a first injection branch and a second injection branch, a first feedback branch and a second feedback branch, an integration node connected to the first and second injection branches and the first and second feedback branches, an integrator connected to the integration node and a comparator connected downstream of the integrator and configured to generate a comparator output signal to control the first and second feedback branches, wherein the first and second injection branches are configured to provide a charge injection dependent on a respective input quantity to the integration node, wherein the input quantity of the first injection branch is selected from a differential voltage signal, a capacitance dependent signal and a current dependent signal, wherein the input quantity of the second injection branch is selected from another one of the differential voltage signal, the capacitance dependent signal and the current dependent signal, and wherein the first and s

Abstract: In an embodiment a method includes providing an analog signal having a first value of a temperature of an object, performing an analog-to-digital conversion of the analog signal using a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) thereby providing a first digital signal representing an initial digital temperature value, performing an analog-to-digital conversion of the analog signal using a second ADC thereby providing a second digital signal representing a digital reference temperature value, regularly providing the analog signal having a successive value of the temperature of the object, performing the analog-to-digital conversion of the analog signal using the second ADC thereby providing the second digital signal representing a successive digital temperature value, calculating a digital delta temperature value according to a difference between the successive digital temperature value and the digital reference temperature value and repeating portions of the method as long as the digital delta temperature value

Abstract: In an embodiment a method includes transmitting a signal train through a medium, wherein the signal train includes a sequence of waves of a first group and of a second group, the first and second groups being shifted in a time domain according to a predetermined phase shift, receiving the signal train as a received signal train and as a function of time, detecting a phase shift in the received signal train, assigning wave periods of the received signal train to respective wave periods of the first group using the detected phase shift as reference and determining a sequence of time-of-flight signals from the sequence of waves of the first group and the assigned wave periods of the received signal train, respectively.

Abstract: A monolithic sensor arrangement, a manufacturing method and a measurement method are disclosed. In an embodiment a monolithic gas sensor arrangement includes a sensor including a first transducer with a first sensitive layer and a second transducer with a second sensitive layer, and a readout circuit configured to generate a first measurement signal and a second measurement signal depending on the first and second transducers, wherein the sensor arrangement is a humidity sensor arrangement, wherein the first and second sensitive layers are configured to absorb water molecules, and wherein the first and second sensitive layers differ from each other in at least one property.

Abstract: In an embodiment an electro-thermal device includes a heater, a readout circuit, a digital controller having a first input coupled to a first output of the readout circuit and a digital sigma-delta modulator having a first input coupled to an output of the digital controller and an output coupled to the heater.

Abstract: A gas sensing device comprising a substrate comprising an etched cavity portion and a substrate portion, a dielectric layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a dielectric membrane, wherein the dielectric membrane is adjacent to the etched cavity portion of the substrate, a heater located within the dielectric layer; a material for sensing a gas; and one or more polysilicon electrodes coupled with the material for sensing a gas.

Abstract: In an embodiment a semiconductor device includes a first diode and a second diode of specified sizing or biasing ratio, a negative voltage supply, a first resistor for a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) voltage drop, wherein the first diode is connected between the negative supply voltage and the first resistor, an array of dynamically matched current sources employing a dynamic element matching controller, wherein the first resistor is connected between the first diode and a first input of the array, and wherein the second diode is connected between the negative supply voltage and a second input of the array and a successive approximation register (SAR) feedback loop configured to drive a voltage difference to zero, wherein the voltage difference occurs between a first node present between the first resistor and the first input of the array and a second node present between the second diode and the second input of the array.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor is disclosed. In an embodiment a semiconductor device includes a die including a capacitive pressure sensor integrated on a CMOS circuit, wherein the capacitive pressure sensor includes a first electrode and a second electrode separated from one another by a cavity, the second electrode including a suspended tensile membrane, and wherein the first electrode is composed of one or more aluminum-free layers containing Ti.

Abstract: A die attachment to a support is disclosed. In an embodiment, a semiconductor package includes a support and a die attached to the support by an adhesive on a backside of the die, wherein the die includes a capacitive pressure sensor integrated on a CMOS read-out circuit, and wherein the adhesive covers only a part of the backside of the die.

Abstract: In an embodiment a method includes determining, for each capacitor element of a plurality of capacitor elements of a capacitor, an increase of a capacitance of a capacitor element caused by a decrease of a temperature of the capacitor and deriving a dew point from a temperature at which the increases of the capacitances or values corresponding to the increases of the capacitances exceed a predefined limit by generating a set of binary digits, each of the binary digits corresponding to one of the capacitor elements and indicating whether the capacitance of the capacitor element is within a predefined range, comparing sets of binary digits generated at different temperatures and determining a number of capacitor elements for which the corresponding binary digits of the sets are different and repeating the comparison for a sequence of sets generated at decreasing temperatures.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) transducer device includes providing a substrate body with a surface, depositing an etch-stop layer (ESL) on the surface, depositing a sacrificial layer on the ESL, depositing a diaphragm layer on the sacrificial layer and removing the sacrificial layer, wherein depositing the sacrificial layer includes depositing a first sub-layer of a first material and depositing a second sub-layer of a second material, and wherein the first material and the second material are different materials.

Abstract: A sensor arrangement and a method of operating a sensor arrangement are disclosed. In an embodiment, a sensor arrangement includes a pressure sensor realized as a capacitive pressure sensor, a capacitance-to-digital converter, a test circuit and a switching circuit coupling the capacitance-to-digital converter and the test circuit to the pressure sensor.

Abstract: In an embodiment a sensor arrangement includes a pressure sensor realized as a capacitive pressure sensor, a capacitance-to-digital converter coupled to the pressure sensor and implemented as a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter and a reference voltage generator having a control input configured to receive a control signal and an output configured to provide a reference voltage, wherein the output of the reference voltage generator is connected to an input of the capacitance-to-digital converter, wherein the reference voltage generator is configured to set a value of the reference voltage as a function of the control signal, and wherein at least two different values of the reference voltage have the same sign and different amounts.

Abstract: In an embodiment a method for operating a gas sensor arrangement includes generating a sensor current by a gas sensor, converting the sensor current into a digital comparator output signal in a charge balancing operation depending on a first clock signal, determining from the digital comparator output signal an asynchronous count comprising an integer number of counts depending on the first clock signal, determining from the digital comparator output signal a fractional time count depending on a second clock signal and calculating from the asynchronous count and from the fractional time count a digital output signal which is indicative of the sensor current generated by the gas sensor.