Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics International N.V.
  • Patent number: 11835991
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for managing self-tests in an integrated circuit (IC) includes: receiving built-in-self-test (BIST) configuration data; configuring a first clock to a first frequency based on the BIST configuration data; performing a first BIST test at the first frequency; configuring a second clock to a second frequency that is different from the first frequency; and performing a second BIST test at the second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Amulya Pandey, Balwinder Singh Soni, Amritanshu Anand, Venkata Narayanan Srinivasan
  • Publication number: 20230386564
    Abstract: An in-memory computation circuit includes a memory array with SRAM cells connected in rows by word lines and in columns by bit lines. A row controller circuit simultaneously actuates word lines in parallel for an in-memory compute operation. A column processing circuit includes a read circuit that operates to reduce sensitivity to variation in bit line read current. Additionally, a testing circuit senses analog signals on the complementary bit lines to identify one of the complementary bit lines as having a less variable read current. That identified one of the complementary bit lines is coupled to the read circuit for the in-memory compute operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Kedar Janardan DHORI, Nitin CHAWLA, Promod KUMAR, Harsh RAWAT, Manuj AYODHYAWASI
  • Publication number: 20230386565
    Abstract: An in-memory computation circuit includes a memory array including sub-arrays of with SRAM cells connected in rows by word lines and in columns by bit lines. A row controller circuit selectively actuates word lines across the sub-arrays for an in-memory compute operation. A computation tile circuit for each sub-array includes a column compute circuit for each bit line. Each column compute circuit includes a switched timing circuit that is actuated in response to weight data on the bit line for a duration of time set by an in-memory compute operation enable signal. A current digital-to-analog converter powered by the switched timing circuit operates to generate a drain current having a magnitude controlled by bits of feature data for the in-memory compute operation. The drain current is integrated to generate an output voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Kedar Janardan DHORI, Harsh RAWAT, Promod KUMAR, Nitin CHAWLA, Manuj AYODHYAWASI
  • Publication number: 20230386566
    Abstract: An in-memory computation circuit includes a memory array with SRAM cells connected in rows by word lines and in columns by bit lines. A row controller circuit simultaneously actuates word lines in parallel for an in-memory compute operation. A column processing circuit includes a clamping circuit that clamps a voltage on the bit line to a level exceeding an SRAM cell bit flip voltage during execution of the in-memory compute operation. The column processing circuit may further include a current mirroring circuit that mirrors the read current developed on each bit line in response to the simultaneous actuation to generate a decision output for the in-memory compute operation. The mirrored read current is integrated by an integration capacitor to generate an output voltage that is converted to a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Kedar Janardan DHORI, Harsh RAWAT, Promod KUMAR, Nitin CHAWLA, Manuj AYODHYAWASI
  • Publication number: 20230387783
    Abstract: Methods of operating an induction geyser include drawing current through a resonant tank via a transistor, generating a changing magnetic field around the resonant tank. Owing to the strategic placement of the resonant tank in proximity to a fluid tank, the changing magnetic field envelopes the fluid tank. In a first method, the voltage across the transistor's conduction terminals is monitored, and when this voltage surpasses a predefined threshold, indicating an overvoltage condition, a corrective action is initiated in which a gate driver pulls up a gate drive signal that drives the transistor. In a second method, the current flowing between the transistor's conduction terminals is monitored, and upon detecting an overcurrent condition where the current exceeds a set threshold the gate driver is activated to pull down the gate drive signal. Both methods aim to keep operation of the geyser within desired parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventor: Akshat JAIN
  • Patent number: 11829730
    Abstract: A memory array arranged in multiple columns and rows. Computation circuits that each calculate a computation value from cell values in a corresponding column. A column multiplexer cycles through multiple data lines that each corresponds to a computation circuit. Cluster cycle management circuitry determines a number of multiplexer cycles based on a number of columns storing data of a compute cluster. A sensing circuit obtains the computation values from the computation circuits via the column multiplexer as the column multiplexer cycles through the data lines. The sensing circuit combines the obtained computation values over the determined number of multiplexer cycles. A first clock may initiate the multiplexer to cycle through its data lines for the determined number of multiplexer cycles, and a second clock may initiate each individual cycle. The multiplexer or additional circuitry may be utilized to modify the order in which data is written to the columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L., STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.
    Inventors: Nitin Chawla, Tanmoy Roy, Anuj Grover, Giuseppe Desoli
  • Patent number: 11822934
    Abstract: A processing system includes a plurality of configuration data clients; each associated with a respective address and including a respective register, a hardware block, a non-volatile memory, and a hardware configuration circuit. A respective configuration data client receives a respective first configuration data and stores it in the respective register. The hardware block is coupled to at least one of the configuration data clients and changes operation as a function of the respective first configuration data stored in the respective registers. The non-volatile memory includes second configuration data stored as data packets including the respective first configuration data and an attribute field identifying the respective address of one of the configuration data clients. The hardware configuration circuit sequentially reads the data packets from the non-volatile memory and transmits the respective first configuration data to the respective configuration data client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics Application GMBH, STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.
    Inventors: Roberto Colombo, Om Ranjan
  • Patent number: 11823771
    Abstract: A system includes a random access memory organized into individually addressable words. Streaming access control circuitry is coupled to word lines of the random access memory. The streaming access control circuitry responds to a request to access a plurality of individually addressable words of a determined region of the random access memory by generating control signals to drive the word lines to streamingly access the plurality of individually addressable words of the determined region. The request indicates an offset associated with the determined region and a pattern associated with the streaming access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Nitin Chawla, Thomas Boesch, Anuj Grover, Surinder Pal Singh, Giuseppe Desoli
  • Publication number: 20230350483
    Abstract: Systems and devices are provided to enable granular control over a retention or active state of each of a plurality of memory circuits, such as a plurality of memory cell arrays, within a memory. Each respective memory array of the plurality of memory arrays is coupled to a respective ballast driver and a respective active memory signal switch for the respective memory array. One or more voltage regulators are coupled to a ballast driver gate node and to a bias node of at least one of the respective memory arrays. In operation, the respective active memory signal switch for a respective memory array causes the respective memory array to transition between an active state for the respective memory array and a retention state for the respective memory array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Nitin CHAWLA, Anuj GROVER, Giuseppe DESOLI, Kedar Janardan DHORI, Thomas BOESCH, Promod KUMAR
  • Patent number: 11798603
    Abstract: A read signal generator generates read signals to control read operations of a memory array. The read signal generator can be selectively controlled to generate an oscillating signal having a period that corresponds to a feature one of the read signals. The oscillating signal is passed to a frequency divider that divides the oscillating signal and provides the divided oscillating signal to an output pad. The frequency of the oscillating signal can be measured at the output pad. The frequency of the oscillating signal, and the duration of the read signal feature can be calculated from the frequency of the oscillating signal. The read signal feature can then be adjusted if needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Vivek Tyagi, Vikas Rana, Chantal Auricchio, Laura Capecchi
  • Patent number: 11798615
    Abstract: A memory cell that performs in-memory compute operations, includes a pair of cross-coupled inverters and a pair of transistors for selective performance of read/write/hold operations associated with logic states of the pair of cross-coupled inverters. The memory cell further includes a set of transistors that are gate coupled to and symmetrically arranged about the pair of cross coupled inverters. Output nodes of the memory cell are located at terminals of the set of transistors and provide output based on logic states of the pair of cross coupled inverters and input nodes provided between pairs of the set of transistors. A memory cell array may be generated having a high density arrangement memory cells that can perform in-memory compute operations. The memory cells can be arranged as a neural network including a set of memory cell networks that provide logic output operations based on logic states of the respective memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Anuj Grover, Tanmoy Roy
  • Publication number: 20230335515
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to conductive structures that may be utilized in a radio-frequency (RF) switch. The embodiments of the conductive structures of the present disclosure are formed to balance the “on” resistance (Ron) and the “off” capacitance (Coff) such that the Ron·Coff value is optimized such that the conductive structures are relatively efficient as compared to conventional conductive structures within conventional RF switches. For example, the conductive structures include various metallization layers that are stacked on each other and spaced apart in a selected manner to balance the Ron and the Coff as to optimize the Ron·Coff figure of merit as a lower Ron·Coff is preferred.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicants: STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS, STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Siddhartha DHAR, Frederic GIANESELLO, Philippe CATHELIN
  • Publication number: 20230327667
    Abstract: A multiplexer includes an input, an output, and a main switch configured to pass a signal from the input to the output. The multiplexer includes two bootstrap circuits that collectively maintain a constant voltage between terminals of the main switch during alternating phases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Vaibhav GARG, Abhishek JAIN, Anand KUMAR
  • Patent number: 11782092
    Abstract: A method for testing a chip comprising: receiving N scan-in chains of test data; using the N scan-in chains of test data to perform tests on the chip; receiving a merged expected test-result and masking-instruction signal on X pins of the chip from the off-chip test equipment, X being less than 2*N; decoding the merged expected test-result and masking-instruction signal to extract N decoded output signals, each of the N decoded output signals corresponding to a respective chain of test results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Sandeep Jain, Shalini Pathak
  • Publication number: 20230314791
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an efficient optical scanning system takes the output of a multi-laser bar emitter with high divergence and delivers a combined beam of long vertical stripes of optical power that have a nearly top hat distribution along a vertical scanning axis and a narrow width along a horizontal scanning axis. This line footprint of the combined beam is scanned by a mirror onto a scene for use as ranging light in a distance measurement system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Nenad NESTOROVIC, Jack SCHMIDT
  • Publication number: 20230318287
    Abstract: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is provided in circuits which use of a tunneling field effect transistor (TFET) or an impact ionization MOSFET (IMOS). These circuits are supported in silicon on insulator (SOI) and bulk substrate configurations to function as protection diodes, supply clamps, failsafe circuits and cutter cells. Implementations with parasitic bipolar devices provide additional parallel discharge paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventor: Radhakrishnan SITHANANDAM
  • Publication number: 20230317323
    Abstract: An electronic device having a digitally controlled resistor is provided. The digitally controlled resistor includes various switch-resistor segments between voltage nodes. In one embodiment, the switch-resistor segment may include a resistor and a switch coupled parallel to the resistor. In another embodiment, the switch-resistor segment may include a resistor, a complement switch coupled in series with the resistor, and a switch coupled parallel to the resistor and the complement switch. Each switch included in the switch-resistor segment operates based on digital bits. Based on the logic value (either ‘0’ or ‘1’) assigned, the switches turn ON (when logic value is ‘1’) and OFF (when logic value is ‘0’). In some embodiments, the switches and the resistor included in the switch-transistor segment are arranged in a symmetrical manner between voltage nodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Akshat KUMAR, Prashutosh GUPTA
  • Patent number: 11775001
    Abstract: A reference current generator circuit generating a reference current that is proportional to absolute temperature as a function of a difference between bias voltages of first and second transistors. A voltage generator generates an input voltage from the reference current by applying the reference current that is proportional to absolute temperature through a plurality of transistors coupled in series between the bias voltage of the second transistor and ground, with the input voltage being generated at a node between given adjacent ones of the plurality of transistors. The input voltage is complementary to absolute temperature. A differential amplifier is biased by a current derived from the reference current and generates a temperature insensitive output reference voltage from the input voltage and a voltage proportional to absolute temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Pijush Kanti Panja, Gautam Dey Kanungo
  • Patent number: 11776650
    Abstract: A memory calibration system includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells, a sensing circuit coupled to the memory array, and calibration circuitry. A pattern of test data is applied to the memory array in order to generate calibration information based on output provided by the first sensing circuit in response to the application of the pattern of test data to the memory array. The generated calibration information is stored in a distributed manner within memory cells of the memory array. Some of the generated calibration information may be combined with data values stored in the plurality of memory cells as part of one or more operations on the stored data values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Tanmoy Roy, Anuj Grover
  • Publication number: 20230299751
    Abstract: A method generates a delayed signal based on an input signal, and applies vector magnitude scaling to the delayed signal, generating one or more vector magnitude scaled signals. The input signal is added to the one or more vector magnitude scaled signals, generating one or more phase-shifted signals. Compensation scaling is applied to the one or more phase-shifted signals, generating one or more compensated signals. The input signal and the one or more compensated signals are combined, generating an interpolated output signal. The method may be implemented by a device or a system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Ankur BAL, Gaurav AGGARWAL