Abstract: A multi-queue FIFO memory device that uses existing pins of the device to load a desired number of queues (N) into a queue number register is provided. The queue number register is coupled to a queue size look-up table (LUT), which provides a queue size value in response to the contents of the queue number register. The queue size value indicates the amount of memory (e.g., the number of memory blocks) to be included in each of the N queues. The queue size value is provided to a queue start/end address generator, which automatically generates the start and end address associated with each queue in response to the queue size value. These start and end addresses are stored in queue address register files, which enable proper memory read/write and flag counter operations.

Abstract: A low-cost sunlight redirecting element including multiple substantially identical redirecting structures uniformly arranged and fixedly disposed on a base, where each redirecting structure includes multiple optical surface regions that are cooperatively formed and arranged such that, when the sunlight redirecting element is operably fixedly oriented relative to a stationary target with sunlight directed along an incident direction onto the redirecting structures, at least some of the sunlight is transmitted between the corresponding optical surface regions of each redirecting structure, and redirected from the corresponding optical surface regions toward the target's surface. The optical surface regions are shaped and arranged to redirect the sunlight toward the fixed target surface even when the sunlight's incident angle direction changes during the course of a year. A stationary sunlight redirecting system (e.g.

Abstract: A method of generating a photoluminescence map for an indium gallium nitride (InGaN) well can include presenting data on a pixel by pixel basis. The data can be generated as a function of emission wavelength, line width of emission, polarization of emission, and intensity of emission. The data can also be generated as a function of excitation polarization and polarization angle orientation with respect to film crystalline axes of the InGaN well. The data can also be generated as a function of multiple wavelengths of light to generate the photoluminescence map. The photoluminescence maps can be correlated to device internal quantum efficiency as measured in test devices. The resulting correlation maps can serve as line monitors of indium rich InGaN wafers used for green LEDs.

Abstract: A serial buffer monitors an incoming stream of packets to identify single missing packets and multiple consecutive missing packets. Upon detecting multiple consecutive missing packets, an interrupt is generated, thereby stopping the data transfer. Upon detecting a single missing packet, a single missing packet identifier is inserted into the packet header of the packet that resulted in identification of the single missing packet. The incoming packets, including any inserted single missing packet identifiers, are written to a queue. When the water level reaches the water mark of the queue, the stored packets are read to create an outgoing packet stream. When a packet read from the queue includes an inserted single missing packet identifier, a dummy packet (e.g., a packet having a data payload of all zeros) is inserted into the outgoing packet stream. As a result, real-time applications are capable of processing the outgoing packet stream in a constant fashion.

Abstract: In a method of generating variation-aware library data for statistical static timing analysis (SSTA), a “synthetic” Gaussian variable can be used to represent all instances of one or more mismatch variations in all devices (e.g. transistors), thereby capturing the effect on at least one timing property (e.g. delay or slew). By modeling device mismatch with synthetic random variables, the variation behavior (in terms of the distribution of delay, slew, constraint, etc.) can be interpreted as the outcomes of process variations instead of modeling the variation sources (e.g. transistor shape variations, variations in dopant atom density, and irregularity of edges).

Abstract: A characterized cell library for EDA tools includes receiver model data that provides two or more capacitance values for a given receiver modeling situation (signal type and operating conditions). The receiver model can then use different capacitance values to generate different portions of the model receiver signal, thereby enabling more accurate matching of actual receiver signal timing characteristics. For example, a two-capacitance receiver model can be generated by using the first capacitance value to match the delay characteristics of an actual receiver, and by using the second capacitance (in light of the use of the first capacitance) to match the slew characteristics of that actual receiver. Because typical EDA timing analyses focus mainly on delay and slew (and not the detailed profile of circuit signals), a two-capacitance receiver model can provide a high degree of accuracy without significantly increasing cell library size and computational complexity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing a polar transmitter uses at least one square wave waveform as test stimuli replacing a multitone waveform. Each square wave signal is coupled one at a time to a frequency modulating input of the polar transmitter. The output of the polar transmitter is analyzed by observing the amplitude and frequency of the demodulated components corresponding to each square wave signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high definition media interface (HDMI) controller having a modular design internal bus structure, and applications thereof. The controller includes a circuit interface, an address decoder coupled to the circuit interface, a plurality of sub-circuits, wherein each sub-circuit includes registers used to configure and control the sub-circuit, and a bus that couples the registers of each sub-circuit to the address decoder. After startup of the controller, the sub-circuits are configured by using the circuit interface, address decoder, and bus to write values to the registers of the sub-circuits. The sub-circuits of the controller include a video pixel sampler, an audio sampler, a frame composer, and a power controller. The video sampler can be configured to convert one of a plurality of RGB and YCbCr signals to a common format signal used by other sub-circuits of the controller.

Abstract: A plurality of spots forming an M×N matrix can be used in a focus system. Specifically, a plurality of identical spots can be simultaneously projected onto the sample. A V(z) curve can be generated for each spot. A robust focus can be determined based on the generated V(z) curves. Using the spot matrix significantly increases the probability that at least one of the plurality of spots in the matrix can provide an unambiguous V(z) curve. Thus, the spot matrix eliminates the need to search for an appropriate site because the spot matrix increases the probability of landing on a “good” location by a factor of M×N.

Abstract: A multi-spot scanning technique using a spot array having a predetermined gap between spots can advantageously provide scalability to a large number of spots as well as the elimination of cross-talk between channels. The multi-spot scanning technique can select a number of spots for the spot array (1D or 2D), determine a separation between the spots to minimize crosstalk, and perform a scan on a wafer using the spot array and a full field of view (FOV). Performing the scan includes performing a plurality of scan line cycles, wherein each scan line cycle can fill in gaps left by previous scan line cycles. This “delay and fill” scan allows large spacing between spots, thereby eliminating cross-talk at the detector plane. In one embodiment, the scan is begun and ended outside a desired scan area on the wafer to ensure full scan coverage.

Abstract: Integrated circuits are disclosed including at least one inductor-capacitor component, where each of the inductor-capacitor components includes an inductor and a capacitor constructed between the inductor and a substrate. The inductor includes at least one metal loop over a shield pattern forming a first capacitor terminal over patterned oxide layer with a second capacitor layer between the patterned oxide layer and the substrate.

Abstract: A system and method for decoding a low-density parity-check (LDPC) codeword. The method includes updating a portion of a plurality of variable nodes and performing a partial parity check based on the updated variable nodes. Based on the result of the partial parity check and an iteration condition, a determination is made as to whether to report a decoding result. The method further includes updating a plurality of check nodes and a parity check may be performed. Based on the parity check, a determination as to whether to report a decoding result is made. The iteration number may then be checked for a match with an iteration condition to determine whether to report a decoding result.

Abstract: A compact and low cost microscope illuminator capable of generating 3-D optical images includes a first light source and a second light source. The two light sources lead two optical paths: one to illuminate a sample and another to project a pattern onto the focal plane of a microscope objective lens. The two light sources are controlled by a processor and can be turned on and off rapidly. A 3-D optical microscope equipped with said microscope illuminator and a method of creating a 3-D image on said 3-D optical microscope are also described.

Abstract: A method for determining portions of a GPS satellite signal may use non-coherent integration to determine a repeated pattern such as a preamble. Once the repeated pattern is determined, portions of the GPS satellite signal that may be determined with partial correlation sums. Sensitivity to satellite signals may be increased by computing more partial correlation sums on portions of the GPS satellite signal. In one embodiment, time of day information may be determined from the GPS satellite signal with partial correlation sums.

Abstract: Spurs cause significant problems with signal detecting, amplifier gain adjustment, and signal decoding. Various techniques can be used to mitigate the effects of spurs on a received signal. Generally, these techniques work by either canceling or ignoring the spurs. For example, a pilot mask can be used to ignore pilot information in one or more sub-channels. A Viterbi mask can determine the weighting given to bits in a sub-channel based on spur and data rate information. Channel interpolation can compute a pseudo channel estimate for a sub-channel known to have a spur location can be computed by interpolating the channel estimates of adjacent good sub-channels. Filtering of the received signal using a low-pass filter, a growing box filter, or a low-pass filter with self-correlation can be used to cancel a spur.

Abstract: In a multiple-input, multiple-output system, the frequency of transmitted signals can be partitioned into some number of frequency bins. During an exchange of sounding signals, a first station can monitor the quality of the signals to select a second station that is qualified to participate in a calibration procedure. The first station can generate a first set of channel characteristics for a particular frequency bin based on the sounding signal it receives from the second station. The first station also receives channel state information from the second station which can be used to generate a second set of channel characteristics for the particular frequency bin. Then, the selected subsets of the first and second sets can be manipulated in order to determine a set of correction values for that frequency bin as well as for other frequency bins.

Abstract: A 3-D optical microscope, a method of turning a conventional optical microscope into a 3-D optical microscope, and a method of creating a 3-D image on an optical microscope are described. The 3-D optical microscope includes a processor, at least one objective lens, an optical sensor capable of acquiring an image of a sample, a mechanism for adjusting focus position of the sample relative to the objective lens, and a mechanism for illuminating the sample and for projecting a pattern onto and removing the pattern from the focal plane of the objective lens. The 3-D image creation method includes taking two sets of images, one with and another without the presence of the projected pattern, and using a software algorithm to analyze the two image sets to generating a 3-D image of the sample. The 3-D image creation method enables reliable and accurate 3-D imaging on almost any sample regardless of its image contrast.

Abstract: A memory system including a plurality of ports and a memory core having a plurality of memory banks. Access requests received at the ports are broadcast to the memory banks. Multiple memory banks may be concurrently accessed in response to access requests received on different ports. A memory controller provides the access requests to the memory system, and ensures that a single memory bank is not concurrently accessed by different ports. All access requests are processed with the same latency. If the memory banks include memory cells that must be periodically refreshed, then the memory controller also provides refresh requests to the memory banks. Because multiple memory banks may be concurrently accessed in response to access requests provided on different ports, the memory banks can operate at a lower frequency than the ports.

Abstract: A discriminator for a code tracking block of a navigation satellite system (NSS) receiver is provided. This discriminator can advantageously use only four complex correlators, i.e. early (E), prompt (P), late (L), and one of very early (VE) and very late (VL), while providing optimized multipath mitigation. This NSS discriminator can be derived from the first-order derivative of a Teager-Kaiser (TK) operator. This differential TK (DiffTK) discriminator is more sensitive to multipath dispersions than other discriminators or correlators, thereby providing enhanced performance in the presence of multipath.

Abstract: A polar transmitter includes a phase monitoring unit for monitoring input modulating data. When a phase transition exceeds a phase transition threshold, the phase monitor unit can signal an amplitude negation unit to invert the amplitude data coupled to the polar amplifier. The phase monitoring unit can also add an offset to the phase data that is provided to a frequency synthesizer. In another embodiment, when the phase transition threshold is exceeded, the phase monitoring unit can trigger inverting differential frequency data coupled to the polar amplifier. In one embodiment, the phase offset and the amplitude negation are applied until a second phase transition value exceeding the phase transition threshold is detected. If such an event is detected, then the input amplitude data is no longer inverted and the phase offset value is no longer added to the modulating data.