Patents Represented by Attorney Charles W. Peterson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7345334
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure that may be a discrete capacitor, a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) Integrated Circuit (IC) including circuits with discrete such capacitors and/or decoupled by such discrete capacitors and an on-chip decoupling capacitor (decap). One capacitor plate may be a well (N-well or P-well) in a silicon bulk layer or a thickened portion of a surface silicon layer. The other capacitor plate may be doped polysilicon and separated from the first capacitor plate by capacitor dielectric, e.g., CVD or thermal oxide. Contacts to each of the capacitor plates directly connect and extend from the respective plates, such that direct contact is available from both plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Edward J. Nowak, Richard Q. Williams
  • Patent number: 7339963
    Abstract: A high speed optical channel including an optical driver and a photodetector in a CMOS photoreceiver. The optical channel driver includes a FET driver circuit driving a passive element (e.g., an integrated loop inductor) and a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diode. The VCSEL diode is biased by a bias supply. The integrated loop inductor may be integrated in CMOS technology and on the same IC chip as either/both of the FET driver and the VCSEL diode. The photodetector is in a semiconductor (silicon) layer that may be on an insulator layer, i.e., SOI. One or more ultrathin metal electrodes (<2000 ?) on the silicon layer forms a Schottky barrier diode junction which in turn forms a quantum well containing a two dimensional electron gas between the ultrathin metal electrode and the Schottky barrier diode junction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ferenc M. Bozso, Philip G. Emma
  • Patent number: 7336100
    Abstract: A level converter for interfacing two circuits supplied by different supply voltages, and integrated circuit including the level converter interfacing circuit in two different voltage islands. A first buffer is supplied by a virtual supply and receives an input signal from a lower voltage circuit. The first buffer drives a second buffer, which is supplied by a higher supply voltage. An output from the second buffer switches a supply select to selectively pass the higher supply voltage or a reduced supply voltage to the first buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Correale, Jr., Rajiv V. Joshi, David S. Kung, Zhigang Pan, Ruchir Puri
  • Patent number: 7312487
    Abstract: A three dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC), 3D IC chip and method of fabricating a 3D IC chip. The chip includes multiple layers of circuits, e.g., silicon insulator (SOI) CMOS IC layers, each including circuit elements. The layers may be formed in parallel and one layer attached to another to form a laminated 3D chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Syed M. Alam, Ibrahim M. Elfadel, Kathryn W. Guarini, Meikei Ieong, Prabhakar N. Kudva, David S. Kung, Mark A. Lavin, Arifur Rahman
  • Patent number: 7308593
    Abstract: An integrated circuit including a pipeline and a method of operating the pipeline. Each stage of the pipeline is triggered by one or more triggering events and are individually, and selectively, stalled by a stall signal. For each stage a stall signal, delayed with respect to the stall signal of a downstream stage, is generated and used to select whether the pipeline stage in question is triggered. A data valid signal propagating with valid data adds further selection, such that only stages with valid data are stalled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hans M. Jacobson, Prabhakar N. Kudva, Pradip Bose, Peter W. Cook, Stanley E. Schuster
  • Patent number: 7302671
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) including at least one combinational logic path. The features in the combinational logic path are self compensating for out-of-focus effects. In particular, field effect transistor (FET) gates may be iso-focally spaced such that the gate (critical dimension) may move with changing focus, but the gate length remains the same. Alternately, logic circuits in a path may self-compensate for focus effects on individual circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fook-Luen Heng, Jin-Fuw Lee, Daniel L. Ostapko
  • Patent number: 7295457
    Abstract: A multi-threshold integrated circuit (IC) that may be supplied by multiple supplies, with an array of latches such as an array static random access memory (SRAM) cells and a CMOS SRAM with improved stability and reduced subthreshold leakage. Selected devices (NFETs and/or PFETs) in array cells and support logic, e.g., in the data path and in non-critical logic, are tailored for lower gate and subthreshold leakage. Normal base FETs have a base threshold and tailored FETs have a threshold above. In a multi-supply chip, circuits with tailored FETs are powered by an increased supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yuen H. Chan, Rajiv V. Joshi, Donald W. Plass
  • Patent number: 7289369
    Abstract: A hierarchical DRAM array, DRAM macro and logic chip including the DRAM macro embedded in the logic. DRAM array columns are segmented with a small number (e.g., 2-64) of cells connected to a local bit line (LBL) in each segment. Each LBL drives a sense device that drives a global read bit line (GRBL). When a cell storing a high is selected, the cell drives the LBL high, which turns the sense device on to drive the GRBL low. Segments may be used individually (as a macro) or combined with other segments sharing a common GRBL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard E. Matick, Stanley E. Schuster
  • Patent number: 7285480
    Abstract: An Integrated Circuit (IC) chip that may be a bulk CMOS IC chip with silicon on insulator (SOI) Field Effect Transistors (FETs) and method of making the chip. The IC chip includes areas with pockets of buried insulator strata and FETs formed on the strata are SOI FETs. The SOI FETs may include Partially Depleted SOI (PD-SOI) FETs and Fully Depleted SOI (FD-SOI) FETs and the chip may include bulk FETs as well. The FETs are formed by contouring the surface of a wafer, conformally implanting oxygen to a uniform depth, and planarizing to remove the Buried OXide (BOX) in bulk FET regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rajiv V. Joshi, Louis C. Hsu, Oleg Gluschenkov
  • Patent number: 7277266
    Abstract: A lightning protection system for protecting composite structures and a method of protecting composite structures from lightning strikes. A dielectric ply is fixed above and completely covers metal surface features, e.g., skin fasteners through a composite skin to a wing fuel tank. A conductive ply is fixed above and completely covers the dielectric ply and extends to an external connection to a platform ground. The conductive ply directs current from lightning strikes away from metal surface features, e.g., to the platform ground. Both plies may be adhesively backed and sequentially pressed into place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Quynhgiao N. Le, Ron Murakami, Eric R. Steele, James F. Kirchner
  • Patent number: 7272797
    Abstract: An interface device for connecting to and retrieving data from a remote computer system, and method of compressing, decompressing and transferring data therefor. A user may set transfer constraints on the interface device. The interface device may be a web browser. The user selecting a web site requests data, normally image data from a remote computer system. The interface device includes a cache memory where generic objects may be stored. Each generic object corresponds to an original object in the requested data. Depending on the data transfer constraints, instead of retrieving the entire image, e.g., web page image, unaltered from the host system, a compact generic image is retrieved, initially, wherein generic objects are substituted for each corresponding original object. A pseudo-image is displayed, with the generic objects substituted for corresponding original objects. Subsequently received original objects may be substituted for generic objects as each original object is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dimitri Kanevsky, Clifford Alan Pickover, Wlodek Zadrozny, Alexander Zlatsin
  • Patent number: 7255476
    Abstract: A device temperature measurement circuit, an integrated circuit (IC) including a device temperature measurement circuit, a method of characterizing device temperature and a method of monitoring temperature. The circuit includes a constant current source and a clamping device. The clamping device selectively shunts current from the constant current source or allows the current to flow through a PN junction, which may be the body to source/drain junction of a field effect transistor (FET). Voltage measurements are taken directly from the PN junction. Junction temperature is determined from measured junction voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Franch, Keith A. Jenkins
  • Patent number: 7254571
    Abstract: A document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory T. Brown, Thomas A. Cofino, Yurdaer Nezihi Doganata, Youssef Drissi, Tong-Haing Fin, Moon Ju Kim, Lev Kozakov, John Williams Miller
  • Patent number: 7237217
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC), IC assembly and circuit for distributing a clock signal in an integrated circuit includes a capacitive clock distribution circuit having at least one conductor therein. At least one inductor is formed in a metal layer of the integrated circuit and is coupled to the clock distribution circuit. The inductor, generally in the form of a number of spiral inductors distributed throughout the integrated circuit, provides an inductance value selected to resonate with the capacitive clock distribution circuit at resonance, power dissipation is reduced while skew and jitter performance can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Phillip J. Restle
  • Patent number: 7227233
    Abstract: A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) Read Only Memory (ROM), and a method of making the SOI ROM. ROM cells are located at the intersections of stripes in the surface SOI layer with orthogonally oriented wires on a conductor layer. Contacts from the wires connect to ROM cell diodes in the upper surface of the stripes. ROM cell personalization is the presence or absence of a diode and/or contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiharu Furukawa, Mark C. Hakey, Steven J. Holmes, David V. Horak, Charles W. Koburger, III, Jack A. Mandelman
  • Patent number: 7219273
    Abstract: A storage subsystem, method of testing storage media in the storage subsystem and program product therefor. The storage media, e.g., magnetic tape in a physical volume, is inserted into an input area in the storage subsystem, but not loaded into the subsystem library. The media input area on the physical volume is scanned and a test command is queued. The test storage media is moved to a drive for testing. After testing, the storage media is returned to the input area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Arthur Fisher, Anthony Andrew Lambert
  • Patent number: 7216284
    Abstract: A content addressable memory (CAM). A data portion of the CAM array includes word data storage. Each word line includes CAM cells (dynamic or static) in the data portion and a common word match line. An error correction (e.g., parity) portion of the CAM array contains error correction cells for each word line. Error correction cells at each word line are connected to an error correction match line. A match on an error correction match line enables precharging a corresponding data match line. Only data on word lines with a corresponding match on an error correction match line are included in a data compare. Precharge power is required only for a fraction (inversely exponentially proportional to the bit length of error correction employed) of the full array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Louis L. Hsu, Brian L. Ji, Li-Kong Wang
  • Patent number: 7188150
    Abstract: A system and method that enables sharing of resources and materials on a worldwide basis is disclosed. This system and method creates a secure extranet, with member sites communicating through a shared mediator service. The extranet protects private information at each site, yet allows searching and sharing of resources by authorized users of any extranet site. A preferred embodiment is an extranet of Lotus Notes/Domino servers, where information can be shared via the extranet without requiring cross-certification or replication among the servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Keith W. Grueneberg, Lei Kuang, Richard B. Lam
  • Patent number: 7180818
    Abstract: A multi-port register file, integrated circuit (IC) chip including one or more multi-port register files and method of reading data from the multi-port register file. The supply to storage latches in multi-port register file is selectively bootstrapped above the supply voltage during accesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rajiv V. Joshi, Azeez Bhavnagarwala
  • Patent number: 7173875
    Abstract: A CMOS static random access memory (SRAM) cell array, an integrated chip including the array and a method of accessing cells in the array with improved cell stability. Bit lines connected to half selected cells in the array are floated during cell accesses for improved cell stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yuen H. Chan, Rajiv V. Joshi, Donald W. Plass