Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for on-demand linearity in a receiver are provided. In this regard, in a receiver such as on-chip receiver, a strength of a signal received by one or more antennas may be measured and linearity of the receiver may be controlled in response to the measured signal strength. The linearity may be controlled based on signal strength of in-band and/or out-of-band signals and by configuring component(s) of the receiver. Exemplary components may comprise one or more filter, amplifier, mixer, analog-to-digital converter, feedback loop, and equalizer and/or post corrector. Linearity may be increased, by switching one or more feedback loops and/or an equalizers and/or post correctors into a signal path of the receiver. Power consumption may be decreased, at the expense of reduced linearity, by switching one or more feedback loops and/or an equalizers and/or post correctors out of a signal path of the receiver.

Abstract: A buck converter for use in controlling a motor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a power input operable for connection to a DC power supply, a switch for selectively connecting the motor to the power supply, a pulse width modulation controller operable to provide a pulse width modulation signal to the switch, wherein the switch connects the motor to the power supply based on the pulse width modulation signal, and a voltage shifting capacitor connected across the switch and in series with a diode. The buck converter may include a shift control device operable to control a voltage across the voltage shifting capacitor.

Abstract: Methods and systems for filters embedded in an integrated circuit package are disclosed and may include controlling filtering of signals within an integrated circuit via one or more filter components embedded within a multi-layer package bonded to the integrated circuit. The one or more filter components may be electrically coupled to one or more switchable capacitors within the integrated circuit. The filter components may include transmission line devices, microstrip filters, transformers, surface mount devices, inductors, and/or coplanar waveguide filters. The filter components may be fabricated utilizing metal conductive layers and/or ferromagnetic layers deposited on and/or embedded within the multi-layer package. The integrated circuit may be electrically coupled to the multi-layer package utilizing a flip-chip bonding technique.

Abstract: A resonant converter including a primary side switching stage having high- and low-side switches series connected at a switching node and controlled by a primary side controller; a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil, the secondary coil having at least one pair of portions series connected at a node, a resonant tank formed by series connecting the primary coil to the switching node with a first inductor and a first capacitor; at least one pair of first and second secondary side switches connected to the at least one pair of portions, respectively, the first and second secondary side switches of each pair being used for synchronous rectification; and a secondary side controller to control and drive the first and second secondary side switches of each pair by sensing voltage across each secondary side switch and determining a turn ON and turn OFF transition for the first and second secondary side switches in close proximity to a point in time when there is zero current through the secondary s

Abstract: There is provided a method for use by a video disc player for offering a product shown in a video for purchase. The method comprises examining a disc containing the video to determine whether the disc contains trigger data associated with the video; requesting the trigger data associated with the video from a remote server if the examining determines that the disc does not contain the trigger data associated with the video; downloading the trigger data associated with the video from the remote server using a network connection; and storing the trigger data associated with the video in a memory of the video player, wherein at least one trigger data includes a time indicating when a trigger is to occur during the playing of the video on the disc, the at least one trigger corresponding to the display of a product shown in the video.

Abstract: Certain aspects of a method and system for dynamically adjusting intermediate frequency (IF) and filtering in microwave circuits may include generating one or more intermediate frequency (IF) signals from one or more baseband signals and/or one or more radio frequency (RF) signals. The generated one or more IF signals may be filtered to avoid detected interference and/or detected noise from out-of-band radio sources. The frequency of the generated one or more IF signals may vary depending on the detected interference and/or detected noise. The filtering of the generated one or more IF signals may be adjusted based on the variation in the frequency of the generated one or more IF signals. The one or more RF signals may be down-converted to generate the one or more IF signals. The generated IF signals may be further down-converted and dynamically filtered to generate the desired baseband signals.

Abstract: A method of correcting a lithographic mask is disclosed. The method can include detecting a location of the mask that corresponds to a wafer location having a structure that is printed with a larger than desired dimension and reducing a thickness of at least a portion of a mask feature corresponding to the wafer structure to locally increase transmissivity of the mask feature.

Abstract: A trench gated MOSFET especially for operation in high radiation environments has a deep auxiliary trench located between the gate trenches. A boron implant is formed in the walls of the deep trench (in an N channel device); a thick oxide is formed in the bottom of the trench, and boron doped polysilicon which is connected to the source electrode fills the trench. The structure has reduced capacitance and improved resistance to single event rupture and single event breakdown and improved resistance to parasitic bipolar action.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a die with at least one electrode on a surface thereof, at least one solderable contact formed on the electrode, and a passivation layer formed over the electrode and including an opening that exposes the solderable contact. The passivation layer opening may be wider than the solderable contact such that a gap extends between the contact and the passivation layer. The device also includes a barrier layer disposed on the top surface of the electrode, and along the underside of the solderable contact and across the gap. The barrier layer may also extend under the passivation layer and may cover the entire top surface of the electrode. The barrier layer may also extend along the sidewalls of the electrode. The barrier layer may include a titanium layer or a titanium layer and nickel layer. The barrier layer protects the electrode and underlying die from acidic fluxes found in lead-free solders.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a circuit board for reducing dielectric loss, conductor loss, and insertion loss includes a pair of transmission lines. The pair of transmission lines has sufficient thickness to cause substantial broadside electromagnetic coupling between the pair of transmission lines, where the pair of transmission lines is sufficiently separated from a ground plane of the circuit board so as to cause negligible electromagnetic coupling to the ground plane relative to the substantial broadside electromagnetic coupling. The pair of transmission lines thereby reduce dielectric loss, conductor loss, and insertion loss for signals traversing through the transmission line pair. The pair of transmission lines can be separated from the ground plane by, for example, at least 50.0 mils.

Abstract: Isolation of III-nitride devices may be performed with a dopant selective etch that provides a smooth profile with little crystal damage in comparison to previously used isolation techniques. The dopant selective etch may be an electro-chemical or photo-electro-chemical etch. The desired isolation area may be identified by changing the conductivity type of the semiconductor material to be etched. The etch process can remove a conductive layer to isolate a device atop the conductive layer. The etch process can be self stopping, where the process automatically terminates when the selectively doped semiconductor material is removed.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for inter integrated circuit (IC) communications utilizing a spatial multilink repeater are provided. In this regard, one or more circuits in an integrated circuit may be enabled to receive a signal and repeat the received signal to a plurality of target integrated circuits. The repeated signals may be generated by frequency shifting the received signal and a different frequency shift may be utilized for each of the repeated signals. In this regard, each of the repeated signals may be generated by quadrature down-converting the received signal by mixing it with a first local oscillator pair, up-converting the down-converted signal by mixing it with a second local oscillator pair, and adding or subtracting an in-phase portion of the up-converted signal with a quadrature-phase portion of the up-converted signal.

Abstract: A method for forming an integrated circuit system is provided including forming a memory section having a spacer with a substrate, forming an outer doped region of the memory section in the substrate, forming a barrier metal layer over the spacer, and forming a metal plug over the outer doped region and the barrier metal layer.

Abstract: Methods and systems for matching networks embedded in an integrated circuit package are disclosed and may include controlling impedance within an integrated circuit via one or more impedance matching networks. The impedance matching networks may be embedded within a multi-layer package bonded to the integrated circuit. The impedance of one or more devices within the integrated circuit may be configured utilizing the impedance matching networks. The multi-layer package may include one or more impedance matching networks. The impedance matching networks may provide impedance matching between devices internal to the integrated circuit and external devices. The impedance matching networks may be embedded within the multi-layer package, and may include transmission lines, inductors, capacitors, transformers and/or surface mount devices. The impedance matching networks may be deposited on top of and/or on bottom of the multi-layer package. The integrated circuit may be flip-chip bonded to the multi-layer package.

Abstract: Methods and systems for diversity processing based on antenna switching are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include switching among a plurality of antennas in a multi-antenna wireless terminal to receive packets. An antenna may receive a number of packets before switching to another antenna, where the number of packets may be pre-determined or dynamically determined. The received packets may be diversity processed where portions of a plurality of the received packets may be combined to form a single data packet. Similarly, antenna switching may also be used to transmit packets. For example, a data packet may be apportioned to a plurality of packets, and each of those packets may be transmitted via the antennas. Accordingly, if the number of packets to transmit is one, each antenna may transmit one packet, and the antenna switching may select another antenna with which to transmit a packet.

Abstract: A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Abstract: Aspects of a system for a digital polar transmitter may include a digital to analog converter circuit (DAC), for which an analog voltage and/or current step size generated in response to a sequence of received binary numbers may be dynamically programmable based on an input control signal. The input control signal may be based on an amplitude modulation (AM) signal. The DAC may receive the sequence of binary numbers, generated based on a phase modulation (PM) signal, from an accumulator circuit. The dynamically programmable-step-size DAC may generate an analog signal, which is amplified by a power amplifier circuit (PA) and transmitted via an antenna. The dynamically programmable-step-size DAC may enable utilization of a linear PA circuit.

Abstract: A method and a system of displaying a user interface to control playback and features that may be associated with a prerecorded media. A media player, such as a DVD player, a personal computer, a home media server, a high definition video player, an optical player, a hard drive based player, or a software DVD-ROM player receives streams of video from different media and displays its content. Simultaneously, and without interrupting the video playback, a user interface is overlaid on the video image. The user interface may include menu selections to control the playback of the video including scene selection, settings, and viewing rights. The user interface may include menu selections to control features associated with the video such as Documentaries, Games, Purchases, Activities, Commentaries, Outtakes, Karaoke, Trailers, Songs, Wishlists, and Events.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for providing customized experiences to a plurality of client stations in a shared environment. There is provided an accounts database having data relating to a plurality of clients, an online server having a server processor and hosting the shared environment for access by the plurality of client stations, and an online client application for execution by a client processor of a client station. The server processor is configured to retrieve client data from the accounts database relating to a client, determine client preferences of the client based on the client data, create a customized environment from the shared environment according to the client preferences, and send the customized environment to the online client application of a client station associated with the client for rendering the customized environment on a client display. User interactions may be filtered to maintain a shared environment perception.

Abstract: The invention provides semiconductor materials including a gallium nitride material layer formed on a silicon substrate and methods to form the semiconductor materials. The semiconductor materials include a transition layer formed between the silicon substrate and the gallium nitride material layer. The transition layer is compositionally-graded to lower stresses in the gallium nitride material layer which can result from differences in thermal expansion rates between the gallium nitride material and the substrate. The lowering of stresses in the gallium nitride material layer reduces the tendency of cracks to form. Thus, the invention enables the production of semiconductor materials including gallium nitride material layers having few or no cracks. The semiconductor materials may be used in a number of microelectronic and optical applications.