Patents Represented by Attorney Jim Brady
  • Patent number: 5647124
    Abstract: A lead (10) for a semiconductor device (12) comprising a strip portion (14) comprising a first substantially horizontal portion (18) connected to the semiconductor device (12), a substantially vertical portion (20) connected to the first substantially horizontal portion (18), and a second substantially horizontal portion (22) connected to the substantially vertical portion (20) with at least one hole (16) disposed in the strip portion (14). A method of providing an electrical contact for connecting a semiconductor device (12) to a surface (24) comprising the steps of extending at least one lead (10) from the semiconductor device (12) and slotting the lead (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Min Yu Chan, Jing Sua Goh
  • Patent number: 5606793
    Abstract: A lid alignment assembly for components such as semiconductor device packages, includes a boat 40 for holding at least one semiconductor package 36 and an alignment cover 10 mountable to the boat 40 and having at least one opening 11a therein for positioning a lid 11 over the semiconductor package 36 received in the boat 40. A plurality of tapered tabs 12-19 extend from the cover 10 and contact one or both of the boat 40 and semiconductor package 36 to direct the semiconductor package 36 to a predetermined position beneath the cover 10 and said at least one cover opening 11a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven K. Gross, Wesley S. Hailes
  • Patent number: 5604369
    Abstract: A protection device, circuit, and a method of forming the same. A field oxide drain extended nMOS (FODENMOS) transistor (10) is located in an epitaxial region (16). The FODENMOS transistor (10) comprises a field oxide region (36a) that extends from the source diffused regions (22) to over a portion of the extended drain region (20). A drain diffused region (24) is located within the extended drain region (20). A gate electrode (40) may be located above the field oxide region (36a) if desired. Accordingly, there is no thin oxide interface between the gate electrode (40) and the extended drain region (20) that can lead to low ESD protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Charvaka Duvvury, Roy C. Jones, III
  • Patent number: 5598475
    Abstract: A remote control access system uses a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter generates an encrypted identification code which the receiver decrypts and grants access to the system if the decrypted code matches an identification code stored in the receiver. The encryption occurs by taking a 40 bit identification code and forming 5 bytes (8 bytes each). The 5 bytes are logic exclusive OR'd to form a 5 byte wide encrypted code. Decryption occurs by performing the opposite exclusive OR operation on the 5 byte wide encrypted code to convert it back to the 5 byte identification code. The 4 most significant bytes of the decrypted code are compared against the 4 most significant bytes of the previous stored decrypted code in the receiver. If the comparison yields a zero, this means the least significant byte will be within 2.sup.8 or 256 of each other and access will be granted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric G. Soenen, Gregory B. Davis, Angie Dycus
  • Patent number: 5578829
    Abstract: A light beam is passed through a tube containing a material being monitored and a contaminant wherein the light is absorbed by the contaminant or some form of the contaminant to the exclusion of the material being monitored. Since the amount of light passing through the tube is a function of the amount of contaminant in the tube, the amount of light detected at the downstream end of the tube is a function of the amount of contaminant in the material being monitored. The detected light can be used to provide a quantitative indication of the contaminant, to provide an alarm, to shut down the system to which the material being monitored is being delivered or for other purposes. When the material being monitored is HCl gas and the contaminant is moisture, the tube will generally be stainless steel to avoid galvanic effects since the remainder of the pipe system is generally also stainless steel and the light frequency will be from about 1.0 to about 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert T. Talasek, Jeremiah D. Hogan
  • Patent number: 5566110
    Abstract: An improved electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM) includes a EEPROM cell and a static random access memory (SRAM) cell. Complementary pairs of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors connect the gates of transistors forming the EEPROM cell to either the corresponding data nodes of the SRAM cell or to a fixed read or nonzero test voltage. When formed into an array, it is not necessary to replicate differential sense circuitry in every cell. EEPROM transistor pairs are combined into columns which share a common sense latch. The nonsero test voltage allows for measurement of the actual threshold voltages (V.sub.T) of each EEPROM device individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric G. Soenen, Loulis J. Izzi, Thomas F. Adkins, Roman Staszewski
  • Patent number: 5557565
    Abstract: A non-volatile split-gate memory cell 8 which can be programmed with only a five volt power supply and is fabricated using standard transistor processing methods, comprises a semiconductor substrate 10 with a source 12 and a drain 14 region separated by a channel region 16. A conductive floating gate 18 is formed over a portion 16a of the channel region 16 and separated by a FAMOS oxide 20. A conductive control gate 22 is formed over but electrically insulated from the floating gate 18 and over a second portion 16b of the channel region 16. The control gate 22 is separated from the second portion of the channel 16b by a pass oxide 26 which is thicker than the FAMOS oxide 20. Other embodiments and processes are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Cetin Kaya, Howard Tigelaar
  • Patent number: 5541121
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor (100) and a method for forming the same. A diffusion source dielectric layer (118) is deposited over a semiconductor body (101). An emitter window (116) is then etched through the diffusion source dielectric layer (118). An extrinsic base region (110) is diffused from the diffusion source dielectric layer (118). The intrinsic base region (108) is then implanted. Base-emitter spacers (120) are then formed followed by the emitter electrode (124) and emitter region (126). The extrinsic base region (110) is self-aligned to the emitter eliminating the alignment tolerances for the lateral diffusion of the extrinsic base implant and an extrinsic base implant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: F. Scott Johnson
  • Patent number: 5541134
    Abstract: A merged BiCMOS device 10 having a bipolar transistor 60 and a PMOS transistor 64 formed in the same well region 18a. Bipolar transistor 60 is comprised of an emitter electrode 30, base region 26, and collector region formed by well region 18b. Emitter electrode 30 is separated from base region 26 by thick oxide 24. PMOS transistor 64 comprises source/drain regions 52 and 52a, gate electrode 40, and gate oxide 36. PMOS transistor 64 may also comprises LDD regions 44. Source/drain region 52a is in contact with base region 26. If desired, the emitter electrode 30 and gate electrode 40 may be silicided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Robert H. Eklund
  • Patent number: 5535241
    Abstract: A signal transmission system (10) is provided that comprises a transmitter circuit (12) which transmits a signal through a transmission line (16) to a receiver circuit (14) using the current mode of signal transmission. A steady state current is supplied by a steady state current source (22). An active state current is provided by an active current source (20). A boost circuit (18) is provided to reduce delay associated with the transmission line (16) by increasing charge to the transmission line and providing additional discharge path from the transmission line during transitions of the signal propagating along transmission line (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Shivaling S. Mahant-Shetti, Robert J. Landers
  • Patent number: 5532957
    Abstract: All of the components of a standard logic gate wherein high precision is required, preferably a NAND gate, are provided, preferably in bulk silicon and the remaining components required for a memory cell wherein relatively low precision is required, preferably an SRAM, as well as a mode select circuit are provided, preferably in a polysilicon layer over the bulk silicon. The mode select circuit is design to operate in plural modes, a two mode mode select circuit being the preferred embodiment. In any mode of operation as determined by the mode select circuit, all unused or unrequired circuitry is either isolated from the active portion of the circuit or used to enhance operation of required circuitry, such as, for example, operating in parallel therewith or in series therewith. The polysilicon layer, if used, can be disposed over the bulk silicon with vias and interconnects therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Satwinder Malhi
  • Patent number: 5525814
    Abstract: A three dimensional latch and bulk silicon pass transistor for high density field reconfigurable architectures is provided utilizing bulk silicon with a layer of polysilicon or silicon on insulator (SOI) thereover. The pass transistor, which must have very low resistance to provide a good short circuit path between the metal runs and fast switching speed, is fabricated in the bulk silicon wherein the resistivity can be made very low relative to polysilicon and because only the pass transistor is disposed in the bulk silicon, thereby permitting the dimensions thereof to be increased to provide even lower resistance. Since only the latch is fabricated in the layer of polysilicon or SOI and is disposed over the pass transistor, the amount of chip area utilized can be the same or less than required in the prior art wherein all circuitry was in the bulk silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Satwinder Malhi
  • Patent number: 5522965
    Abstract: A compact system and method for chemical-mechanical polishing. A polishing pad (114) is attached to a non-rotating platen (112) and used to polish a wafer (116). Rotating arm (118) positions the wafer (116) over the pad (114) and applies pressure. Energy (e.g. ultrasonic) is coupled from device (122) to the platen (112). Energy is thus applied to the pad/wafer interface to aid in the removal of surface material from wafer (116) and for pad conditioning. New slurry is added to wash the particles off the edges of the pad (114).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael F. Chisholm, Andrew T. Appel