Abstract: A trench capacitor having increased capacitance. By means of the oxidation enhanced diffusion (OED) effect, locally outdiffused regions in the doped substrate of a semiconductor material may be formed. Thus, greater capacitance can be achieved for a trench capacitor of equal depth. This technique avoids the heretofore required extra doping in the well of opposite conductivity type that would have been necessary to prevent punchthrough if the entire lower, heavily doped region or substrate had to be formed closer to the surface of the overlying lightly doped semiconductor layer. The locally outdiffused regions may be accomplished by standard oxidation techniques.

Abstract: A process for forming a DRAM cell having a capacitor adjacent a field effect transistor (FET), wherein the FET fabrication area is protected from adverse effects of the capacitor formation. The process is misalignment tolerant and provides FETs with appreciably lower defects in the substrate beneath the FET. Additionally, the process eliminates the need to stop an etching operation on a thin capacitor dielectric layer.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a chip containing electric circuits in a package with leads. The chip receives power via the leads. The leads have inductance so that when there is a change in current flow (di/dt) through a lead there is a voltage which is developed between the end of the lead and the chip which can cause the chip to either malfunction or function poorly. The highest di/dt is generally caused by an output buffer that changes the logic state of its output. The typical output buffer has a pair of driver transistors that provide one of a logic high or logic low. The di/dt generated by these transistors is controlled by controlling the voltage on the gate of the transistor which is providing the particular logic state. This control reduces di/dt from that typically provided at the very beginning of a logic state transition but increases it over that typically provided immediately thereafter for the purpose of optimizing logic state transition speed for a given maximum di/dt.

Abstract: An EEPROM has two arrays which provide data in response to an address. The EEPROM can be programmed to function in one of two modes. The EEPROM can supply data from a selected one of the arrays or can simultaneously supply data from both arrays. In the mode in which data is supplied simultaneously from both arrays, the data from both arrays is coupled to a common data line where the data is sensed by a sense amplifier.

Abstract: In response to a software instruction, a static microprocessor is placed in a low current mode by disabling clock pulse generation. Means are provided for disabling a master oscillator when a STOP instruction is decoded. Additional means are provided for inhibiting clock pulses when a WAIT instruction is decoded without disabling the master oscillator. Clock pulse generation is again enabled upon receipt of a reset or interrupt signal.

Abstract: A single transistor EEPROM cell comprises a source, a channel, a drain, a floating gate and a control gate. The control gate and the floating gate are co-extensive over the channel. Programming is achieved by charge injection from the channel and erasing is achieved by tunneling to the source. An array organization is disclosed which features a source/erase control line shared between two adjacent rows of the array, providing efficient byte-at-a-time erasing. An erasure scheme is disclosed which involves repetitive erase pulse-read-erase pulse cycles together with means for assuring complete erasure while preventing over-erasure from driving any cell in the array into depletion mode.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a Processor to a Coprocessor using standard bus cycles. The Processor, upon encountering in its instruction stream an instruction having a particular Operation word format, will transfer a Command word following the Operation word to a particular Coprocessor designated by a Coprocessor Identity field in the Operation word. Upon decoding the Command word, the Coprocessor will respond with any of a set of response primitives which define functions which the Coprocessor requires to Processor to perform in support of the Command by the Coprocessor. The interface provides for all functions which the Coprocessor may require, including selective vectoring to appropriate exception handlers.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a Processor to a Coprocessor using standard bus cycles. The Processor, upon encountering in its instruction stream an instruction having a particular Operation word format, will transfer a Command word following the operation word to a particular Coprocessor designated by a Coprocessor Identity field in the Operation word. Upon decoding the Command word, the Coprocessor will respond with any of a set of response primitives which define functions which the Coprocessor requires the Processor to perform in support of the Command by the Coprocessor. The interface provides for all functions which the Coprocessor may require, including selective vectoring to appropriate exception handlers.

Abstract: A quick-release multiple gas injection pipe connector fitting for removable attachment to a gas reaction chamber having a plurality of gas injection passages. The fitting permits a number of gas inlet lines to be removed from or attached to a reaction chamber fixture in one operation without a separate removal or attachment step for each gas line. The fitting also facilitates a process where the reaction gases are preferably mixed only at the reaction site and not before.

Abstract: A method and data processing system for validating prefetch instruction. The system includes an instruction unit, an n-stage pipeline which provides data segments representing instruction words from a memory to the instruction unit. The system further includes a circuit for prefetching instruction words to be executed subsequently to a presently executing instruction and a circuit for verifying the validity of the prefetched instruction word prior to execution thereof by the execution unit, and a circuit for causing the instruction unit to a fault condition only when the execution of an invalid instruction is begun.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for fabricating LDD CMOS structures having a reduced mask count and improved manufacturability. In one embodiment of the invention a CMOS structure is formed having gate insulators overlying N and P type surface regions. Gate electrodes are formed on each of the surface regions and a spacer forming material is deposited over the electrodes and the surface regions. The spacer material is anisotropically etched from one of the surface regions to form spacers at the edge of the first gate electrode while retaining the spacer forming material over the second surface region. Source and drain regions of the first MOS transistor are implanted using the spacers as an implantation mask. The spacers are removed and a lightly doped source and drain is implanted using the gate electrode as a mask. The implanted source and drain regions are oxidized using the remaining spacer forming material as an oxidation mask to prevent oxidation of the second surface region.

Abstract: An arithmetic logic unit capable of performing AND, OR, exclusive-OR, and add functions is implemented utilizing strobed gates. An input section receives first and second inputs, each capable of assuming first and second states, and generates a first output indicating that at least one of the inputs is in a first state and a second output indicating that both inputs are in the first state. First, second and third strings of field-effect-transistors controlled by a plurality of control signals are selectively enabled respectively when at least one of the inputs is in the first state, all of the inputs are in the first state, or when only one of the inputs is in the first state. The circuit includes an output section and a circuit for generating a carry-out signal when the inputs so require.

Abstract: A single-chip microcomputer comprises at least two separate and independent electrically erasable programmable read only memories (EEPROMs) on-board which may be independently programmed, erased and read. Each part of the split EEPROM has its own data bus and address bus. Programming and erasing is controlled by a program register which has separate bits for configuring and latching the data and address buses of a selected EEPROM array, for providing programming voltage to the array of choice and for choosing between programming and erasing the selected array. The split EEPROM provides versatility to the user in allowing one part of the EEPROM to be programmed while the program stored in another part of the EEPROM or RAM may be read and utilized. In addition, test time and effort of the microcomputer may be considerably reduced.

Abstract: An erase circuit for an EEPROM is provided which only uses enhancement type transistors. This eliminates having to use additional processing steps to provide depletion type transistors in a CMOS process. Enhancement type transistors are used to provide the erase voltage to the control gate of an electrically erasable memory cell. An additional enhancement type transistor is used to maintain the control gate in a non-floating condition during non-erase periods.

Abstract: A memory has a memory cells located at intersections of bit line pairs and word lines. During a write mode of the memory, the bit lines are at a maximum voltage separation. For a read to occur following a write, the bit lines must first be equalized. Because of the extent of the voltage separation during a write, equalizing the bit lines can cause a large peak current drain on the power supply. This peak current is reduced by partially charging the bit lines in response to a write to read transition then bringing the bit lines to the final equalization voltage in response to a transition of the row address. The partial charging is ensured of occurring first in the event that the write to read transition occurs simultaneously with a row address transition to ensure a reduced peak current.

Abstract: In a data processor adapted to perform operations upon operands of a given size, a bus controller is provided to communicate the operands with a storage device having a data port which may be a submultiple of the operand size. In response to a signal from the bus controller requesting the transfer of an operand of a particular size, the storage device provides a size signal indicating the size of the data port available to accommodate the requested transfer. Depending upon the size of the operand to be transferred and the size of the data port of the storage device, the bus controller may break the operand transfer cycle into several bus cycles in order to completely transfer the operand. In the process, the bus controller compensates for any address misalignment between the operand and the data port.

Abstract: A dynamic random access memory, formed in a substrate, has an array comprised of intersecting rows and columns with memory cells at intersections thereof. Along each row is a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell has a storage capacitor and a transfer device. The transfer device is a transistor which has gate to which is applied a voltage to select the memory cell. Each transfer device has an insulator between the its gate and the substrate. During a test mode of the memory, all of the transfer gates are subjected to a stress test of this insulator to provide an accelerated test for the integrity of this insulator.

Abstract: An input protection circuit is provided which prevents positive and negative voltages significantly higher than a supply voltage potential from damaging operational circuitry connected to an input terminal. A bipolar transistor has current conducting electrodes connected between the supply voltage and the input terminal. A first MOS transistor is coupled to the bipolar transistor for selectively eliminating a forward biased junction between the base and collector of the bipolar transistor in response to the sign and magnitude of an input signal. A second MOS transistor is coupled to the bipolar transistor for selectively eliminating a forward biased junction between the base and emitter of the bipolar transistor in responses to the sign and magnitude of the input signal.

Abstract: Two state machines, each active during a respective one of two complementary non-overlapping clock phases, are interlocked so that the present state of one machine determines the next state of the other machine, and vice versa.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a Processor to a Coprocessor using standard bus cycles. The processor, upon encountering in its instruction stream an instruction having a particular Operation word format, will transfer a Command word following the Operation word to a particular Coprocessor designated by a Coprocessor Identity field in the Operation word. Upon decoding the Command word, the Coprocessor will respond with any of a set of response primitives which define functions which the Coprocessor requires the Processor to perform in support of the Command by the Coprocessor. The interface provides for all functions which the Coprocessor may require, including selective vectoring to appropriate exception handlers.