Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory circuit and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is coupled to the memory circuit. The interface circuit selects a phase value of clock signal adapted to clock the memory circuit.
Abstract: A multiple-clock time-multiplexed field programmable gate array (TM-FPGA) includes programmable logic circuitry. A plurality of clock signals within the TM-FPGA couple to the programmable logic circuitry. A user's circuit can be mapped to the programmable logic circuitry without the user's intervention in mapping the circuit to the programmable logic circuitry.
Abstract: A radio-frequency (RF) receiver includes a receiver analog circuitry and a receiver digital circuitry. The receiver analog circuitry resides within a first integrated circuit and the receiver digital circuitry resides within a second integrated circuit. The second integrated circuit couples to the first integrated circuit via a one-bit digital interface. The receiver analog circuitry receives an RF signal and processes the received RF signal to generate a digital signal. The receiver analog circuitry provides the digital signal to the receiver digital circuitry. The receiver digital circuitry includes a digital down-converter circuitry that mixes the digital signal with an intermediate frequency (IF) local oscillator (LO) signal to generate a digital down-converted signal. The receiver digital circuitry also includes a digital filter circuitry that filters the digital down-converted signal to generate a filtered digital signal.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 1, 2010
Date of Patent:
July 17, 2012
Assignee:
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Inventors:
Richard T. Behrens, Tod Paulus, Mark S. Spurbeck, Vishnu S. Srinivasan, Donald A. Kerth, Jeffrey W. Scott, G. Tyson Tuttle, G. Diwakar Vishakhadatta
Abstract: A programmable logic device (PLD) includes at least two regions. Each region includes electrical circuitry that has a set of transistors. Each of the two regions has a corresponding fixed transistor threshold voltage, a corresponding fixed transistor body bias, and a corresponding fixed supply voltage.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 2011
Date of Patent:
June 12, 2012
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
Andy L. Lee, Christopher F. Lane, Ketan H. Zaveri, Richard G. Cliff, Cameron R. McClintock, Srinivas T. Reddy, David Lewis
Abstract: Apparatus and methods for calculating power consumption of circuitry within integrated circuits (ICs), such as programmable logic devices (PLDs) are disclosed and described. A method of estimating power consumption of a circuit in an IC includes decomposing the IC into a plurality of overlapping blocks. Each block in the plurality of blocks includes a portion of the circuitry in the IC. The method further includes estimating power consumption of each block in the plurality of blocks, and estimating power consumption of the IC based on the power consumption of the plurality of blocks.
Abstract: A capacitive touch slider array comprises a first conductive trace associated with a first sensing node. The first conductive trace includes a first conductive line and a plurality of first conductive fingers extending from the first conductive line. The plurality of first conductive fingers have lengths that increase from a first end of the capacitive touch slider array to a second end of the capacitive touch slider array. A second conductive trace associated with a second sensing node includes a second conductive line and a plurality of second conductive fingers extending from the second conductive line. The plurality of second conductive fingers have lengths that increase from the second end of the capacitive touch slider array to the first end of the capacitive touch slider array.
Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for reducing interference in circuits. A management strategy is provided to reduce reference spurs and interference in circuits. The management strategy uses a combination of one or more techniques which reduce the digital current, minimize mutual inductance, utilize field cancellation, prevent leakage current, and/or manage impedance. These techniques may be used alone, or preferably, used on combination with one another.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 31, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 10, 2012
Assignee:
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Inventors:
David R. Welland, Donald A. Kerth, Caiyi Wang
Abstract: A programmable logic device (PLD) includes a delay circuit and a body-bias generator. The delay circuit has a delay configured to represent a delay of user circuit implement in the PLD. The body-bias generator is configured to adjust the body bias of a transistor within the user circuit. The body-bias generator adjusts the body bias of the transistor in response to a level derived from the signal propagation delay of the delay circuit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2009
Date of Patent:
March 20, 2012
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
David Lewis, Vaughn Betz, Irfan Rahim, Peter McElheny, Yow-Juang W. Liu, Bruce Pedersen
Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a reference circuit. The reference circuit includes at least one controlled current source. The reference circuit further includes a sigma-delta modulator coupled to the at least one controlled current source.
Abstract: A programmable logic device (PLD) includes first and second circuits. The first and second circuits are part of a user's design to be implemented using the PLD's resources. The first circuit is powered by a first supply voltage. The second circuit is powered by a second supply voltage. At least one of the first and second supply voltages is determined by a PLD computer-aided design (CAD) flow used to implement the user's design in the PLD.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 1, 2008
Date of Patent:
January 24, 2012
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
David Lewis, Vaughn Betz, Paul Leventis, Christopher Lane, Andy Lee, Jeffrey Watt, Timothy Vanderhoek
Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a multiple-finger transistor structure. The multiple-finger transistor structure includes one transistor configured as a ballasted device. The multiple-finger transistor structure further includes a second transistor configured as a trigger device for the ballasted device.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 24, 2005
Date of Patent:
January 3, 2012
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
Irfan Rahim, Cheng Hsiung Huang, Yow-Juang Bill Liu, Jeffrey T. Watt, Hugh Sung-Ki O
Abstract: A PLD includes at least one IP block or circuit, and at least one I/O block or circuit. The performance of the at least one IP block is adjusted in order to meet at least one performance characteristic by changing a supply level of the at least one IP block, by adjusting at least one body bias level of the IP block, or both. The performance of the at least one I/O block is adjusted by changing a supply level of the at least one I/O block, by adjusting at least one body bias level of the I/O block, or both.
Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a set of metastability-hardened storage circuits. Each metastability-hardened storage circuit may include: (a) a pulse width distortion circuit; (b) a first circuit powered by a nominal power supply voltage, and a second circuit powered by a higher-than-nominal supply voltage; (c) an inverter and a bias circuit, where the bias circuit provides a bias current based on an intermediate state of the inverter to resolve a metastable state of the inverter; or (d) a latch, and a dynamic bias circuit that causes current to be injected into the latch to resolve a metastable state of the latch.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 18, 2009
Date of Patent:
July 12, 2011
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
David Lewis, Jeffrey Christopher Chromczak, Ryan Fung
Abstract: A programmable logic device (PLD) includes at least two regions. Each region includes electrical circuitry that has a set of transistors. Each of the two regions has a corresponding fixed transistor threshold voltage, a corresponding fixed transistor body bias, and a corresponding fixed supply voltage.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 24, 2006
Date of Patent:
May 3, 2011
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
Andy L. Lee, Christopher F. Lane, Ketan H. Zaveri, Richard G. Cliff, Cameron R. McClintock, Srinivas T. Reddy, David Lewis
Abstract: A metastability-hardened storage circuit includes at least one inverting circuit. The inverting circuit has a logical input. The logical input of the inverting circuit is split into a pair of physical inputs.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 28, 2009
Date of Patent:
April 19, 2011
Assignee:
Altera Corporation
Inventors:
Bruce B. Pedersen, Sivaraman Chokkalingam
Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for reducing interference in circuits. A management strategy is provided to reduce reference spurs and interference in circuits. The management strategy uses a combination of one or more techniques which reduce the digital current, minimize mutual inductance, utilize field cancellation, prevent leakage current, and/or manage impedance. These techniques may be used alone, or preferably, used on combination with one another.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 29, 2005
Date of Patent:
February 8, 2011
Assignee:
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Inventors:
David R. Welland, Donald A. Kerth, Caiyi Wang
Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes one or more silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistors. Each SOI transistor includes a first source region, a second source region, a drain region, a body contact region, a gate, and first and second isolation regions. The body contact region couples electrically to a body of the SOI transistor. The gate controls current flow between the first and second source regions and a drain region of the transistor. The first isolation region is disposed between the first source region and the body contact region. The second isolation region is disposed between the second source region and the body contact region.
Abstract: A programmable logic device (PLD) includes a configuration circuit, and first and second freeze-logic circuits. The configuration circuit provides configuration data for configuring programmable resources of the PLD during a configuration mode of the PLD. One of the two freeze-logic circuits provides a freeze logic signal during the configuration mode of the PLD. The other freeze-logic circuit provides a freeze logic signal during a user mode of the PLD.
Abstract: An all-optical logic gates comprises a nonlinear element such as an optical resonator configured to receive optical input signals, at least one of which is amplitude-modulated to include data. The nonlinear element is configured in relation to the carrier frequency of the optical input signals to perform a logic operation based on the resonant frequency of the nonlinear element in relation to the carrier frequency. Based on the optical input signals, the nonlinear element generates an optical output signal having a binary logic level. A combining medium can be used to combine the optical input signals for discrimination by the nonlinear element to generate the optical output signal. Various embodiments include all-optical AND, NOT, NAND, NOR, OR, XOR, and XNOR gates and memory latch.
Abstract: A radio-frequency (RF) receiver includes a receiver analog circuitry and a receiver digital circuitry. The receiver analog circuitry resides within a first integrated circuit and the receiver digital circuitry resides within a second integrated circuit. The second integrated circuit couples to the first integrated circuit via a one-bit digital interface. The receiver analog circuitry receives an RF signal and processes the received RF signal to generate a digital signal. The receiver analog circuitry provides the digital signal to the receiver digital circuitry. The receiver digital circuitry includes a digital down-converter circuitry that mixes the digital signal with an intermediate frequency (IF) local oscillator (LO) signal to generate a digital down-converted signal. The receiver digital circuitry also includes a digital filter circuitry that filters the digital down-converted signal to generate a filtered digital signal.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 28, 2005
Date of Patent:
April 20, 2010
Assignee:
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Inventors:
Richard T. Behrens, Tod Paulus, Mark S. Spurbeck, Vishnu S. Srinivasan, Donald A. Kerth, Jeffrey W. Scott, G. Tyson Tuttle, G. Diwakar Vishakhadatta