Abstract: A latching circuit with reduced signal delay is disclosed comprising a latch and an output logic function circuit. The same signals are applied to the output gate of the latch and to the logic function circuit, whereby the output gate and the logic function circuit effectively are connected in parallel, rather than in series, to eliminate one level of logic delay. An additional logic signal is applied only to the logic function circuit but not to the latch. Provision can be made for applying inverted data to the latch in the event that the latch and the logic function circuit are implemented with NAND or NOR gates.

Abstract: A signal transmission line terminator for an off-chip driver circuit is disclosed in which each capacitor and resistor comprising each terminator are formed on the same chip separate from the driver circuit chip. The close proximity of the elements of the terminator reduce the path lengths therebetween to a minimum. The structure substantially eliminates the corresponding inductive reactance and concommitant .DELTA.I noise at high switching rates employed in high performance computers.

Abstract: Deep trenches (14,15) are formed according to the desired pattern through the N epitaxial layer (13) and N.sup.+ subcollector region (12) into the P.sup.- substrate (11) of a silicon structure (10). Where a substrate contact is needed, the trenches delineate a central stud (16) or mesa of silicon material. Channel stop regions (18) are formed e.g. by ion implantation of boron atoms at the bottom of trenches, SiO.sub.2 and Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layers (17,19) are then deposited on the whole structure. A substrate contact mask is applied and patterned to selectively expose one side of the trench sidewalls, the bottom of the trenches adjacent thereto and others areas if desired such as the top surface of the stud. The composite SiO.sub.2 /Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer is then etched to leave exposed only the sidewalls of the stud, at least partially the bottom of the trenches adjacent thereto and the top surface of the stud.

Abstract: A multiple chip module is provided with an engineering change (EC)/repair facility by means of delete lines located on both major surfaces of the module. In one embodiment, defective pin vias through the module are repaired by use of the delete lines on both major surfaces.

Abstract: In the fabrication of integrated circuits, a method is provided for forming dielectrically isolated regions in a semiconductor substrate comprising forming over the semiconductor substrate surface an electrically insulating layer of dielectric material having a plurality of openings therethrough and etching to form recesses in the semiconductor substrate exposed in the openings. Then, aluminum is deposited over the substrate so that an aluminum layer is formed on said layer of dielectric material as well as in said recesses. Next, the aluminum in the recesses is selectively anodized to form aluminum oxide, and the remaining aluminum on said layer of dielectric material is removed either by selectively etching away the aluminum layer or by a "lift-off" technique wherein the insulating layer of dielectric material under the aluminum is etched away thereby "lifting-off" and removing the aluminum.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method enabling the use of four or more levels of metal over silicon chips whereby increased wiring density, reduced wiring capacitances and improved interconnection reliability are achieved. Stud vertical wiring and special etching procedures to accommodate differences in stud elevation and in stud size, are features which provide substantial planarity in the successive levels.

Abstract: The present method discloses the steps to form metal device contact studs between regions of a semiconductor device, such as an NPN vertical bipolar transistor, and the first level metal, the studs overlapping both a contact region (such as the base or the collector) and an adjacent polyimide-filled trench. The method is comprised of the following steps:(a) applying a lift off mask exposing said contact region and adjacent trench without attacking the polyimide fill,(b) blanket depositing the stud forming metal onto the whole structure,(c) lifting off said mask and the overlying metal,(d) blanket depositing a second dielectric layer onto the whole structure, the thickness of said second layer being approximately the stud height,(e) removing said second dielectric layer until the top surface of the highest contact stud is exposed and(f) polishing both the metal and said second dielectric layer to leave a substantially planarized structure ready for further personalization.

Abstract: An improved one-device random access memory cell comprises a transistor and a capacitor, with one of the transistor's controlled electrodes being connected to one of the capacitor plates to form a storage node. The storage node is maintained at either a first or a second voltage level depending upon the binary state of the cell.The other capacitor plate is connected to a voltage level which is approximately midway between the first and second voltage levels so that the maximum voltage across the capacitor is reduced to one half the voltage of prior art cells wherein the other capacitor plate was grounded or maintained at the memory power supply voltage level. By halving the maximum voltage across the capacitor, the capacitor dielectric thickness may be halved to thereby double the capacitance per unit area without exceeding the capacitor dielectric breakdown field strength.

Abstract: The wiring nets on a module are divided into two groups of planes, i.e., an upper group in which wiring is placed along "north-south" and "east-west" directions and a lower group in which wiring is placed along diagonal directions. All vias for connecting to the wiring pass through the upper group of planes but only half of the vias pass through the lower group of planes. Thus the spacing between the vias of the lower group of planes is greater than the spacing between the upper vias, allowing more lines per wiring channel in the lower group of planes.

Abstract: A circuit for receiving signals from a device connected through a line meeting the requirements of EIA RS232C Standard, comprising a differential amplifier (2) receiving an input signal the amplitude of which is divided by factor k through input network (1). The switching threshold of amplifier (2) is variable and has a first value to ensure switching on the positive slope edge of the input signal and a second value to ensure switching on the negative slope edge. This circuit comprises circuits for detecting the status of the connected device, including a level detector (3) and a decision circuit (4) which, according to the outputs of the receiver and level detector (5), generates a signal indicating the status of the connected device. Integrators (5, 6) are provided for preventing the status indicating signal from changing its level when the input signal goes through zero or receives short noise pulses.

Abstract: Contact metallurgy is disclosed for passivated semiconductor devices. The metallurgy comprises a compressively stressed, oxygen-containing titanium underlayer covered by a solder-bondable layer extending through via holes in dielectric material on the semiconductor device. The solder bondable layer is either nickel or ruthenium, where lower current densities are encountered or a composite of layers of copper, titanium, copper and gold for higher current densities.

Abstract: A reduced pressure epitaxial deposition method is disclosed to maximize performance and leakage limited yield of devices formed in the epitaxial layer. The method includes specified prebake and deposition conditions designed to minimize arsenic (buried subcollector) and boron (buried isolation) autodoping effects when pressures below one atmosphere are selected in accordance with the subcollector-to-isolation area ratio.

Abstract: This dynamic reference potential generating circuit arrangement is especially adaptable to a binary data storage array of the type wherein each data storage cell comprises a single transistor and a single capacitor. A reference potential generating circuit for such an array comprises a pair of such identical transistors connected in parallel and a pair of identical capacitors, connected in common to the transistor emitter electrodes which capacitors couple the emitters to a digit line and to a refresh line, respectively. This arrangement develops a potential swing at the emitter electrodes equal to half of the potential swing that would develop at the emitter electrode of the transistor of a single data storage cell for the same signal swing on the digit line. Basically, the total capacitance connected to the emitter electrode of the generator circuit transistors is twice the capacitance connected to the emitter electrode of the transistor of a single storage cell.

Abstract: A hierarchical memory system is disclosed comprising at least one dual-ported memory level, each port having access to a separate bidirectional data bus. The port facing the higher memory levels is equipped with a pair of data buffers having a bit width equal to the bit width of a single row of cells in the storage array contained within the dual-ported level. One buffer (output) is loaded in one cycle from the array. The outer buffer (input) is emptied in one cycle into the array. Both buffers interact with the higher memory level independently of the transferring of data through the other of the dual ports. Thus, contention for the use of bus facilities and contention for memory cycles are greatly reduced in the transferring of data between the memory levels.

Abstract: A fault alignment exclusion method and apparatus is disclosed which operates to prevent the alignment of two or more defective bit storage locations at an address in a memory array. The disclosed memory comprises a plurality (n.times.m) of separate memory chips arranged in a matrix of n rows and m columns. Each of the chips contains a large plurality (64K) of individually addressable bit locations. A plurality of data words, each containing m (72) bit positions are transferred from the memory array to a n (16) word m (72) bit position buffer during a memory read operation. Steering logic responsive to control signals is disposed between the memory and the buffer which permits the n chips in each column of the array to be effectively rearranged selectively within the respective columns so that the relationship of any given chip to a position of the 16 storage positions in a corresponding buffer column may be selectively changed by the control signals applied to the steering logic.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for operating a fault tolerant memory system which is provided with a fault alignment exclusion mechanism of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 388,834. The method allows the assignment of a new permute vector to the fault alignment mechanism even though the memory is operating and storing user data. The method rearranges the data in the affected column by transferring data in one chip to another chip in the column through a buffer under the control of the old and new permute vectors. The transfer operation involves transferring the data at the same bit position from each chip in the column to a buffer under the control of the old permute vector and then transferring the data from the buffer to the same bit positions in other chips in the column determined by the new permute vector. The memory is then returned to the user for normal operation.

Abstract: A weighted current digital to analog converter (DAC) translates digital bits to corresponding analog signals by a suitably operated transfer circuit of (1) multiple parallel current sources for more significant bits and (2) binary weighted current sources for lesser significant bits. The number of resistors and the ratio of adjacent resistors is reduced in the transfer circuit relative to a ladder type DAC. Power saving and linearity are improved by the reduced number and ratio of adjacent resistors. The transfer circuit facilitates fabrication of the DAC in a semiconductor. Temperature stability is improved by proper location of the current sources in the semiconductor.

Abstract: The cycle time of a data processing system should always be determined in such a manner that data from a source register, after having been propagated through, if necessary, several transfer sections and line drivers, and through a chain of logic circuits for the respective processing steps, can be stored in the result or sink register safely and even with the worst case propagation tolerance of all elements involved. The ideal cycle time therefore, which is dependent on the processing speed of the slowest chain of logic circuits, has to have added time segments for the worst case of unprecise clocking.A reduction of the cycle time by the above mentioned added time segments, and if necessary by the propagation delays in the transfer sections and in the line drivers, is achieved when the chain of logic circuits and thus its delay time is divided into two partial chains with the partial delays and if the sink register is arranged between the two partial chains.

Abstract: An online system is disclosed for mapping errors into an error map as data is transferred between a CPU and a relatively large fault tolerant semiconductor memory system without interfering with the normal use of the memory. The error mapping system permits a fault alignment exclusion mechanism to develop permute vectors which realign pair faults that were located at the same memory address. Having an up-to-date fault map which reflects the current error status of the memory when it is online and which reflects errors based on user data patterns greatly enhances the memory system and facilitates fault alignment exclusion efficiency.

Abstract: A high sheet resistivity, doped semiconductor resistor is made by a process which produces a resistor diffusion or ion implantation mask having a narrow dimension determined by a "sidewall" technique. The sidewall technique defines the narrow dimension by the thickness of a doped or undoped layer deposited on a different underlying layer having horizontal and vertical surfaces. The horizontal portion of the deposited layer is removed by anistropic etching to leave only the vertical portion. The vertical portion, if undoped, is removed to define a diffused or ion-implanted resistor. The vertical portion, if doped, optionally may be removed, after heating to form a diffused resistor, or may be left in place to form a resistor in shunt with the diffused resistor.