Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Steven Shaw
  • Patent number: 8304883
    Abstract: The objective of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device that allows individual molding of plural semiconductor chips carried on a surface of the substrate. It includes the following process steps: a process step in which plural semiconductor elements 102 are arranged on the surface of substrate 100; a process step in which the inner side of substrate 102 is fixed on lower die 130; a process step in which liquid resin 114 is supplied from nozzle 112 onto each of the semiconductor elements in order to cover at least a portion of each of semiconductor chips 102; a process step in which the upper die having plural cavities 144 formed in one surface is pressed onto the lower die, and liquid resin 114 is molded at a prescribed temperature by means of plural cavities 144; and a process step in which cavities 144 of upper die 140 are detached from the substrate, and plural molding resin portions are formed individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Yoshimi Takahashi, Masazumi Amagai
  • Patent number: 8304868
    Abstract: A pallet (501) supporting a half-etched leadframe with cantilever-type leads (403) without metallic supports during the step of attaching components (510) to the leads in order to assemble an electronic system. After assembly, the pallet is removed before the molding step that encapsulates (601a) the components on the leadframe and mechanically supports (601b) the cantilever leads. The pallet is machined from metal or inert plastic material, tolerates elevated temperatures during soldering, and is reusable for the next assembly batch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael G Amaro, Steven A Kummerl, Taylor R Efland, Sreenivasan K Koduri
  • Patent number: 8306050
    Abstract: A backoff counter is used to determine the start time of a contended allocation for a device. The backoff counter is set to an integer randomly drawn from the interval [1, CW], where CW is a contention window value selected based upon the priority of the traffic to be transmitted. The backoff counter is decremented for each idle contention slot detected. When the backoff counter reaches zero, the device attempts to transmit in the next contention slot. If the device receives no acknowledgement or an incorrect acknowledgment, then the transmission has failed. After a failed transmission, CW is set by alternately doubling the CW value up to a CWmax value for the user priority. CW is unchanged, if it was doubled in the last setting; and CW is doubled, if it was unchanged in the last setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Jin-Meng Ho
  • Patent number: 8307255
    Abstract: A layered message updating method and system for the decoding of LDPC codes with high sub-matrix degree has a scalable and flexible decoder architecture to support LDPC codes with arbitrary high sub-matrix degree with very small hardware overhead and high throughput. Embodiments of the invention support LDPC codes with sub-matrix degree W>=1. The architecture does not require duplication of extrinsic memory which greatly reduces decoder complexity. The size of the memory is also independent of sub-matrix degree which makes the decoder scalable for large W values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Yang Sun, Yuming Zhu, Manish Goel
  • Patent number: 8306139
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection, comprising a leaf node predictor for receiving a processed communications stream, computing at least one channel metric corresponding to the communications stream for a given channel realization, and generating at least one parameter corresponding to at least one predicted best leaf node candidate for the given channel realization. A MIMO engine receives the at least one parameter and enumerates at least one list of candidate vectors corresponding to the leaf nodes specified by the generated at least one parameter. Some embodiments simulate a MIMO detector over many channel realizations, track channel metric and parameter values used for each channel realization resulting from such simulating, and store, in a look-up table, best values of the tracked values used for a particular channel metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: David L. Milliner, Deric W. Waters, Anuj Batra, Srinath Hosur
  • Patent number: 8304887
    Abstract: An integrated circuit package is described that includes a substrate, a leadframe and one or more integrated circuits that are positioned between the substrate and the leadframe. Multiple electrical components may be attached to one or both sides of the substrate. The active face of the integrated circuit is electrically and physically connected to the substrate. The back side of the integrated circuit is mounted on a die attach pad of the leadframe. The leadframe includes multiple leads that are physically attached to and electrically coupled with the substrate. A molding material encapsulates portions of the substrate, the leadframe and the integrated circuit. Methods for forming such packages are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Lee Han Meng @ Eugene Lee, Kuan Yee Woo
  • Patent number: 8306003
    Abstract: A wireless device in a wireless network transmits a data frame even in the presence of in-band interference (from transmission of other devices) on a shared channel provided in the wireless network. In an embodiment, configuration data is provided to the wireless device indicating whether frames be transmitted (stomped) or not in the presence of such inband interference. If the configuration data indicates that the wireless device transmit in the presence of in-band interference, the wireless device transmits a frame if the transmitter of the interfering communication is determined to be from a different basic service set (BSS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sridhar Ramesh, Arvind Venkatadri, Divyesh Kumar Shah, Mayank Jain, Vijayvithal Someracharya Jahagirdar, Sarma Gunturi, Indu Prathapan
  • Patent number: 8298863
    Abstract: A method for assembling die packages includes attaching contacts on a first side of a plurality of first die to substrate pads on a top surface of a composite carrier. The composite carrier includes a package substrate including at least one embedded metal layer having its bottom surface secured to a semiconductor wafer. The composite carrier minimizes effects of the CTE mismatch between the die and the package substrate during assembly reduces warpage of the die. After the attaching, the semiconductor wafer is removed from the package substrate. Electrically conductive connectors are attached to the bottom surface of the package substrate, and the package substrate is sawed to form a plurality of singulated die packages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Margaret Simmons-Matthews
  • Patent number: 8299612
    Abstract: A through substrate via (TSV) die includes a plurality of TSVs including an outer dielectric sleeve, an inner metal core and protruding TSV tips including sidewalls that emerge from the TSV die. A passivation layer lateral to protruding TSV tips is on a portion of the sidewalls of protruding TSV tips. The passivation layers is absent from a distal portion of protruding TSV tips to provide an exposed portion of the inner metal core. The TSV tips include bulbous distal tip ends which cover a portion of the TSV sidewalls, are over a topmost surface of the outer dielectric sleeve, and have a maximum cross sectional area that is ?25% more as compared to a cross sectional area of the protruding TSV tips below the bulbous distal tip ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. West, Young-Joon Park
  • Patent number: 8298944
    Abstract: A method of fabricating through silicon via (TSV) die includes depositing a first dielectric layer on a substrate that includes a plurality of TSV die. The TSV die have a topside including active circuitry, a bottomside, and a plurality of TSVs including an inner metal core that reaches from the topside to protruding TSV tips that extend out from the bottomside. The first dielectric layer covers the TSV tips. A portion of the first dielectric layer is removed to expose the TSV tips. At least one metal layer is deposited on the TSV tips to form metal caps on the TSV tips to provide metal capped TSV tips. A second dielectric layer is deposited on the bottomside of the substrate to cover the metal capped TSV tips. A portion of the second dielectric layer is removed to expose a portion of the metal capped TSV tips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Jeffrey Alan West
  • Patent number: 8297472
    Abstract: A pellet loading apparatus includes a tablet pusher including a support surfaces including a pusher mechanism coupled thereto for vertical movement upon actuation. A tablet holder on the tablet pusher includes locations framed by sidewall members aligned in the vertical direction that form columns having open tops for holding a pellet stacks of mold component pellets. A pellet separator having a solid portion and apertures is sized to fit around a portion of a top mold pellet in the pellet stacks. The pellet separator includes a pellet drive for lateral moving the top mold pellets relative to under pellets so that after lateral movement the top mold pellets are laterally offset from the under pellets. A tablet lifter includes a pellet stopper having receiving positions for receiving top mold pellets upon receipt after a transfer actuation of the pusher mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Norbert Joson Santos, Edgar Dorotayo Balidoy, Anthony Steven Dominisac Panagan, Freddie Mariano Dela Cruz
  • Patent number: 8298870
    Abstract: In a method for transferring at least one of power and ground signal between a die and a package base of a semiconductor device, a connector is formed there between. The connector, which is disposed above the die attached to the package base, includes a center pad electrically coupled to the die by a plurality of conductive bumps and a finger extending outward from the center pad towards the package base. The finger is electrically coupled to the package base by a conductive pad. A plurality of bond wires are formed to electrically couple the package base and the die. A resistance of a conductive path via the connector is much less than a resistance of a conductive path via any one of the plurality of bond wires to facilitate an efficient transfer of the at least one of power and ground signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Matthew D. Romig
  • Patent number: 8298947
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a chip (101) with gold studs (212) assembled on a tape substrate (102), which has solder balls (103) for attachment to external parts. The tape substrate (about 30 to 70 ?m thick) has on its first surface first copper contact pads (221) covered with a continuous thin nickel layer (222) of about 0.04 to 0.12 ?m thickness. Gold including stud (212) is contacting the nickel. On the second substrate surface are second copper contact pads (231) covered with an alloy layer (about 2 to 3 ?m thick) including gold, copper/tin alloys, and copper/nickel/tin alloys; the alloys are metallurgically attached to the second copper pad and substantially free of unalloyed nickel. A reflow body (103) comprising tin is metallurgically attached to the alloy layer of each second pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Mutsumi Masumoto
  • Patent number: 8298874
    Abstract: A method for forming a packaged electronic device including a package substrate having a top substrate surface including a die attach region including at least one land pad thereon and a first dielectric layer positioned lateral to the land pad and a non-die attach region. A second dielectric layer is formed on the top substrate surface of the package substrate. An IC die which is mounted to the top substrate surface of the package substrate. An underfill layer is formed between the IC die and the die attach region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Bernardo Gallegos, Kenji Masumoto
  • Patent number: 8299588
    Abstract: A synchronous Buck converter in a molded package (thickness 101 between 0.8 and 1.0 mm) has vertically assembled control (110) and sync (120) power FET chips and a driver chip (630). The sync chip has one power terminal attached to the leadframe pad (104) and the opposite power terminal covered by a first copper layer (125) connected (210) to a first leadframe terminal (105), the first layer providing a smaller resistance to a current between first terminal and pad than the resistance through the sync chip. The control chip has one power terminal attached to the first layer and the opposite power terminal covered by a second copper layer (115) connected (410) to a second leadframe terminal (106), the second layer providing a smaller resistance to a current from the first to the second terminal than the resistance through the control chip. Connections (210, 410) of layers (125, 115) to leadframe terminals (105, 106) are copper wires of 20 to 50 ?m diameter, enabling currents between 3 and 30 A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tetsuo Tateishi, Matthew D Romig
  • Patent number: 8300703
    Abstract: An adaptive transcoder is provided that includes a shared memory containing a plurality of decoder buffers to store incoming data packets, a plurality of decoder instances to control a decoding process to generate image raw data based on the incoming data packets, and a plurality of encoder instances configured to control an encoding process to generate outgoing packets based on the image raw data; and a data processing element containing a plurality of processing cores, and a core controller. Each decoder instance is paired with an encoder instance; and each decoder buffer is associated with a decoder instance. Each decoder buffer includes a monitoring element to monitor a respective decoder buffer, and provide buffer data corresponding to the status of the decoder buffer. Each encoder instance is associated with a processing core; and the core controller uses the buffer data to associate each decoder instance with a processing core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Vivekanand Chengalvala, Djordje Senicic
  • Patent number: 8295262
    Abstract: A method for multiplexing reference signal (RS) transmissions from user equipments (UEs), with the RS having a bandwidth larger than the data signal bandwidth (distributed RS) is provided. A transmission time interval (TTI) comprises of one or more sub-frames and each sub-frame comprises of at least two RS transmission periods and a plurality of data signal transmission periods. A distributed RS is transmitted during at least one of the at least two RS transmission periods in at least one of the sub-frames comprising the TTI. During the remaining RS transmission periods, for a UE having a data signal transmission, the RS bandwidth is substantially the same as the data signal bandwidth (localized RS). The total system bandwidth is divided into contiguous, non-overlapping sub-bandwidths, called reference signal multiplexing blocks (RSMBs). Transmission of distributed RS occurs within an RSMB and does not cross over different RSMBs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tarik Muharemovic, Aris Papasakellariou
  • Patent number: 8294261
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a substrate having a top surface including substrate pads, and a through substrate via (TSV) die including a semiconductor substrate including a topside semiconductor surface having active circuitry and a bottomside surface. The topside semiconductor surface includes bonding connectors that are coupled to the substrate pads on the top surface of the substrate. A plurality of TSVs include an inner metal core that extends from the topside semiconductor surface to protruding TSV tips which extend out from the bottomside surface. At least one of the plurality of TSVs are dummy TSVs that have their protruding TSV tips exclusive of any electrically connection thereto that provide additional surface area that enhances heat dissipation from the bottomside of the TSV die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kazuaki Mawatari, Kengo Aoya, Yoshikatsu Umeda, Jeffrey A. West
  • Patent number: 8288849
    Abstract: A semiconductor device including a first memory die having a first memory type, a second memory die having a second memory type different from the first memory type, and a logic die such as a microprocessor. The first memory die can be electrically connected to the logic die using a first type of electrical connection preferred for the first memory type. The second memory die can be electrically connected to the logic die using a second type of electrical connection different from the first type of electrical connection which is preferred for the second memory type. Other devices can include dies all of the same type, or two or more dies of a first type and two or more dies of a second type different from the first type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kurt Wachtler, Margaret Rose Simmons-Matthews
  • Patent number: 8289205
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of reacquiring satellite signals quickly. A pseudorange of at least one satellite is estimated. A user's position is also estimated. Then a signal from at one or more satellites may be received. By detecting when the user is stationary, the Doppler frequency estimation can be corrected or the SNR can be boosted more both of which lead to improved performance. The embodiments allow a GNSS receiver to process signals in when the signal level would otherwise be too low—for example indoors. The embodiments can improve performance when one or more satellites are temporarily blocked but one or more satellites are still being tracked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Deric W. Waters, June Chul Roh, Sandeep Rao