Abstract: Remote analysis method and system for Home Phoneline Networks (HPNs), i.e., local area networks made up of telephone wiring in residential premises. In such a network connected to the Internet, a host computer collects measurements of the frequency response of the local network as well as values of addresses and other important network parameters of devices also located on the local network. The results of this data collection, having been sent via the Internet, may be displayed within a web browser on a remote computer external to the local network in a web. This data can then be monitored conveniently by a service technician or the like at any location.

Abstract: A system for improving the attenuation of an undesired signal found in a differential signal path through the use of inductive coupling. The system includes a primary inductor, a secondary inductor, and a filter. The primary inductor and the secondary inductor operably couple an input differential signal pair to an output differential signal pair, and the filter attenuates an undesired signal in the output differential signal pair.

Abstract: A process for forming bipolar junction transistors having a plurality of different collector doping densities on a semiconductor substrate and an integrated circuit comprising bipolar junction transistors having a plurality of different collector doping densities. A first group of the transistors are formed during formation of a triple well for use in providing triple well isolation for complementary metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors also formed on the semiconductor substrate. Additional bipolar junction transistors with different collector doping densities are formed during a second doping step after forming a gate stack for the field effect transistors. Implant doping through bipolar transistor emitter windows forms bipolar transistors having different doping densities than the previously formed bipolar transistors.

Abstract: A process and an architecture related to a vertical MOSFET device and a capacitor for use in integrated circuits. Generally, the integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor layer with a major surface formed along a plane thereof and further including a first doped region formed in the surface. A second doped region of a different conductivity type than the first doped region is positioned over the first region. A third doped region of a different conductivity type than the second region is positioned over the second region. In one embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor device includes a first layer of semiconductor material and a first field-effect transistor having a first source/drain region formed in the first layer. A channel region of the transistor is formed over the first layer and an associated second source/drain region is formed over the channel region. The integrated circuit further includes a capacitor having a bottom plate, dielectric layer and a top capacitor plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the implementation of reduced state sequence estimation is disclosed, with an increased throughput using precomputation (look-ahead), with only a linear increase in hardware complexity with respect to the look-ahead depth. The present invention limits the increase in hardware complexity by taking advantage of past decisions (or survivor symbols). The critical path of a conventional RSSE implementation is broken up into at least two smaller critical paths using pipeline registers. Various reduced state sequence estimation implementations are disclosed that employ one-step or multiple-step look-ahead techniques to process a signal received from a dispersive channel having a channel memory.

Abstract: A virtual segmentation system and a method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the virtual segmentation system includes a protocol data unit receiver subsystem configured to (i) receive at least a portion of a protocol data unit and (ii) store the at least a portion of the protocol data unit in at least one block, and a virtual segmentation subsystem, associated with the protocol data unit receiver subsystem, configured to perform virtual segmentation on the protocol data unit by segmenting the at least one block when retrieved without reassembling an entirety of the protocol data unit.

Abstract: A shallow trench isolation structure having a negative taper angle and a method for forming same. A silicon nitride layer formed over a semiconductor substrate is etched according to a plasma etch process to form a first opening therein having sidewalls that present a negative taper angle. The substrate is etched to form a trench therein underlying the first opening. Silicon dioxide fills both the opening and the trench to form the shallow trench isolation structure, with the silicon dioxide in the opening exhibiting a negative taper angle to avoid formation of conductive stringers during subsequent process steps.

Abstract: Duplex audio communications over a network use compressed audio data, with linear prediction coefficients (LPCs) and variances by which sample values differ from predictions. A adaptive echo canceller for a transceiver develops finite impulse response filter (FIR) coefficients characterizing an echo path between its local audio output and audio input. The received/decompressed audio data is applied to the FIR coefficients, and the predicted echo is subtracted from the uplink signal. Echo is detected as cross-correlation of the receive signal versus the uplink/send signal over time. In one embodiment, the cross-correlation is determined using a pre-whitened receive signal, obtained by adopting the variance values received over the network by the downlink Codec. Apart from the uplink Codec, no speech analysis filter or process is needed. The technique is apt for GSM, AMR and similar compressed audio communications.

Abstract: Disclosed is a current mode switched power supply. The current mode switched power supply includes a switching element and a power stage coupled to the switching element and configured to provide, in response to the switching of the switching element, an output voltage and a feedback voltage related to the output voltage. The current mode switched power supply also includes a digital control circuit connected to the switching element to digitally control the switching of the switching element.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing channel changing time in multicast media, that can include the steps of receiving at least one of a plurality of available channels from a service provider at a residential gateway through a network, ranking the popularity of at least one of the available channels at a ranking engine connected to the residential gateway, and requesting to receive a number of the channels available from the service provider at the residential gateway based on the ranking. The rank is at least partly based on the data stored in the database.

Abstract: At an audio encoder, cue codes are generated for one or more audio channels, wherein a combined cue code (e.g., a combined inter-channel correlation (ICC) code) is generated by combining two or more estimated cue codes, each estimated cue code estimated from a group of two or more channels. At an audio decoder, E transmitted audio channel(s) are decoded to generate C playback audio channels. Received cue codes include a combined cue code (e.g., a combined ICC code). One or more transmitted channel(s) are upmixed to generate one or more upmixed channels. One or more playback channels are synthesized by applying the cue codes to the one or more upmixed channels, wherein two or more derived cue codes are derived from the combined cue code, and each derived cue code is applied to generate two or more synthesized channels.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for communicating data in a multiple antenna communication system having N transmit antennas. According to one aspect of the invention, a header format includes a legacy preamble having at least one legacy long training field and an extended portion having at least N additional long training fields on each of the N transmit antennas, wherein one or more of the at least N additional long training fields are comprised of only one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. The extended portion optionally comprises one or more repeated OFDM symbols for frequency offset estimation. In one implementation, the extended portion comprises a first high throughput long training field comprised of two repeated OFDM symbols and N?1 high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol. In another variation, the extended portion comprises N high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol.

Abstract: The invention provides a switching converter comprising as few as two high-side switching transistors and a low-side rectifying device, along with a control circuit. The switching converter is capable of operating from a main supply source or an auxiliary supply source. The invention further includes a method for producing a regulated voltage from a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage via the two high-side switching transistors and a low-side rectifying device.

Abstract: The invention, in one aspect, provides a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, which includes conducting an etch through an opening in an emitter layer to form a cavity from an underlying oxide layer that exposes a doped tub. A first silicon/germanium (SiGe) layer, which has a Ge concentration therein, is formed within the cavity and over the doped tub by adjusting a process parameter to induce a strain in the first SiGe layer. A second SiGe layer is formed over the first SiGe layer, and a capping layer is formed over the second SiGe layer.

Abstract: A hot-carrier injection (HCI) test that permits rapid screening of integrated circuit wafers susceptible to possible HCI-induced failures is disclosed. A method is described that determines transistor stress voltages that results in a transistor HCI-induced post-stress drain current differing from a pre-stress drain current within a desired range. These stress voltages are determined using a wafer with acceptable HCI susceptibility. Additional wafers to be tested are first tested using a described method that uses the determined transistor stress voltages to quickly screen the wafers for HCI susceptibility and, if HCI susceptibility is found, then additional conventional HCI testing may be applied to the susceptible wafers.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a consumer electronic device has a rechargeable battery, battery safety circuitry, and consumer electronic device circuitry with a controller. The rechargeable battery has a present temperature and a presently available effective capacity, and provides power to the electronic device via the battery safety circuitry. The controller determines whether the rechargeable battery might have, at a battery temperature greater than the present battery temperature, a potential effective capacity greater than the presently available effective capacity and, upon such determination, provides an indication to the user that additional effective capacity might become available if the battery temperature were raised.

Abstract: Advance training information is provided to a receiving Home network station via auxiliary coding, synchronized and/or included in the relevant Ethernet type packet. The advance training information may be, e.g., past equalizer, timing recovery circuit, AGC circuit, echo canceler values resulting from the reception of a previous frame. The training information may be, e.g., an early identity of the source of the packet, with a subsequent lookup performed by the receiving station for predetermined training value(s), or the training values themselves may be transmitted to the home network receiver via auxiliary coding. The auxiliary coding information may be transmitted before and/or during the frame training period of the relevant frame.

Abstract: A sense amplifier includes a first sensing element and a second sensing element redundant to the first sensing element. The sense amplifier further comprises a switch circuit configured to switch between the first and second sensing elements when an offset of the sense amplifier is greater than a prescribed amount.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating robust films across a patterned underlying layer's edges or steps are disclosed. The novel methods diminish the negative effects of electrode steps or edges on the integrity of a membrane. Thus, the methods are particularly applicable to membrane release technology. The height of the step or edge is eliminated or reduced to increase the mechanical integrity of the film.

Abstract: A media communications system using a multicasting or broadcasting technique, where each individual sink is allowed to request retransmissions according to a budget. The media communications system maintains the media quality of sinks that have a good communications channel in situations where one or more of the sinks is experiencing a bad communications channel, and where otherwise the communications channel would be saturated with retransmission requests and retransmissions which would affect other and possibly all media sinks.