Patents Assigned to ams AG
  • Patent number: 12174548
    Abstract: Forming a three-dimensional structure includes applying photoresist on a layer and using a photolithography system to expose the photoresist. The photolithography system includes a photomask having a pattern thereon, where the pattern provides varying pattern density across a surface of the photomask and has a pitch that is less than a resolution of the photolithography system. The method includes subsequently developing the photoresist such that photoresist remaining on the layer has a three-dimensional profile defined by the photomask. An isotropic etchant is used to etch the layer such that the three-dimensional profile of the photoresist is transferred to the layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Eilmsteiner, Primoz Kusar
  • Patent number: 12085592
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for current peak detection. The apparatus includes a pulse laser diode array, a sense resistor, a capacitive voltage divider (CVD) electrically coupled to the pulse laser diode array, a first current rectifier, a second current rectifier, a first current peak detector, a second current peak detector, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) operable to convert the analog outputs from each current peak detector to a digital output signal, and a digital signal processing (DSP) unit operable to detect, from the digital output signal, a current peak pulse at the top and the bottom of the sense resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventor: Rahim Akbari-Dilmaghani
  • Patent number: 12038533
    Abstract: An optical device (306) includes an internal cavity and an emitter (102) disposed in the internal cavity (210). The emitter is operable to emit a first light wave (220). The optical device also includes a detector (104) disposed in the internal cavity. The detector is operable to detect a second light wave (225) that is based on the first light wave. The second light wave is susceptible to being coupled with an undesired light wave (235) that is based on the first light wave. The optical device further includes an interference filter (310) disposed on the detector. The interference filter has a filter property that causes the interference filter to attenuate the interfering light wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Matt Kroese, Gerhard Eilmsteiner, Josef Kriebernegg, Desislava Oppel
  • Patent number: 11680969
    Abstract: A capacitance to digital converter, CDC, has a first and a second reference terminal for receiving first and second reference voltages, a reference block comprising one or more reference charge stores and being coupled to the first and second reference terminals via a first switching block, a scaling block for providing at third and fourth reference terminals downscaled voltages from the first and second reference voltages depending on a scaling factor, first and second measurement terminals for connecting a capacitive sensor element, the first measurement terminal being coupled to the third and fourth reference terminals via a second switching block, and a processing block coupled to the reference block and to the second measurement terminal and being configured to determine a digital output signal based on a charge distribution between the sensor element and the reference block and based on the scaling factor, the output signal representing a capacitance value of the sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Rafael Serrano Gotarredona, José Manuel García González
  • Patent number: 11675049
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a plurality of Time-of-Flight sensor devices (1) comprises a step of providing a wafer (100) including a plurality of wafer portions (110) for a respective one of the Time-of-Flight sensor devices (1), wherein each of the wafer portions (110) includes a first light detecting area (10) and a second light detecting area (20) and a respective light emitter device (30). The respective light emitter device (30) and the respective first light detecting area (10) is encapsulated by a first volume (40) of a light transparent material (130), and the respective second light detecting area (20) is encapsulated by a second volume (50) of the light transparent material (130). Before singulation of the devices (1), an opaque material (60) is placed on the wafer portions (110) in a space (120) between the respective first and second volume (40, 50) of the light transparent material (130).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Harald Etschmaier, Thomas Bodner
  • Publication number: 20230161075
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an optoelectronic device for manipulating electromagnetic radiation. Drawbacks of conventional systems like material constraints, system complexity and tuning speed are overcome by the optoelectronic device comprising a substrate with at least one tuning structure arranged on the substrate, wherein the tuning structure comprises an electro-optical material. The tuning structure comprises a first and a second electrical contact. A cover layer covers the at least one tuning structure. An optical structure is arranged on the cover layer. A voltage source is electrically connected to the first and the second electrical contact and provided for generating electric fields within the at least one tuning structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventors: Anderson PIRES SINGULANI, Gernot FASCHING, LiJian MAI, Jozef PULKO
  • Publication number: 20230088107
    Abstract: An optical element for introducing a predetermined phase delay into incident electromagnetic radiation. The optical element comprises a first layer and a second layer arranged in a propagation path of a portion of the electromagnetic radiation. The first layer comprises a transmission regions configured to introduce a first phase delay into the portion of electromagnetic radiation propagating therethrough. The second layer comprises a metasurface configured to introduce a second phase delay into the portion of electromagnetic radiation propagating therethrough. The metasurface comprises subwavelength sized structures .
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventors: Anderson SINGULANI, Mai LIJIAN, Jozef PULKO, Gernot FASCHING, Jean-Francois Pierre SEURIN, Chuni GHOSH
  • Publication number: 20230074041
    Abstract: We disclose herein a method of compressing data for data transfer within an electronic device. The method comprises: receiving, at a first processing member of the electronic device, a plurality of data samples produced by a member of the electronic device, wherein the data samples comprise numerical bits; restructuring, by the first processing member, the plurality of data samples into a plurality of data packets; labelling each data packet with a sample indicator bit to indicate a plurality of groups across the plurality of data packets; transferring a bit stream comprising at least some of the plurality of data packets across an interface of the electronic device to a receiving member of the electronic device; and decoding the bit stream, by a second processing member of the electronic device, to obtain at least some of the plurality of the data samples, the decoding being based at least in part on the sample indicator bits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventors: Bernhard GREIMEL-RECHLING, Joachim LECHNER, Herbert LENHARD, Philipp DUNST
  • Publication number: 20230015614
    Abstract: A method for starting a system-on-a-chip, SoC, without read only memory, ROM, comprises the steps of receiving, by a processor comprised by the SoC, a reset signal, monitoring, by a monitoring component comprised by the SoC, a connection between the processor and at least a non-volatile memory, both comprised by the SoC, upon occurrence of a first read access of the processor to the non-volatile memory via the connection checking, by the monitoring component, whether a data value returned in response to the first read access via the connection conforms to a pre-set value, and if the returned data value differs from the pre-set value, stopping, by the monitoring component, operation of the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventor: Michael BÖHM
  • Patent number: 11537155
    Abstract: A low-dropout regulator having an output current branch being arranged between a supply line to provide a supply potential and an output node to provide a regulated output voltage. The output current branch includes an output driver to provide an output current at the output node. The output driver has a control connection to apply a control voltage to operate the output driver with a different conductivity in dependence on the control voltage. The LDO includes an input amplifier stage to provide the control voltage to the control connection of the output driver. The input amplifier stage is configured to provide the control voltage with a different slew rate in dependence on an increase or decrease of the output current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Carlo Fiocchi, Valerio Pisati
  • Patent number: 11513050
    Abstract: A particulate matter sensor including a light source, a photodetector, and a particle filter. The light source and the photodetector are arranged in the same plane as the particle filter. Integrated particulate matter sensors are operable to detect particulate matter by measuring an optical characteristic of a filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Alexander Bergmann, Martin Kraft
  • Patent number: 11486851
    Abstract: A gas sensor comprises an electrochemical film, a plurality of electrodes coupled with the electrochemical film and a semiconductor wafer coupled with the plurality of electrodes. A passivation layer is formed between the electrochemical firm and the semiconductor wafer and a dielectric layer is coupled between the electrochemical film and the semiconductor wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Filip Frederix, Erik Jan Lous
  • Patent number: 11474039
    Abstract: The chemical sensing device comprises a substrate of semiconductor material, integrated circuit components and a photodetector formed in the substrate, a dielectric on the substrate, a wiring in the dielectric, and a source of electromagnetic radiation, a waveguide and a fluorescent sensor layer arranged in or above the dielectric. A portion of the waveguide is arranged to allow the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the source of electromagnetic radiation to be coupled into the waveguide. A further portion of the waveguide is arranged between the photodetector and the fluorescent sensor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Martin Sagmeister, Victor Sidorov, Jochen Kraft
  • Publication number: 20220328551
    Abstract: The system-on-chip camera comprises a semiconductor body with an integrated circuit, a sensor substrate, sensor elements arranged in the sensor substrate according to an array of pixels, a light sensor in the sensor substrate apart from the sensor elements, and a lens or an array of lenses on a surface of incidence. Filter elements, which may especially be interference filters for red, green or blue, are arranged between the sensor elements and the surface of incidence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventors: Martin SCHREMS, Thomas STOCKMEIER
  • Publication number: 20220321862
    Abstract: A photodetector in semiconductor material is provided with a first transfer gate between the photodetector and a first diffusion region in the semiconductor material, a second transfer gate between the photodetector and a second diffusion region in the semiconductor material, a capacitor connected between the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region, a first switch connected between the first diffusion region and a first reference voltage, and a second switch connected between the second diffusion region and a second reference voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventor: Guy MEYNANTS
  • Publication number: 20220074975
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for current peak detection. The apparatus includes a pulse laser diode array, a sense resistor, a capacitive voltage divider (CVD) electrically coupled to the pulse laser diode array, a first current rectifier, a second current rectifier, a first current peak detector, a second current peak detector, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) operable to convert the analog outputs from each current peak detector to a digital output signal, and a digital signal processing (DSP) unit operable to detect, from the digital output signal, a current peak pulse at the top and the bottom of the sense resistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventor: Rahim Akbari-Dilmaghani
  • Patent number: 11070170
    Abstract: An oscillator circuit arrangement comprises an inverter having input and output terminals that are to be connected to a crystal device. An automatic gain control device controls a current source that supplies current to the inverter. First and second diode devices having different orientation are connected between the input and the output of the inverter. The oscillator consumes low power and has a fast recovery time after an electromagnetic interference event. The oscillator can be used in electronic labels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventor: Rahim Akbari-Dilmaghani
  • Publication number: 20210199768
    Abstract: An optical device (306) includes an internal cavity and an emitter (102) disposed in the internal cavity (210). The emitter is operable to emit a first light wave (220). The optical device also includes a detector (104) disposed in the internal cavity. The detector is operable to detect a second light wave (225) that is based on the first light wave. The second light wave is susceptible to being coupled with an undesired light wave (235) that is based on the first light wave. The optical device further includes an interference filter (310) disposed on the detector. The interference filter has a filter property that causes the interference filter to attenuate the interfering light wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: ams AG
    Inventors: Matt KROESE, Gerhard EILMSTEINER, Josef KRIEBERNEGG, Desislava OPPEL
  • Patent number: 11029197
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement has an integrator, a photodiode for providing a current corresponding to a first polarity, a comparator coupled to the integrator for comparing a voltage with a threshold voltage to provide a comparison output, a reference charge circuit and a control unit. The reference charge circuit is coupled to the integrator for selectively providing first charge packages of a first size or second charge packages of a second size. The control unit is configured to control operation in a calibration phase, in an integration phase and in a residual measurement phase. During the calibration phase, the reference charge circuit provides one of the first charge packages and one or more of the second charge packages to the integrator until the comparison output changes. A reference number is determined corresponding to a number of the second charge packages provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Greimel-Längauer, Peter Bliem
  • Patent number: 10944251
    Abstract: A protective circuit (10) comprises a terminal (11), a reference potential terminal (12) and a protective structure (13) that is arranged between the terminal (11) and the reference potential terminal (12), and is designed to be conductive in the event of an electrostatic discharge. The protective circuit (10) furthermore comprises a voltage supply circuit (14) that is coupled to a control input (16) of the protective structure (13) with its output side and is designed for delivering, in the event of radiofrequency interference, a control signal (ST) to the control input (16) with such a high voltage value that conduction of the protective structure (13) is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Reinprecht, Christian Stockreiter, Bernhard Weiss