Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a field effect transistor (FET) structure. The FET structure has a substrate, an active region, a dielectric layer provided over a channel of the active region and a gate provided over the dielectric layer. The active region comprises a source, a drain and the channel provided between the source and the drain. The active region is surrounded by an isolation trench, such that width edges of the channel are directly adjacent to the isolation trench. Current paths run between the source and the drain, through the channel. The FET is configured such that current paths running proximal to the channel edges are reduced or weaker in comparison to a dominant current path running through a center of the channel. One or more of the channel, the dielectric layer or the substrate can be modified or adapted to provide the reduced and dominant current paths.

Abstract: The battery monitoring techniques described herein use a self-characterizing wireless monitor coupled to a battery to monitor different properties of the battery. The wireless monitor may measure, among other things, an alternating current frequency response (ACFR) of the battery. To accomplish this, the wireless monitor may generate and inject a stimulus signal into the battery, and the monitor may then synchronously measure the corresponding impedance response of the battery.

Abstract: A stress-isolated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device and a method of manufacture of the stress-isolated MEMS device are provided. MEMS devices may be sensitive to stress and may provide lower performance when subjected to stress. A stress-isolated MEMS device may be manufactured by etching a trench and/or a cavity in a first side of a substrate and subsequently forming a MEMS device on a surface of a platform opposite the first side of the substrate. Such a stress-isolated MEMS device may exhibit better performance than a MEMS device that is not stress-isolated. Moreover, manufacturing the MEMS device by first forming a trench and cavity on a backside of a wafer, before forming the MEMS device on a suspended platform, provides increased yield and allows for fabrication of smaller parts, in at least some embodiments.

Abstract: An audio signal processing method implemented by an audio system with an audio sensor and a speaker unit includes: measuring, by the audio sensor, acoustic signals reaching the audio sensor, producing a sensor audio signal; retrieving a speaker audio signal corresponding to a speaker acoustic signal from the speaker unit while measuring the acoustic signals reaching the audio sensor to produce the sensor audio signal; converting the speaker and sensor audio signals to speaker and sensor audio spectra; estimating, based on the speaker audio spectrum, an echo audio spectrum of an echo audio signal caused by the speaker acoustic signal in the sensor audio signal; computing, based on the echo audio spectrum and the sensor audio spectrum, echo suppression gains to be applied to the sensor audio spectrum, by using a MMSE-LSA estimator; and applying the echo suppression gains to the sensor audio spectrum.

Abstract: In a channel hopping network, some channels are typically less reliable than others due to interference and multipath effects. It is beneficial to favour the more reliable channels. Examples of the present disclosure achieve this by (1) randomly or pseudorandomly allocating multiple channels to a transmitter-receiver pair; (2) adaptively determining, by the transmitter, relatively reliable channels which the transmitter-receiver pair should ideally use for communication; (3) transmitting this information to the receiver; and (4) comparing the allocated channels with the determined channels to enable both the transmitter and the receiver to select the best channel to communicate on.

Abstract: An example common mode (CM) voltage clamp for a node of a multidrop network includes a first and second CM voltage dividers coupled to first and second lines of a differential link; a first N-type transistor coupled to the first line via a first diode, and further coupled to the first CM voltage divider; a second N-type transistor coupled to the second line via a second diode, and further coupled to the first CM voltage divider; a first P-type transistor coupled to a ground signal of the node via a third diode, and further coupled to the second CM voltage divider; and a second P-type transistor coupled to the ground signal of the node via a fourth diode and further coupled to the second CM voltage divider, where the second CM voltage divider is further be coupled to the ground signal via a fifth diode.

Abstract: An audio signal processing method includes measuring a voice signal, wherein the measurement performed by an audio system including first through third sensors. Measuring the voice signal produces first through third audio signals by the first through third sensors, respectively. The audio signal processing method further includes: producing an output signal by using the first audio signal, the second audio signal and the third audio signal, wherein the output signal corresponds to: the first audio signal below a first crossing frequency, the second audio signal between the first crossing frequency and a second crossing frequency, the third audio signal above the second crossing frequency. The first crossing frequency is lower than or equal to the second crossing frequency, wherein the first crossing frequency and the second crossing frequency are different for at least some operating conditions of the audio system.

Abstract: Described herein is a device for autonomously monitoring a battery is provided. The device is integrated with the battery (e.g., by being electrically coupled to the battery). The device obtains measurement data by injecting electrical signals into the battery and measuring an electrical response of the battery. The device participates in an authentication protocol with a computing device to verify a unique identity of the device to the computing device. After performing the authentication protocol verifying the unique identity of the device, the device transmits battery data to the computer. Further, techniques for verifying the identity of the battery using measurement data obtained by the device are described herein. The techniques generate a battery signature using the measurement data that is then used to verify the identity of the battery. For example, the battery signature may be used to determine whether the battery is counterfeit or defective.

Abstract: Techniques for setting a gain of an amplifier circuit in which the external resistor of the amplifier circuit is used to determine an internal gain setting to select. A voltage across the external resistor can be compared to an on-chip reference, and then used to program the desired gain. The techniques can mitigate or eliminate the need for a high-accuracy external resistor and can allow substantial improvements in initial gain accuracy and gain drift for existing boards and/or systems with only a bill of material change.

Abstract: A current sensing technique for coupled inductors in switching regulator circuits, where the current sensing technique can provide the current information needed for a power converter design and can be implemented as a real-world solution. The current sensing techniques can provide complete information of the coupled inductor current, such as peak current, valley current, and intermediate ripples. The current sensing techniques can use a simple RC network, such as two resistors and two capacitors for 2-phase operation. The techniques, however, are not limited to two-phase operation. The current sensing techniques of this disclosure can be extended to power stage assembly implementations, e.g., DrMOS modules, with current output in order to increase signal-to-noise ratio, which is significant for reliable control. in addition, the current sensing techniques of this disclosure can be extended to multi-phase operation, such as three or more phases.

Abstract: A wearable sensor for measuring a parameter of human skin is described and includes a flexible body comprising sensor components formed on, adjacent or within the flexible body and configured to generate a first signal indicative of the parameter of human skin; microfabricated processing circuitry formed within the flexible body, coupled to the sensor components and configured to process the first signal to produce a second signal; and an antenna, formed on, adjacent or within the flexible body, the antenna being coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to transmit the second signal to an external device.

Abstract: A set of redundant industrial control system communications/control modules includes at least a first communications/control module and a second communications/control module.

Abstract: A structural electronics wireless sensor node is provided that includes layers of electronic components fabricated from patterned nanostructures embedded in an electrically conductive matrix. In some aspects, the structural electronics wireless sensor node includes a plurality of nanostructure layers that each form individual electronic components of the structural electronics wireless sensor node. In certain embodiments, the structural electronics wireless sensor node includes electronic components such as a resistor, a inductor, a capacitor, and/or an antenna.

Abstract: One embodiment is a microelectronic assembly including an assembly support structure; a first die including a pair of hot via comprising through-substrate-via (TSVs) extending through the first die between first and second sides thereof and a plurality of ground vias surrounding the pair of hot vias and extending through the first die between the first and second sides thereof. The first die further includes a pair of signal interconnect structures electrically connected to the pair of hot vias disposed on the second side of the first die. The assembly further includes a second die between the assembly support structure and the first die the pair of signal interconnect structures disposed on the first side thereof. The first die is connected to the second die via a signal die-to-die (DTD) interconnect structure including the signal interconnect structures of the first and second dies.

Abstract: A lidar system and method includes a photodiode array, a wafer, and a plurality of structures integrated on the wafer to form a metasurface lens. The metasurface lens is configured to focus the light pulses to the photodiode array and each of the plurality of structures includes at least one dimension that is less than a wavelength of the light pulses.

Abstract: Described herein is a spur-free technique for a switching regulator. The switching regulator may self-adaptively reduce the spur of the output voltage without affecting performance of the switching frequency, The switching regulator may track a coil current and may use an active feedback loop to adaptively generate an artificial coil current, which tracks an amplitude of the coil current but having opposite phase. The artificial coil current may then be injected into an output node to cancel the coil current ripple.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods provide predistortion for a phased array. Radio frequency (RF) sample signals from phased array elements are provided along return paths and are combined by a hardware RF combiner. Phase shifters are adjusted such that the RF sample signals are phase-aligned when combined. Adaptive adjustment of predistortion for the amplifiers of the phased array can be based on a signal derived from the combined RF sample signals.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques to aggregate sensor data. The techniques perform operations comprising: receiving, from a first sensor, a first profile representing a first set of movement attributes detected by the first sensor in an area at a given point in time; receiving, from a second sensor, a second profile representing a second set of movement attributes detected by the second sensor in the area at the given point in time; computing a similarity measure between the first and second sets of movement attributes of the first and second profiles; determining that the similarity measure exceeds a threshold value; and in response to determining that the similarity measure exceeds the threshold value, associating the first and second profiles with a same first object that is in the area at the given point in time.

Abstract: Systems and methods involving nanomaterial-based electrodes, such as supercapacitor and battery electrodes that can be flexible, are described.

Abstract: An electromagnetic connector is disclosed that is configured to form a first magnetic circuit portion comprising multiple coils disposed about a first core member. The electromagnetic connector is configured to mate with a second electromagnetic connector that is configured to form a second magnetic circuit portion comprising a coil disposed about a second core member. When the electromagnetic connector is mated with the second electromagnetic connector, the first core member and the second core member are configured to couple the multiple coils of the electromagnetic connector to the coil of the second electromagnetic connector with a magnetic circuit formed from the first magnetic circuit portion and the second magnetic circuit portion. The magnetic circuit is configured to induce a signal in a first coil of the multiple coils and the coil of the second electromagnetic connector when a second coil of the multiple coils is energized.