Abstract: Various methods are described where the semiconductor die and the lead frame (or the BGA or LGA substrate) are spaced apart to reduce stress. In one scenario, an air gap is formed between the semiconductor die and the lead frame by depositing a perimeter (made, for example, using polymer) either on the semiconductor die or the lead frame. In another scenario, an anisotropic conducting film (ACF) is formed with an air gap between the semiconductor die and the lead frame (or the BGA or LGA substrate). The air gap relieves stress on the semiconductor die. Further, a lead frame-based isolator package and a BGA (or LGA) isolator package are described. A window-frame ACF-based isolation method for magnetic coupling in a lead-frame package and BGA (or LGA) package is also described.

Abstract: Clock processors are provided to economically control system and data clocks in high-speed signal converters. The processors generally include at least one of a delay-locked loop, phase-locked loop or a duty cycle stabilizer which generates an error signal in its operation. In the example of a stabilizer, it is configured to respond to an input clock to initiate a first portion of each cycle of the system clock and to include a control loop to provide an error signal that controls a second portion of the cycle to thereby maintain a selected duty cycle. The processors also include a data clock aligner configured to share the error signal and provide a data clock that is delayed by a selected delay from a selected one of the input and system clocks. In addition to providing effective control that is independent of disturbing effects (e.g., temperature and clock rate), the shared use reduces processor costs.

Abstract: A high-voltage, low-leakage, bidirectional electrostatic discharge (ESD, or other electrical overstress) protection device includes a doped well disposed between the terminal regions and the substrate. The device includes an embedded diode for conducting current in one direction, and a transistor feedback circuit for conducting current in the other direction. Variations in the dimensions and doping of the doped well, as well as external passive reference via resistor connections, allow the circuit designer to flexibly adjust the operating characteristics of the device, such as trigger voltage and turn-on speed, to suit the required mixed-signal operating conditions.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a monitoring system that may include a plurality of monitors. Each may have a plurality of input pairs coupled to respective components of a component stack, wherein adjacent monitors each have an input pair coupled to a common component. Embodiments of the present invention provide an integrated circuit that may include a plurality of detectors to locally measure a first group of channels. The integrated circuit may also include a receiver operable to receive a measurement of at least one channel of the first group of channels, and a controller to calculate a correction factor based on the received measurement and a local measurement of the at least one channel and to correct all first group measurements with the correction factor.

Abstract: A method of producing an integrated MEMS resonator includes providing a substrate including single crystal silicon and partially forming a resonator in a first portion of the substrate, the resonator having a resonating element formed by the substrate and an electrode, the resonating element and the electrode forming a variable capacitor. The method also includes forming circuitry in a second portion of the substrate, the circuitry configured for detecting capacitance of the variable capacitor and finish forming the resonator and integrating the resonator with the circuitry so that the electrode is in communication with the circuitry.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the invention relates to bond pad structures including planar transistor structures operable as over-voltage clamps.

Abstract: A battery monitor for monitoring the performance of at least one battery within an array of batteries, comprising: a data acquisition device for measuring at least one parameter of the at least one battery associated with the battery monitor, a first data interface operable to exchange data with a first device, and a second data interface operable to exchange data with a second device.

Abstract: A thin silicon-rich nitride film (e.g., having a thickness in the range of around 100A to 10000A) deposited using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) is used for etch stop during vapor HF etching in various MEMS wafer fabrication processes and devices. The LPCVD silicon-rich nitride film may replace, or be used in combination with, a LPCVD stoichiometric nitride layer in many existing MEMS fabrication processes and devices. The LPCVD silicon-rich nitride film is deposited at high temperatures (e.g., typically around 650-900 degrees C.). Such a LPCVD silicon-rich nitride film generally has enhanced etch selectivity to vapor HF and other harsh chemical environments compared to stoichiometric silicon nitride and therefore a thinner layer typically can be used as an embedded etch stop layer in various MEMS wafer fabrication processes and devices and particularly for vapor HF etching processes, saving time and money in the fabrication process.

Abstract: Embodiments provide for a method for eliminating pathological sequences in a serial bit stream. Parallel data words having a first bit length are received. The received data words may be analyzed for a pathological sequence. If a pathological sequence is present in a data word, the data word containing the pathological sequence may be segmented into data segments having bit lengths less than a pathological sequence. The data word may be reformatted by generating reformatted data words having a second bit length. The reformatted data words may contain at least one of the data segments and the second bit length is greater than the first bit length. The reformatting may be performed by adding framing bits to the segments to form the reformatted data words. The reformatted data words are transmitted in place of the data word containing the pathological sequence.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for providing serialized HDMI data from an HDMI source to an HDMI sink. An HDMI transmitter may include inputs including control inputs, a deserializer, and a parser. The inputs may receive serialized HDMI data from an HDMI data source. A deserializer may deserialize the serialized HDMI data received on each of the respective inputs and outputting parallel data for each of the inputs. A parser may parse the parallel data output from the deserializer from each of the respective inputs into serial video data at a first clock rate and audio data at a second clock rate. Control inputs of the transmitter may be set to a first mode in which from the deserializer is caused to bypass the parser, and the parallel data is output from the HDMI transmitter.

Abstract: A digital to analog converter (DAC) includes a pair of operational amplifiers each having a first input coupled to a respective high or low reference voltage. The DAC includes a plurality of switch-controlled cells, each of which includes a resistor and two force/sense switch pairs. Within each cell, all four switches are coupled to the resistor. A first force switch is coupled to an output of a first op amp and an associated sense switch is coupled to an inverting input of the first op amp. A second force switch is coupled to an output of a second op amp and an associated sense switch is coupled to an inverting input of the second op amp. Thus, the force switches provide selectively conductive paths to permit either op amp to drive a given cell.

Abstract: A most significant bits analog to digital converter for determining a first P bits of an N bit analog to digital conversion, the most significant bits analog to digital converter comprising: a digital to analog converter a capacitive attenuator, and a switching arrangement for inhibiting action of the attenuator during sampling and enabling the attenuator during conversion.

Abstract: Organic anti-stiction coatings such as, for example, hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon based self-assembled organosilanes and siloxanes applied either in solvent or via chemical vapor deposition, are selectively etched using a UV-Ozone (UVO) dry etching technique in which the portions of the organic anti-stiction coating to be etched are exposed simultaneously to multiple wavelengths of ultraviolet light that excite and dissociate organic molecules from the anti-stiction coating and generate atomic oxygen from molecular oxygen and ozone so that the organic molecules react with atomic oxygen to form volatile products that are dissipated, resulting in removal of the exposed portions of the anti-stiction coating. A hybrid etching process using heat followed by UVO exposure may be used. A shadow mask (e.g., of glass or quartz), a protective material layer, or other mechanism may be used to selective expose the portions of the anti-stiction coating to be UVO etched.

Abstract: A high performance follower device coupled with a slew enhancement circuit includes an amplifier circuit containing a follower device connected to a three-terminal device, whereupon current drawn through the three-terminal device is amplified through a current amplifier and sent to the source terminal of the follower device to stabilize the output voltage when the input signal is changed rapidly or if the output voltage is disturbed by a changing output load. The presence of a cascode device also allows for the bootstrapping of the follower device.

Abstract: In one aspect, a calibration component configured to calibrate an automatic gain controller (AGC) for use in a tuner configured to isolate a selected channel from a multi-channel broadcast signal, the tuner implemented substantially on two chips, a first chip comprising a radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit adapted for RF processing and a second chip comprising a digital integrated circuit adapted for digital processing is provided.

Abstract: A reference voltage generator circuit may include at least one MOS transistor and at least one bipolar transistor coupled together to provide an electrical path from an input reference potential to an output of the generator circuit. The electrical path may extend through a gate-to-source path of the MOS transistor and further through a base-to-emitter path of the bipolar transistor. The MOS transistor may be biased by a bias current that is proportional to T2·?(T), where T represents absolute temperature and ?(T) represents mobility of a MOS transistor in the bias current generator. Optionally, the reference voltage generator may include N MOS and M multiple bipolar transistors (N?1, M?1), and the output reference voltage may be N*VGS+M*VBE as compared to the input reference potential.

Abstract: A switch control circuit monitors a signal produced by a MEMS or other capacitor microphone. When a criterion is met, for example when the amplitude of the monitored signal exceeds a threshold or the monitored signal has been clipped or analysis of the monitored signal indicates clipping is imminent or likely, the switch control circuit operates one or more switches so as to selectively connect one or more capacitors to a signal line from the microphone, i.e., so as to connect a selected capacitance to the signal line to attenuate the signal from the microphone and, therefore, avoid clipping. The switches may be MOSFET, MEMS or other types of switches co-located with the microphone in a common semiconductor package. Similarly, the capacitors, a circuit that processes the signals from the microphone and/or the switch control circuit may be co-located with the microphone in a common semiconductor package.

Abstract: Synthesizers are configured with first and second phase-locked loops (PLL's). The first PLL is arranged to include a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) and to respond to an input signal to provide a reference signal with a plurality of selectable reference frequencies. The second PLL is arranged to include a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to thereby provide output signals in response to the reference signal. This synthesizer structure is particularly effective when responding to a noisy input signal as may be the case, for example, in wireless communication systems that provide a network clock to transceivers through lengthy optical links.

Abstract: Error amplifier structures are provided to generate an error signal in response to the difference between an input signal (e.g., a feedback current) and a reference signal (e.g., a bias current). Amplifier embodiments generally include a reference generator and a differencing amplifier. In at least one embodiment, the error generator is arranged to generate first and second bias voltages that correspond to the bias current. In at least one embodiment, the differencing amplifier is configured to provide a reference current to an output node in response to the first bias voltage, provide a feedback current to the output node in response to the second bias voltage, and generate an error current in response to a voltage at the output node. The error amplifier structures are suited for use in various systems such as negative switching regulators.

Abstract: A system for correcting duty cycle errors in a clock receiver that includes a differential amplifier having inputs for a pair of differential clock signals. A duty cycle error detector has inputs for a pair of amplified clock signals and an output for a duty cycle error correction signal. A signal conditioner is also provided with the differential amplifier having an input for the duty cycle error correction signal. Furthermore, the signal conditioner adjusts the differential clock signals in response to the duty cycle error correction signal. Also, a system for correcting cross point errors in a clock receiver that includes a differential amplifier having inputs for a pair of differential clock signal. A cross point error detector has inputs for a pair of amplified clock signals and an output for a cross point error correction signal. A signal conditioner is also provided with the differential amplifier having an input for the cross point error correction signal.