Abstract: An apparatus and method for programmable power management in a programmable analog circuit block. Specifically, the present invention describes an operational amplifier circuit that includes current sources that are coupled in parallel. Configuration bits are asserted to selectively enable or selectively disable one or more of the current sources in order to modulate the performance of the operational amplifier circuit block. Selective addition or removal of current sources increases or decreases the amount of current within the operational amplifier and, correspondingly, the speed and power consumption of the operational amplifier. Combinations of asserted configuration bits pass a bias voltage in order enable selected current sources. In one embodiment, the bias voltage can be increased in order to increase the current output of one of the current sources which, correspondingly, increases the speed of the operational amplifier circuit block.

Abstract: A method for semiconductor fabrication. The method includes providing a silicon substrate and forming a tunnel oxide layer over the silicon substrate. Thereafter, a nitride layer is formed over the tunnel oxide layer. The nitride layer and the tunnel oxide layer are etched except where at least one nonvolatile silicon oxide nitride oxide silicon (SONOS) transistor is formed. Additionally, oxide layers are simultaneously formed over the nitride layer corresponding to where at bast one SONOS memory transistor is formed and over the exposed silicon substrate corresponding to where at least one metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor is formed.

Abstract: Switch pre-driver systems and methods are described. The present switch pre-driver systems and methods facilitate switch driver breakdown protection, reduction of leakage current, and avoidance of false switching. In one embodiment, a switch system includes a switch driver, a switch pre-driver, and a mode detection circuit. The switch driver drives a voltage. The switch pre-driver controls the switch driver. The mode detection circuit notifies the switch pre-driver of a mode condition.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first oxide layer formed on the substrate, an oxygen-rich nitride layer formed on the first oxide layer, a second oxide layer formed on the oxygen-rich nitride layer, and an oxygen-poor nitride layer formed on the second oxide layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a state-monitoring memory element. The state-monitoring memory element may be implemented by degrading an input voltage supply to the state-monitoring memory element across a diode and/or a transistor. One or more current sources may be used to stress the state-monitoring memory element. A logic analyzer may be used to analyze the integrity of the state-monitoring memory element and trigger appropriate actions in the IC, e.g., reset, halt, remove power, interrupt, responsive to detecting a failure in the state-monitoring memory element. Multiple state-monitoring memory elements may be disturbed in different locations on the IC for better coverage.

Abstract: An apparatus may include a first connector having at least a first host communication path for connection to a host device, a second connector that physically alters at least a first signal path in response to a physical connection at the second connector, and a controller section that communicates a first set of configuration information over the first host communication path when the first signal path is in an unaltered state, and a second set of configuration information when the first signal path is in an altered state.

Abstract: An optical navigation sensor (ONS) is provided having a spatial frequency filter to transmit radiation at selected spatial frequencies while attenuating other, undesired frequencies and harmonics. The ONS includes a radiation source to transmit radiation toward a portion of a surface that diffusely reflects radiation incident thereon. The spatial frequency filter is disposed to receive radiation scattered from the surface, and, in one embodiment, includes a number of non-circular openings to pass radiation of at least one pre-selected frequency while attenuating other frequencies and harmonics of the pre-selected frequency.

Abstract: Touch sensor methods, devices and systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method for reporting a sub-gesture on a touch sensing surface, e.g., laid over a display of a user interface device. The method comprises determining a number of fingers simultaneously placed on the touch sensing surface. The method also comprises periodically sampling respective position data of the fingers moving along the touch sensing surface and calculating event data based on the position data, wherein each of the event data includes a geometric shape associated with the number of fingers and a centroid of the geometric shape. The method further comprises forwarding the event data to a presentation layer of application of the user interface device, where the application is configured to identify a gesture based on a subset of the event data.

Abstract: A device for providing a high precision current reference comprising a PTAT generator circuit for supplying a voltage, a high precision current reference offset generator circuit for generating a high precision current offset to compensate for variation in a resistance component due to variation in temperature, and a current adding circuit for aggregating the current from the PTAT generator circuit and the current from the high precision current reference offset generator circuit. In one embodiment, a high precision current reference generated is substantially independent of temperature. On-chip resistors may be used to design a high precision current reference. Accordingly, high precision current reference generated maintains high precision with zero temperature co-efficient using on-chip resistors that are substantially cheaper than off-chip resistors.

Abstract: In one example, a chip includes integrated components configured to operate in the digital domain and the analog domain. An I/O pad located on the chip is configured to provide an external device access to the integrated components. A multifunction I/O interface cell between the I/O pad and the integrated components is configured to selectively connect different combinations of the components to the same I/O pad at different times. The multifunction I/O interface cell may include a first switching device connected to ground, a second switching device connected to a reference voltage, an analog input/output buffer, and a digital input/output buffer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit and method to program the starting phase of the spread spectrum of a clock output. The circuit includes a plurality of phase locked loop (PLL) circuits for generating a plurality of spread spectrum waveforms. The circuit also includes a spread control circuit for controlling each of the plurality of PLL circuits in accordance with a plurality of respective spread profiles. The spread profiles are configured to vary a starting phase of each spread spectrum waveform such that a total energy of each spread spectrum waveform is out of phase with other spread spectrum waveforms.

Abstract: Disclosed is a controller circuit, comprising a plurality of sense inputs, an instrumentation amplifier block having inputs coupled to the plurality of sense inputs, a filter block coupled to the instrumentation amplifier block, a sum function coupled to the filter block, and a crossing detector block coupled to the filter block and the sum function. A method of controlling motor signals is further described.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a memory device to store a pre-generated Universal Serial Bus (USB) command before a USB peripheral device is coupled to a USB. The apparatus also includes a processing device to retrieve the pre-generated USB command from the memory device and transmit the pre-generated USB command to the USB peripheral device over the USB. A method comprises identifying a Universal Serial Bus (USB) peripheral device is coupled to a USB. The USB peripheral device is coupled to the universal serial bus after a pre-generated USB command is stored in a memory device. The method further includes transmitting the pre-generated USB command to the USB peripheral device over the USB in response to identifying the USB peripheral device is coupled to the USB.

Abstract: A method for locating a conductive object at a touch-sensing surface may include detecting a first resolved location for the conductive object at the touch-sensing surface based on a first scan of the touch-sensing surface, predicting a location for the conductive object, and determining a second resolved location for the conductive object by performing a second scan of a subset of sensor elements of the touch-sensing surface, wherein the subset of sensor elements is selected based on the predicted location of the conductive object.

Abstract: A motion detector includes a motion sensor that in one embodiment is an electrically conductive pin that has a fixed upper portion and a lower portion that swings from the upper portion while maintaining electrical conductivity. The lower portion of the pin is located within a hole that has conductive areas. A motion detection circuit identifies movements in a device containing the motion detector by monitoring the electrical contact status between the motion sensor and the conductive areas around the hole.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for maintaining an output voltage of a charge pump circuit near a target voltage is disclosed. A regulated supply voltage is generated based on the output voltage of the charge pump. The regulated supply voltage is applied to a voltage input to the charge pump circuit and to a voltage input of a clock driver that provides a regulated clock signal to the charge pump circuit.

Abstract: An embodiment of a capacitive sensor array may comprise a first plurality of sensor elements and a second sensor element comprising a main trace that intersects each of the first plurality of sensor elements to form a plurality of intersections. A unit cell may be associated with each of the intersections, and each unit cell may designate a set of locations nearest to a corresponding intersection. A contiguous section of the main trace may cross at least one of the plurality of unit cells. The capacitive sensor array may further comprise a plurality of open zones, where each of the plurality of open zones is staggered relative to an adjacent open zone.

Abstract: Touch sensor methods, devices and systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method comprising monitoring a finger movement along a touch sensing surface based on position data of a finger touching the touch sensing surface, where the position data is obtained by locating a position of a force applied by the finger in a coordinate of the touch sensing surface. In addition, the method comprises generating direction data associated with the finger movement if the finger movement travels for more than a threshold distance. Furthermore, the method comprises determining a finger gesture which corresponds to the finger movement using a lookup table having multiple preconfigured finger gestures based on the direction data.

Abstract: Remote lighting control methods, devices and systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a light device. The light device includes a light source for emitting light and a control circuit for setting an intensity level of the light source based on receipt of control data via a power line when the light device is electrically coupled to the power line. The control data is generated in response to user input to an input panel of a remote lighting control module for the light device. In addition, the light device comprises a unique address associated with a region on the input panel.

Abstract: An intelligent light source deterministically calculates luminous flux levels of individual color sources of four or more light sources without a look-up table to determine the luminous flux levels.