Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an ESD protection device. In a N-well, two P+ doped regions form a collector and emitter of a parasitic transistor of the ESD protection device. The N-well area between the P+ doped regions, forms a base of the parasitic transistor. At some distance away from the P+ doped regions an N+ doped region is provided. The N-well in between the N+ doped region and base of the transistor forms a parasitic resistor of the ESD protection device. The N+ doped region and the emitter of the transistor are coupled to each other via an electrical connection. The ESD protection device has a limited snapback behaviour and has a well-tunable trigger voltage.

Abstract: A technique for frame synchronization in a communication system includes performing symbol correlation on received signal samples. A determination is made as to whether a magnitude of the symbol correlation is greater than a first threshold. In response to the magnitude of the symbol correlation being greater than the first threshold, an indication is provided that the received symbol is a valid symbol (e.g., a SYNCP symbol or SYNCM symbol). In response to the magnitude of the symbol correlation being less than the first threshold, an indication is provided that the received symbol is an indeterminate symbol (e.g., an invalid symbol or a SYNCM/2 symbol).

Abstract: The invention relates to a buffer circuit for a receiver device including a transconductance stage and an output stage coupled in parallel to output stages of other channels of the device. The output of the transconductance stage is connected to a base of a bipolar transistor in the output stage. A switch is connected between the base of the bipolar transistor and the emitter of the bipolar transistor. A controller is arranged to switch the buffer circuit from a switch-off mode to a switch-on mode and back. In switch-off mode the switch is switched on, so as to connect the base and the emitter of the bipolar transistor.

Abstract: An angular rate sensor includes a substrate, a drive mass flexibly coupled to the substrate, and a sense mass suspended above the substrate and flexibly coupled to the drive mass via flexible support elements. An electrode structure is mechanically coupled to, but electrically isolated from, the drive mass and is spaced apart from the substrate so that it is not in contact with the substrate. The electrode structure is configured to produce a signal that indicates movement of the sense mass relative to the electrode when the sensor is subjected to angular velocity. When the angular rate sensor experiences quadrature error, the drive mass, the sense mass, and the electrode structure move together relative to the sense axis. Since the sense mass and the electrode structure move together in response to quadrature error, there is little relative motion between the sense mass and the electrode structure so that quadrature error is largely eliminated.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures and related fabrication methods are provided. An exemplary fabrication method involves forming a layer of gate electrode material overlying a semiconductor substrate, forming a layer of masking material overlying the gate electrode material, and patterning the layer of masking material to define a channel region within a well region in the semiconductor substrate that underlies the gate electrode material. Prior to removing the patterned layer of masking material, the fabrication process etches the layer of gate electrode material to form a gate structure overlying the channel region using the patterned layer of masking material as an etch mask and forms extension regions in the well region using the patterned layer of masking material as an implant mask. Thereafter, the patterned layer of masking material is removed after forming the gate structure and the extension regions.

Abstract: A digital front end channelization device for one or more carrier signals comprises a per carrier section and a composite section. The composite section may include signal processing units, each of which may include an inverse Fourier transform unit for transforming a composite carrier signal into a time domain signal, a sample detection and selection unit for detecting and selecting a peak of the time domain signal, a clipping unit for clipping the time domain composite carrier signal to produce an error signal, a Fourier transform unit, for transforming the error signal into a frequency domain error signal, a frequency shaping unit for frequency shaping the frequency domain error signal, a summation unit for subtracting the frequency shaped frequency domain error signal from the composite carrier signal, and a phase selection unit for phase adjustment of the resulting signal.

Abstract: A sensing device includes a sensor die having a sensing region formed at a first surface of the sensor die. The sensing device further includes an encapsulant covering the sensing die, the encapsulant having a cavity formed therein, wherein the cavity exposes the sensing region. A sensitive membrane material is deposited within the cavity over the sensing region. A method of manufacturing sensing devices entails mounting a plurality of sensing dies to a carrier, encapsulating the dies in an encapsulant, forming cavities in the encapsulant, the cavities exposing a sensing region of each sensor die, and depositing the sensitive membrane material within each of the cavities. The encapsulating and forming operations can be performed simultaneously using a film-assisted molding (FAM) process, and the depositing operation is performed following FAM at an ambient temperature that is lower than the temperature needed to perform FAM.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a linear power regulator device, comprising an internal pass device, a driver device having a driver output arranged to drive the internal pass device via the driver output, wherein the linear power regulator device comprises an external connection connectable or connected to an external pass device; and wherein the driver device is arranged to drive an external pass device via the driver output and the external connection. The invention also pertains to a corresponding electronic device.

Abstract: A phase lock loop monitor circuit is disclosed. The phase lock loop monitor circuit may include a coarse tuning circuit operable to generate a coarse tune failure indicator, a frequency target lock detector circuit operable to generate a frequency target failure indicator, a cycle slip monitor circuit operable to generate a cycle slip lock failure indicator, and an abort logic circuit communicatively coupled to the coarse tuning circuit, the frequency target lock detector circuit, and the cycle slip monitor circuit, the abort logic circuit operable to generate a radio operation abort indicator based at least on the coarse tune failure indicator, the frequency target failure indicator, or the cycle slip lock failure indicator.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device in an NVM region and in a logic region uses a semiconductor substrate and includes forming a gate region fill material over the NVM region and the logic region. The gate region fill material is patterned over the NVM region to leave a first patterned gate region fill material over the NVM region. An interlayer dielectric is formed around the first patterned gate region fill material. A first portion of the first patterned gate region fill material is removed to form a first opening and leaving a second portion of the first patterned gate region fill material. The first opening is laterally adjacent to the second portion. The first opening is filled with a charge storage layer and a conductive material that includes metal overlying the charge storage layer.

Abstract: A bi-directional trench field effect power transistor. A layer stack extends over the top surface of the substrate, in which vertical trenches are present. An electrical path can be selectively enabled or disabled to allow current to flow in opposite directions through a body located laterally between the first and second vertical trenches. A shallow trench, more shallow than the first vertical trench and the second vertical trench is located between the first vertical trench and the second vertical trench and extend in the vertical direction from the top layer of the stack into the body, beyond an upper boundary of the body. The body is provided with a dopant, the concentration of the dopant is at least one order of magnitude higher in a region adjacent to the shallow trench than near the first vertical trench and the second vertical trench.

Abstract: An integrated electronic package includes an integrated circuit (IC) die and conductive discrete components. Electrical interconnects are formed directly between bond pads on an active side of the IC die and contacts on the conductive discrete components without an intervening lead frame. The IC die, conductive discrete components and electrical interconnects are embedded in an encapsulation material. Contact surfaces of at least some of the conductive discrete components are exposed from the encapsulation material and can be attached to a printed circuit board in order to mount the integrated electronic package to the printed circuit board.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for external access to core resources (211,212) of a processor (2) comprising a processing core (21), a shared memory (22), and a multiple paths Direct Memory Access, DMA, controller (23). Access to core critical resources can be performed while the core is executing an application program. The proposed apparatus comprises a Manager module (13) which is operable to setup the DMA controller to copy the assigned core resources via allocated DMA channel into a safe memory region. Further, an Observer module (14) is operable to read the transferred data and make the correlation on the host apparatus side. This allows accessing data used by the core via the DMA controller into, e.g., a run-time debugger accessible region.

Abstract: An apparatus for debugging operational code of a target program comprises a memory storing the operational code and a set of instructions representing a debugger program for debugging the operational code. A microprocessor is configured to execute the operational code and the debugger program. The debugger program can inject a jump to a breakpoint handling routine into the operational code and let a compiler program create code pieces for the breakpoint handling routine.

Abstract: A circuit includes a first transistor having a first current electrode coupled to a first power supply node, a second current electrode coupled to a switching node; a second transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the switching node, a second current electrode coupled to a second power supply node; an inductor having a first terminal coupled to the switching node, a second terminal coupled to an output node; a third transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the output node, a second current electrode coupled to the switching node; a driver circuit configured to transition the switching node from a first voltage to a second voltage by turning on the third transistor to couple the output node to the switching node during a first time period, turning on the first transistor to couple the first power supply node to the switching node during a second time period.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a source follower circuit may include a first level shifter configured to receive an input voltage; an N-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (NMOS) transistor having a gate terminal coupled to an output of the first level shifter; a second level shifter configured to receive the input voltage; a P-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (PMOS) transistor having a gate terminal coupled to an output of the second level shifter and a source terminal coupled to a source terminal of the NMOS transistor; and an amplifier configured to receive the input voltage and to output a current at a node between the source terminal of the NMOS transistor and the source terminal of the PMOS transistor, wherein the current is determined based upon a difference between the input voltage and a reference voltage.

Abstract: A source clock signal is received from a primary semiconductor device by a secondary semiconductor device via an interconnect. A local clock signal is generated on the secondary semiconductor device based on the source clock signal. A mode control signal is generated on the secondary semiconductor device, where the mode control signal indicates one of an unlock mode of operation and a lock mode of operation of the secondary semiconductor device. A physical interface (PHY) clock signal is generated based on the local clock signal, where the PHY clock signal includes the local clock signal during the lock mode, and the PHY clock signal includes an inverted version of the local clock signal during the unlock mode. Data received from the primary semiconductor device via the interconnect is latched at a positive edge of the PHY clock signal during the unlock mode and the lock mode.

Abstract: A mechanism for reducing stiction in a MEMS device by decreasing an amount of carbon from TEOS-based silicon oxide films that can accumulate on polysilicon surfaces during fabrication is provided. A carbon barrier material film is deposited between one or more polysilicon layer in a MEMS device and the TEOS-based silicon oxide layer. This barrier material blocks diffusion of carbon into the polysilicon, thereby reducing accumulation of carbon on the polysilicon surfaces. By reducing the accumulation of carbon, the opportunity for stiction due to the presence of the carbon is similarly reduced.

Abstract: A method for making a semiconductor structure includes forming an oxide layer onto non-volatile memory, high, and low voltage device regions of a substrate and forming a first gate material layer over the oxide layer. The first gate material layer is patterned to form a set of memory device select gates in the non-volatile memory device region and a set of gates in the high voltage device region. The patterning is performed while maintaining the oxide and first gate material layers over the low voltage device region. The method also includes forming a second gate material layer over the structure and forming a non-volatile storage layer between the set of select gates and the second gate material layer, from which a set of memory device control gates is patterned. Thereafter, the first gate material layer is patterned to form a set of gates in the low voltage device region.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface. A via extends through the substrate. The via is filled with conductive material and extends to at least the first major surface of the substrate. A thermal expansion inhibitor is over and in direct contact with the via proximate the first major surface. The thermal expansion inhibitor exerts a compressive stress on the conductive material closest to the thermal expansion inhibitor compared to the conductive material at a further distance from the thermal expansion inhibitor.