Abstract: A band gap reference circuit including a band gap reference generator having an output for providing a reference voltage and a startup circuit for controlling current provided to the band gap reference generator when activated. The startup circuit includes a turnoff circuit having an output to deactivate the startup circuit to not control current to the band gap reference generator based on a voltage of the output of the band gap reference generator. The turnoff circuit includes an inverter having a first transistor of a first conductivity type in series with a second transistor of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type. The startup circuit includes a body bias circuit connected to a body of the first transistor to provide a voltage differential between the body of the first transistor and a source terminal of the first transistor.

Abstract: A processor configured to provide instructions of a first instruction type to a first execution unit, and a second execution queue configured to provide instructions of a second instruction type to a second execution unit. A first instruction of the second instruction type is received. The first instruction is decoded by the decode/issue unit to determine operands of the first instruction. The operands of the first instruction are determined to include a dependency on a second instruction of the first instruction type stored in a first entry of the first execution queue. The first instruction is stored in a first entry of the second execution queue. A synchronization indicator corresponding to the first instruction in a second entry of the first execution queue is set immediately adjacent the first entry of the first execution queue, which indicates that the first instruction is stored in another execution queue.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a non-volatile memory, a memory controller, and a charge pump system. The memory controller establishes first parameters for a first programming cycle of a first plurality of memory cells of the non-volatile memory prior to the first programming cycle being performed. The charge pump system includes a plurality of charge pumps and provides a first programming pulse for use in performing the first program cycle. The first programming pulse is provided by selecting, according to the first parameters, which of the plurality of charge pumps are to be enabled during the first program cycle and which are to be disabled during the first program cycle.

Abstract: A gain control system for a gain stage of a wireless communication system includes a gain control module and a mode selection module. The gain control module is operable in automatic gain control (AGC) and manual gain control (MGC) modes. The mode selection module checks the presence of first user-data in the first sub-frame based on a received signal strength indication (RSSI) value and/or a decibel amplitude level relative to full scale (dBFS) value, the presence of second user-data in a second sub-frame subsequent to the first sub-frame based on an advance information, calculates an estimated signal power level, and configures the gain control module in one of the AGC and MGC modes. Based on the mode, the gain control module provides a gain value to the gain stage.

Abstract: An electronic device comprising a clock unit and a processing unit connected to the clock unit is described. The clock unit may deliver an output clock signal for operating the processing unit in accordance with the output clock signal. The clock unit may have: a normal mode in which the output clock signal has a low amount of jitter and a normal clock rate to enable normal use of the electronic device, and a failure analysis mode in which the output clock signal has a high amount of jitter or a reduced clock rate, or a high amount of jitter combined with a reduced clock rate, to impede the normal use. The clock unit may be protected against unauthorized re-activation of the normal mode. A method of protecting an electronic device against unauthorized use is also described.

Abstract: There is described a method of optimizing the design of an electronic device with respect to electromagnetic emissions based on frequency spreading. With the method, a designer can, for example, perform a transient simulation on the device only once, and then add frequency spreading with specific parameters by simulation. The resulting frequency spread signal can be observed. The designer can thus evaluate the reduction in electromagnetic emission level, and repeat this process by iteratively applying frequency spreading each time with specific parameters but without having to modify the schematic of the device and to perform another simulation of the device. The method according to this innovation is extremely rapid as the simulation of the design does not need to be repeated at each run of the frequency spreading simulation.

Abstract: There is described a method of optimizing the design of an electronic device with respect to electromagnetic emissions based on frequency spreading. With the method, a designer can, for example, perform a transient simulation on the device only once, and then process the obtained signal data to add frequency spreading with specific parameters by post-processing. The resulting data can be filtered by various methods and the resulting spectrum observed. The designer can thus evaluate the reduction in electromagnetic emission level, and repeat this process by iteratively applying frequency spreading each time with specific parameters but without having to modify the schematic of the device and to perform another simulation of the device. The post-processing according to this innovation is extremely rapid as it is not a simulation process such as SPICE™, ADS™, etc. Only data is manipulated.

Abstract: A switching module comprising at least one power switching device arranged to output from an output node thereof a load current for the switching module, and at least one current sense component arranged to generate at least one sense current representative of the load current. The at least one current sense component comprises at least one temperature coefficient compensation resistance within the path of the at least one sense current and arranged to cause the at least one sense current to be at least partly compensated for a temperature coefficient caused by at least one parasitic routing resistance of a load current path for the at least one power switching device.

Abstract: There is described a method of optimizing the design of an electronic device with respect to electromagnetic emissions based on frequency spreading. With the method, a designer can add frequency spreading with specific parameters by hardware. The resulting frequency spread signal can be observed. The designer can thus evaluate the reduction in electromagnetic emission level, and repeat this process by iteratively applying frequency spreading each time with specific parameters but without having to modify the design of the device and to generate another prototype of the device.

Abstract: A trench-isolated RESURF diode structure (100) is provided which includes a substrate (150) in which is formed anode (130, 132) and cathode (131) contact regions separated from one another by a shallow trench isolation region (114, 115), along with a non-uniform cathode region (104) and peripheral anode regions (106, 107) which define vertical and horizontal p-n junctions under the anode contact regions (130, 132), including a horizontal cathode/anode junction that is shielded by the heavily doped anode contact region (132).

Abstract: A method and circuit for a data processing system (12) provide a virtualized programmable interrupt control system (70) which processes interrupt event reports from interrupt sources (e.g., 14, 40) which generate write transactions to an address for an interrupt event register (80) which is authenticated and then interpreted based on the current state of the targeted interrupt to generate the next state using an interpretation table (306) and predetermined configuration/state bits (310-314).

Abstract: A method of processing a job is presented. A packet selector determines a candidate job list including an ordered listing of candidate jobs. Each candidate job in the ordered listing belongs to a communication stream. Jobs in the candidate job list that are eligible for execution are identified by determining whether a preceding job belonging to the same communication stream as the candidate job is present in the candidate job list, and, for each candidate job in the candidate job list, determining whether a preceding job belonging to the same communication stream as the candidate job is being prepared for execution. The packet selector determines a priority for each eligible candidate job in the candidate job list by at least comparing the communication stream of each candidate job to a communication stream of a first job executing within the data processor.

Abstract: An amplifier applies a self-adapting voltage to an output terminal. A bias circuit provides a greater bias current in a first external connection condition, in the absence of a pull-up resistance connected to the output terminal, than when such a pull-up resistance is present. The amplifier applies a different voltage to the output terminal in the absence of a pull-up resistance than when such a pull-up resistance is present. The circuit can be used in a portable device for receiving charging current from a battery charger through a connector having a D+ pin for connection to the battery charger and connected to the amplifier output terminal for battery charger detection. The portable device can meet the USB battery charger specification rev. 1.2.

Abstract: Devices having adjustable polarizers and related operating methods are provided. An exemplary electronic device includes one or more sensing arrangements, a polarization arrangement including a polarizer, and a control module coupled to the one or more sensing arrangements and the polarization arrangement. The control module determines an angle for the polarizer based at least in part on output from the one or more sensing arrangements and operates the polarization arrangement to achieve the angle. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the angle corresponds to an orientation of the polarizer in a plane substantially orthogonal to a line-of-sight that is configured to result in the polarizer absorbing incident light rays emanating from the sun that are aligned with the line-of-sight.

Abstract: A combination sensor and corresponding method of measuring a plurality of environmental parameters uses a pressure sensor disposed on an integrated circuit die; a humidity sensor disposed on the integrated circuit die; and a circuit coupled to and shared by the pressure sensor and the humidity sensor to facilitate pressure and humidity sensing.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improved multifunction sensing. In these embodiments a multifunction sensing device (100) includes a microelectromechanical (MEMS) gyroscope (110) and at least a second sensor (112). The MEMS gyroscope (110) is configured to generate a first clock signal, and the second sensor includes a second clock signal. The multifunction sensing device further includes a reset mechanism (114), the reset mechanism (114) configured to generate a reset signal to set the relative periodic phase alignment of the second clock signal to the first clock signal. Consistently setting the relative periodic phase alignment of the clocks for the other sensor devices (112) to the clock of the MEMS gyroscope (110) can improve the performance of the devices by reducing the probability that varying output offsets will occur in the multiple sensing devices.

Abstract: A method of determining a representative frequency for data packets, each data packet having an associated time, the method comprising: receiving a sequence of time-differentials, wherein a time-differential represents a difference between the time associated with a corresponding first data packet and the time associated with a corresponding second data packet; and determining the representative frequency based on the steps of: grouping a predetermined number N of the time-differentials into one or more groups based on the magnitudes of the N time-differentials; selecting one or more of the one or more groups for use in determining a representative time-differential; determining the representative time-differential as a function of the time-differentials of the selected one or more groups; outputting an inverse of the representative time-differential as the representative frequency.

Abstract: Embodiments of a semiconductor device include a primary portion of a substrate, a die, and a die attach layer between the die and the primary portion of the substrate. The die attach layer includes a gold interface layer that includes gold and a plurality of first precipitates in the gold. Each of the first precipitates includes a combination of nickel, cobalt, palladium, gold, and silicon.

Abstract: A design verification system automatically identifies coverage of different constraints for a static model of an electronic device. The static model can be employed by a tool, referred to as a solver, that identifies whether the mathematical relationships of the static model can be reconciled, given a set of user-defined constraints that indicate a desired configuration, or range of configurations, of the electronic device. After a solution for a particular set of user-defined constraints has been identified, a constraints adjustment module can identify, based on coverage information generated by the solver, if other sets of user-defined constraints were implicitly solved by the solver. If such other sets were implicitly solved, the adjustments module can mark the sets as solved, such that they will omitted from constraints used for subsequent solutions of the solver.

Abstract: Adverse tradeoff between BVDSS and Rdson in LDMOS devices employing a drift space adjacent the drain, is avoided by providing a lightly doped region of a first conductivity type (CT) separating the first CT drift space from an opposite CT WELL region in which the first CT source is located, and a further region of the opposite CT (e.g., formed by an angled implant) extending through part of the WELL region under an edge of the gate located near a boundary of the WELL region into the lightly doped region, and a shallow still further region of the first CT Ohmically coupled to the source and ending near the gate edge whereby the effective channel length in the further region is reduced to near zero. Substantial improvement in BVDSS and/or Rdson can be obtained without degrading the other or significant adverse affect on other device properties.