Abstract: A sensor circuit, having a startup phase and an operation phase, includes: a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal based on a measured property, wherein the sensor signal has a frequency spectrum defined by a first frequency and a second frequency that is greater than the first frequency; a signal processing circuit including an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the sensor signal into a digital sensor signal; and an offset diagnosis circuit. The offset diagnosis circuit includes: a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency less than the first frequency and configured to generate a filtered signal based on the digital sensor signal; an offset register configured to store a startup signal value of the filtered signal during the startup phase; and an offset comparator circuit configured to set a threshold range based on the startup signal value for use during the operation phase.

Abstract: A magnetic-field-based angle sensor system includes a stator component and a rotor component rotatable relative thereto, a magnetic field sensor operating in saturation operation and a magnetic field sensor operating in linear operation, wherein the magnetic field sensor operating in saturation operation is configured to determine a rotation angle of the rotor component relative to the stator component, and wherein the magnetic field sensor operating in linear operation is configured to ascertain an external magnetic stray field acting on the angle sensor system. The angle sensor system further includes a control device configured, based on the ascertained external magnetic stray field, to compensate for a stray-field-dependent measurement deviation in the determination of the rotation angle carried out.

Abstract: A power electronics system includes: a power semiconductor module with opposite first and second sides and lateral sides connecting the first and second sides. The power semiconductor module includes: at least one power semiconductor die forming at least one part of a half bridge circuit, an encapsulation encapsulating the power semiconductor die, and an external contact configured as a direct current contact of the half bridge circuit and exposed from the encapsulation at a lateral side of the power semiconductor module. A driver module arranged over the first side of the power semiconductor module is configured to control the half bridge circuit. A differential Hall sensor arranged over the external contact is configured to detect a direct current flowing through the external contact. The driver module is configured to modify a control pattern of the half bridge circuit based on a direct current value detected by the differential Hall sensor.

Abstract: A method of sensing touch on a touch surface of a touch structure includes: transmitting, from within an enclosed interior volume, an ultra-sonic transmit signal towards an inner surface of the touch structure that is arranged counter to the touch surface; receiving, from within the enclosed interior volume, an ultra-sonic reflected signal produced from the ultra-sonic transmit signal being reflected by the inner surface; acquiring a plurality of digital samples from the ultra-sonic reflected signal; calculating an Euclidean distance of the plurality of digital samples to a first plurality of reference samples; and determining whether a no-touch event or a touch event has occurred at the touch surface based on the Euclidean distance.

Abstract: A package is disclosed. In one example, the package includes a carrier, an electronic component mounted on the carrier, an encapsulant fully encapsulating the electronic component and the carrier, electrically conductive leads electrically coupled with the carrier and/or with the electronic component and extending out of the encapsulant at opposing sides of the encapsulant, and a recess in at least one of two opposing main surfaces of the encapsulant and extending between two opposing further sides of the encapsulant. A difference between a creepage current path length including the recess and a further creepage current path is not more than 20%.

Abstract: A tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensing element includes a layer stack having a tantalum-nitride (TaN) layer; a reference layer system; a magnetic free layer having a magnetically free magnetization; and a tunnel barrier layer arranged between the reference layer system and the magnetic free layer. The reference layer system includes a pinned layer having a fixed pinned magnetization; a reference layer having a having a fixed reference magnetization; a coupling interlayer arranged between the pinned layer and the reference layer; and a natural antiferromagnetic (NAF) layer comprising iridium-manganese (IrMn), wherein the NAF layer is formed in direct contact with the TaN layer, wherein the NAF layer is configured to hold the fixed pinned magnetization in a first magnetic orientation and hold the fixed reference magnetization in a second magnetic orientation, and wherein the direct contact of the NAF layer with the TaN layer increases a blocking temperature of the NAF layer.

Abstract: A system including circuitry to communicate data across an isolation barrier of a switch driver circuit. For switch driver circuits with galvanic isolation, the circuitry of this disclosure uses the unavoidable common mode voltages caused by the coupling capacitances of the data transfer circuit to evaluate the common mode voltage characteristics, such as the slew rate of a switching event. The switch driver circuit of this disclosure may include a common mode voltage detector to detect and measure features of the unavoidable common mode voltage during a switching event, such as voltage amplitude and slew rate. The common mode voltage detector may couple to a communication interface that provides the common mode voltage information to a controller for the switch driver circuit. In some examples, based on the received information, the controller may adjust the operation of the switching circuit.

Abstract: Monitoring devices for battery systems, battery systems and corresponding methods are provided. A monitoring device can communicate via a first interface with a control device. The monitoring device can communicate with a security device via a second interface in a first operating mode, and can communicate with a temperature sensor in a second operating mode of the second interface.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to chopper amplifier circuits with inherent chopper ripple suppression. Example implementations can realize a doubly utilized chopper amplifier circuit that is a current-saving circuit with a wake-up function that is capable of providing a self-wake signal in order to change into a fast, low-jitter/low-latency mode, and to provide a wake-up signal for a sleeping microprocessor or a system in response to signal changes.

Abstract: An ultrasonic touch sensor is proposed for attachment to a casing, having a semiconductor chip including a substrate side and a component side, the semiconductor chip including an ultrasonic transducer element and the ultrasonic transducer element being arranged on the component side, having an acoustic coupling medium covering the semiconductor chip at least in the region of the ultrasonic transducer element, having electrical contact elements for controlling the ultrasonic transducer element, and the electrical contact elements being arranged on the component side of the semiconductor chip.

Abstract: A radar monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) includes a trigger encoder configured to receive a clock signal comprising a plurality of clock pulses having a fixed amplitude and a trigger signal configured to indicate trigger events. The trigger encoder is configured to encode the trigger signal into the clock signal to generate a distributed clock signal by skipping at least one clock pulse of the plurality of clock pulses to indicate a trigger event. The radar MMIC is configured to output the distributed clock signal having the at least one clock pulse skipped to indicate the trigger event. The radar MMIC is configured to receive the distributed clock signal as a received distributed clock signal. The radar MMIC further includes a radar operation controller configured to detect the trigger event based on the received distributed clock signal and initiate a radar operation based on detecting the trigger event.

Abstract: A scanning system includes a transmitter, a scanning structure, and a controller. The transmitter is configured to transmit a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light beam that includes a plurality of frequency ramps including up-chirps and down-chirps that are matched into up-down chirp pairs. The scanning structure is configured to oscillate about a scanning axis such that a deflection angle of the scanning structure continuously varies over time in an angular range between two maximum deflection angles. The controller is configured to segment the angular range into a plurality of sub-angular ranges and assign each up-down chirp pair to a different sub-angular range of the plurality of sub-angular ranges. Each up-down chirp pair includes an up-chirp transmitted in an assigned sub-angular range during a first scanning movement of the scanning structure and a down-chirp transmitted in the assigned sub-angular range during a second scanning movement of the scanning structure.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a phase change switch device is provided. The phase change switch includes a phase change material, a set of heaters arranged to heat the phase change material, and a switch arrangement. The switch arrangement includes a plurality of switches, and is configured to selectively provide electrical power to the set of the heaters.

Abstract: A radar system includes a first integrated radar circuit having a plurality of first transmission paths and a local oscillator configured to generate a local oscillator signal. The first integrated radar circuit has a first terminal configured to output an oscillation signal based on the local oscillator signal. The radar system includes a second integrated radar circuit having a second transmission path and a second terminal. The radar system includes a partially reflective element coupled to the first terminal via a first line section and to the second terminal via a second line section. The partially reflective element is configured to reflect back a first portion of the oscillation signal as a reflected signal via the first line section to the first terminal and to pass on a second portion of the oscillation signal as a forward signal via the second line section to the second terminal.

Abstract: A power semiconductor package includes first power semiconductor dies attached to a metallization layer of at least one first power electronics carrier and second power semiconductor dies attached to a metallization layer of at least one second power electronics carrier. A first lead frame includes a first structured metal frame electrically connected to a load terminal of each first power semiconductor die, and a second structured metal frame electrically connected to a load terminal of each second power semiconductor die and to the metallization layer of the first power electronics carrier. A second lead frame above the first lead frame includes first and second leads electrically connected to the metallization layer of the second power electronics carrier, a third lead between the first and second leads and electrically connected to the first structured metal frame, and a fourth lead electrically connected to the second structured metal frame.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming a first semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor layer being of the same dopant type as the semiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor layer having a higher dopant concentration than the semiconductor substrate; increasing the porosity of the first semiconductor layer; first annealing the first semiconductor layer in an atmosphere including an inert gas; forming a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer; and separating the second semiconductor layer from the semiconductor substrate by splitting within the first semiconductor layer. Additional methods of forming a semiconductor device are described.

Abstract: Switch modules, driver circuits for switch modules and corresponding methods are provided. In an implementation, a switch module includes a transistor switch including a control terminal, a first load terminal and a second load terminal, and a short circuit detection circuit configured to detect a short circuit state between the first load terminal and the second load terminal and to electrically couple the control terminal and the first load terminal in response to detecting the short circuit state. The short circuit detection circuit is supplied by a voltage between the control terminal and the first load terminal.

Abstract: A photodetector device includes a photodetector array comprising an array of photodetectors and a plurality of metal structures arranged between photodetectors of the array of photodetectors, wherein the plurality of metal structures are arranged in a first pattern; and a transparent substrate comprising a plurality of diffusion structures being patterned according to a second pattern that matches the first pattern. Each diffusion structure of the plurality of diffusion structures is configured to redirect light that is incident thereon. Additionally, the transparent substrate and the photodetector array are coupled together such that the first pattern is aligned with the second pattern and the plurality of diffusion structures covers the plurality of metal structures.

Abstract: An illumination device is provided. The illumination device includes a light source and a current path configured to transport a supply current to the light source. Further, the illumination device includes a sensor configured to contactlessly measure a current strength of the supply current in the current path and to output a measurement signal indicative of the measured current strength. The illumination device additionally includes processing circuitry coupled to the sensor and configured to determine the optical output power of the light source based on the measured current strength indicated by the measurement signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic touch sensor includes a touch structure configured to receive a touch; a transmitter arrangement configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic transmit waves toward the touch structure; a receiver arrangement configured to receive ultrasonic reflected waves produced by reflections of the one or more ultrasonic transmit waves and generate a plurality of measurement signals representative of the ultrasonic reflected waves; and a measurement circuit configured to measure a degree of variation of a plurality of measurement signals, compare the degree of variation with a detection threshold, and determine whether a no-touch event or a touch event has occurred at the touch structure based on whether the degree of variation satisfies the detection threshold.