Abstract: An n:1 time division multiplexer includes a multiphase clock generator, a data multiplexer, a reference multiplexer, a reference generator and a comparison circuit. The multiphase clock generator has a plurality of select clock outputs with different phases. The data multiplexer has a plurality of data inputs, a plurality of select clock inputs and a data output. The select clock inputs of the data multiplexer are coupled to corresponding select clock outputs. The reference multiplexer has a plurality of reference data inputs, a plurality of select clock inputs and a first reference output. The select clock inputs of the reference multiplexer are coupled to corresponding select clock outputs. The reference generator has a second reference output. The comparison circuit has first and second comparison inputs coupled to the first and second reference outputs, respectively, and has a comparison output coupled to the plurality of select clock outputs.

Abstract: To assemble a flip chip in a package, the back of the flip chip is coated with a heat conductive material and a heat conductive substrate is attached to the heat conductive material. Solder bumps are attached to the front of the flip chip and to a package substrate to mount the flip chip on the package, leaving a space between the flip chip and the package substrate. The space between the flip chip and the package substrate is under filled with a heat conductive media, and the flip chip is encapsulated against the package substrate with a peripheral mold such that at least a portion of the conductive substrate remains exposed. A final package is formed by electrical connectors attached to the package substrate.

Abstract: A plurality of macro-arrays are formed on a semiconductor substrate. Each macro-array includes a logic area in which a plurality of interconnectable logic gates are formed, and an Input/Output (I/O) area in which a plurality of I/O devices are formed. I/O terminals are formed outside the I/O area, which enable the logic devices of the macro-arrays to be interconnected with the logic devices of the other macro-arrays via the I/O devices. Alternatively, connections can be made directly to the logic devices. The interconnections are made using a pattern of conductors such that the macro-arrays are linked to form a composite gate array which provides a programmed logical functionality. A number of contiguous macro-arrays which provide the required number of gates are used, with the unused macro-arrays being cut away and discarded.

Abstract: An apparatus and method wherein conductive patterns are written in amorphous silicon or polysilicon deposited on an integrated circuit and used for interconnecting circuit elements contained therein. The substantially pure amorphous silicon or polysilicon is deposited onto an integrated circuit face at low temperature. A Focused Ion Beam deposition system deposits dopant atoms into the deposited pure silicon in a desired pattern. The dopant atoms are then activated by heat from a focused laser beam which adiabatically anneals the specifically doped areas of the deposited silicon. The resulting annealed doped areas of the silicon have low resistance suitable for circuit conductors. The surrounding undoped silicon reins a high resistance and a good insulator.

Abstract: A method is provided for the controlled formation of voids in integrated circuit doped glass dielectric films. The film can be formed of borophosphosilica glass (BPSG) or other types of doped glass. The method involves the steps of providing a substrate on which conductors are formed, depositing a first layer of doped glass to a thickness in a predetermined ratio to the size of the space between conductors, reflowing the first doped glass layer, applying one or more additional doped glass layers to make up for any shortfall in desired total doped glass thickness, and performing a high temperature densification to smooth each additional layer. The method provides for increased integrated circuit speed by controlled formation of voids which have a low dielectric constant and therefore reduce capacitance between adjacent conductors. The method can be performed using existing doped glass deposition and reflow equipment.

Abstract: Apparatus and process for making the apparatus for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of an electronic device, using a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) configuration. A spaced apart p-well and n-well are formed in a substrate, and spaced apart p+ and n+ contact regions are formed in each well, with an additional n+ or p+ drain tap contiguous to and lying between the two wells. The wells may be formed by a retrograde process or by a conventional process, with or without an epitaxial layer. A first electrode (ground) is connected to the p+ and n+ contact regions and through a polysilicon region to a gate oxide region in the first well. The polysilicon region has a small, controlled poly length. A second electrode is connected to the p+ and n+ contact regions in the second well and to an electrical circuit to be protected against ESD. The second well may be replaced by a portion of the substrate, of opposite electrical polarity to the first well.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method for detecting thickness measurement error of a film mounted on a wafer substrate. The method comprises exposing a film to be measured to electromagnetic waves over a range of incident wavelengths, reflecting the electromagnetic waves from an outer surface of the film and from the film-substrate interface so that said reflected electromagnetic waves interfere with one another, and measuring an intensity of the reflected electromagnetic waves. A reflected intensity curve is then computed over the range of incident wavelengths and then compared to a theoretically calculated reflected intensity curve to obtain a goodness of fit (GOF) measurement. The above process is repeated at a plurality of different locations on the wafer to obtain a plurality of GOF measurements for the wafer. Minimum and maximum GOF measurements are determined from the plurality of GOF measurements obtained. If anyone of these GOF measurements are less than a prescribed amount, such as 0.

Abstract: A process and resulting product are described for controlling the channeling and/or diffusion of a boron dopant in a P- region forming the lightly doped drain (LDD) region of a PMOS device in a single crystal semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon substrate. The channeling and/or diffusion of the boron dopant is controlled by implanting the region, prior to implantation with a boron dopant, with noble gas ions, such as argon ions, at a dosage at least equal to the subsequent dosage of the implanted boron dopant, but not exceeding an amount equivalent to the implantation of about 3.times.10.sup.14 argon ions/cm.sup.2 into a silicon substrate, whereby channeling and diffusion of the subsequently implanted boron dopant is inhibited without, however, amorphizing the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: Serial high speed interconnect devices are integrated with semiconductor devices for simple and reliable communications and control between a plurality of semiconductor devices. The serial high speed interconnect devices transfer the data serially at a rate fast enough to replace large parallel data and address buses that require one conductive path per bit of data. Eliminating large parallel data and address buses allows the integrated circuit containing the semiconductor device to be smaller, simpler and lower in cost. The subsequent reduction in the size of the integrated circuits improves the layout density of electronic systems and reduces crosstalk and other undesirable signal transfer anomalies. The serial high speed interconnection devices are implemented with a low cost serial interface circuit technology that may be easily implemented on a semiconductor die in conjunction with the main circuits.

Abstract: A voltage-controlled oscillator includes at least one voltage-controlled delay element and a reference voltage generator. The voltage-controlled delay element has first and second voltage supply inputs, a control voltage input, a signal input and a signal output. The reference voltage generator has a voltage input coupled to the control voltage input and a voltage output coupled to the first voltage supply input.

Abstract: Affine image transformations are performed in an interleaved manner, whereby coordinate transformations and intensity calculations are alternately performed incrementally on small portions of an image. The pixels are processed in rows such that after coordinates of a first pixel are determined for reference, each pixel in a row, and then pixels in vertically adjacent rows, are processed relative to the coordinates of the previously processed adjacent pixels. After coordinate transformation to produce affine translation, rotation, skew and/or scaling, intermediate metapixels are vertically split and shifted to eliminate holes and overlaps. Intensity values of output metapixels are calculated as being proportional to the sum of scaled portions of the intermediate metapixels which cover the output pixels respectively.

Abstract: A Reed-Solomon decoder and a decoding algorithm executed by the decoder are disclosed. The decoder includes a syndrome computer and a syndrome processor. The syndrome computer is a pipelined functional unit for computing syndromes from a received codeword and storing erasure location members as flagged by an Erasure Flag signal. The syndrome processor includes a pipelined functional unit and a Chien search circuit for receiving from said syndrome computer the computed syndromes, erasure locations, and number of erasures and computing erasure locator polynomial, modified syndrome polynomial, error locator and error evaluator polynomials, error-erasure locator polynomial, and error value at an error location at each error location found by the Chien search circuit.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for generating and placing clusters of cells for integrated circuit design includes providing a netlist including cells, and nets of wires interconnecting the cells. A metric is specified for measuring distance between cells as a function of netlist interconnections. A length of a net is the number of cells interconnected by said net minus one, and a distance between two cells is a sum of lengths of nets that provide a shortest path between the cells. A maximum cluster size criterion, such as maximum distance of a cell from the center of a cluster, is specified to provide a desired amount of overlap between clusters. Clusters of cells are generated, each cluster being generated by designating one of the cells as the center, processing the netlist using the metric to determine distances of cells from the center, and assigning cells having progressively increasing distances from the center to the cluster until the maximum cluster size criterion is reached.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for facilitating the decomposition of organometallic compounds such as TEOS in chemical vapor deposition reactors in order to form deposition films. The method generally includes: (1) introducing an organometallic compound and ozone molecules to a chemical vapor deposition reactor; (2) directing ultraviolet radiation into the chemical vapor deposition reactor to increase the rate at which oxygen atoms are formed from the ozone molecules present in the chemical vapor deposition reactor; and (3) decomposing the organometallic compound to form a deposition layer. The organometallic compound decomposes at an accelerated rate due in part to an increased amount of hydroxyl radicals present in the chemical vapor deposition reactor.

Abstract: A communications receiver system is presented for detecting burst errors and providing erasure information to the block decoder (outer decoder), thereby effectively doubling the conventional correction capability of the block decoder with only a minimal increase in complexity. In one embodiment, this mechanism takes the form of a circuit which re-encodes the output of the inner decoder, compares it with the received sequence of code symbols, and flags a portion of the inner decoder output for erasure when an excessive number of code symbol errors are detected. In a second embodiment, this mechanism takes the form of a circuit which makes hard symbol decisions on the channel signal, compares the hard decisions to the channel signal to determine a noise level, and thereafter flags the channel output in regions with excessive noise levels.

Abstract: A process and resulting product is described for forming an oxide in a semiconductor substrate which comprises initially implanting the substrate with atoms of a noble gas, then oxidizing the implanted substrate at a reduced temperature, e.g., less than 900.degree. C., to form oxide in the implanted region of the substrate, and then etching the oxidized substrate to remove a portion of the oxide. The resulting oxidation produces a dual layer of oxide in the substrate. The upper layer is an extremely porous and frothy layer of oxide, while the lower layer is a more dense oxide. The upper porous layer of oxide can be selectively removed from the substrate by a mild etch, leaving the more dense oxide layer in the substrate. Further oxide can then be formed adjacent the dense layer of oxide in the substrate, either by oxide deposition over the dense oxide or by growing further oxide beneath the dense oxide layer.

Abstract: An integrated circuit structure with input/output gate voltage regulation and parasitic zener and junction diodes for protection against damage resulting from electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. The circuit includes a first protective FET connected between an input/output pad and a ground potential of the integrated circuit. A diode voltage regulator is also connected between the gate of the first protective FET and a reference potential of the integrated circuit. The first protective FET receives a voltage from its gate-drain overlap capacitance during an ESD event. The diode is operative during an ESD event to provide a sufficient voltage to the first FET gate to permit a desired ESD current flow through the first protective FET. In one embodiment the first FET is an NMOS device and the diode voltage regulator is a series of p-n forward biased diodes.

Abstract: The port in a packet network switching system that a packet should be associated with is determined by retrieving packet address information for a packet that is to be transmitted. A predetermined number of bits from the packet address information is selected to use a hash key, which is used to compute a table address. The contents of the table at that address are compared with the packet address information. If it matches, the packet is transmitted over the port associated with that particular destination address. If it does not match, the table address is incremented by one, and the contents of the new table location identified by the incremented address are compared with the packet address information. A high speed digital video network apparatus which utilizes the hashing function is implemented on a single integrated circuit chip, and includes a network protocol processing system interconnection, compression/decompression circuits, and encoder/decoder circuits.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for identifying regions of an integrated circuit layout design where optical proximity correction will be most useful and then performing optical proximity correction on those regions only. More specifically, the method includes the following steps: (a) analyzing an integrated circuit layout design with a design role checker to locate features of the integrated circuit layout design meeting predefined criteria; and (b) performing optical proximity correction on the features meeting the criteria in order to generate a reticle design. The criteria employed by the design role checker to select features include outside corners on patterns, inside corners on features, feature size, feature shape, and feature angles.

Abstract: A system and method implementing a fast wavelet transform by shifting a pair of pixels into a single shift register and using a multimode quadrature mirror filter to eliminate the need of downsampling the filtered signals and to decrease the area required to implement the device on a semiconductor chip.