Abstract: The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for evolving a root of trust and an electronic device using the method. Through the present disclosure, the root of trust can be evolved several times to strengthen the security verification capability for secure boot. Different from the conventional method of burning the root of trust in the read-only memory, the present disclosure uses a block protection storage device to write a verification firmware to be added to the root of trust into an unprotected block of the block protection storage device. Further, after the writing is completed, the unprotected block in which the verification firmware is written becomes a protected block, so as to make the evolvable root of trust secure and reliable, and can achieve credibility for evolving the root of trust.

Abstract: A high-frequency amplifier includes: a carrier amplifier which amplifies a first signal; a peak amplifier which amplifies a second signal; a first matching circuit which is connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier; a second matching circuit which is connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier; a first transmission line which is connected between the first matching circuit and the second matching circuit, and has an electric length that is less than ¼ of the wavelength of the center frequency of a predetermined frequency band. The phase rotation by a series inductor which is included in each of the first matching circuit and the second matching circuit and has one end that has been grounded is opposite to the phase rotation by the first transmission line.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first electrode provided on a semiconductor multilayer structure: a second electrode provided on a substrate; and a bonding metal layer which bonds the first electrode and the second electrode together. The bonding metal layer includes a gap inside.

Abstract: Provided is a clock switching device including a first latch circuit, a second latch circuit, and a switching circuit. The first latch circuit latches a first selection signal based on triggering of a first clock signal. The second latch circuit latches a second selection signal based on triggering of a second clock signal. A reset terminal of the second latch circuit is coupled to the first latch circuit. The second latch circuit is selectively reset based on an output of the first latch circuit. The switching circuit is coupled to an output terminal of the first latch circuit and an output terminal of the second latch circuit. The switching circuit selects one of the clock signals as an output clock signal of the clock switching device based on the selection signals.

Abstract: A battery management circuit that is provided for each of sets of battery cells connected in series in an energy storage device including the sets of the battery cells and at least one capacitor, and that includes: a positive connection terminal to be connected to a positive electrode of a corresponding one of the sets of the battery cells; a negative connection terminal to be connected to a negative electrode of the corresponding one of the sets of the battery cells; a capacitor connection terminal to be connected to a terminal of the at least one capacitor; and a control circuit that controls a connection operation of connecting the positive connection terminal or the negative connection terminal to the capacitor connection terminal, and causes the battery management circuit to perform the connection operation in synchronization with the connection operation of another battery management circuit among battery management circuits.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor layer; first and second transistors; one or more first source pads and a first gate pad of the first transistor in a first region of the upper surface of the semiconductor layer; and one or more second source pads and a second gate pad of the second transistor in a second region of the upper surface adjacent to the first region in a plan view of the semiconductor layer. In a plan view of the semiconductor layer, a virtual straight line connecting the centers of the first and second gate pads passes through the center of the semiconductor layer and forms a 45 degree angle with each side of the semiconductor layer. An upper surface boundary line between the first and second regions monotonically changes in the directions of extension of the longer and shorter sides of the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A distance measurement device includes: an emission and exposure controller which controls emission timing and an emission period of irradiation light for an emitter and controls exposure timing and an exposure period of reflected light for a solid-state image sensor; and a data processor which includes a calculator that calculates distance data and light intensity data based on signals of pixels outputted by a light receiver. The emission and exposure controller controls the exposure timing to perform exposure to reflected light from a first distance and not to perform exposure to reflected light from a second distance longer than the first distance in a distance measurement range. The data processor includes a determination unit which determines reliability of the distance data in accordance with a signal amount of the light intensity data for each of the pixels.

Abstract: To increase an overall access speed and a performance of a bus system, in the present disclosure, a master device is designed to use a clock signal with different clock frequencies to address slave devices and read/write data from/to the slave devices. In an address phase, a first operating frequency which the master device can successfully address the slave devices is used as a clock frequency of the clock signal for addressing. In a read/write phase, a minimum one (i.e., a second operating frequency) of multiple working frequencies of the slave devices is used as the clock frequency of the clock signal for reading/writing, wherein the master device is connected to the slave devices via a bus. The working frequency of the slave device means a maximum clock frequency supported by the slave device.

Abstract: A cell supervising circuit includes: a measurement circuit which measures a state of charge of a secondary battery cell; a transformer which is provided for the measurement circuit to contactlessly receive power supply from a power source different from the secondary battery cell; and a communication circuit which transmits, via the transformer to a BMU which manages a status of a battery pack, the state of charge measured by the measurement circuit.

Abstract: A circuit receives an input clock pulse signal characterized by a first frequency and a first pulse width, and produces an output pulse signal characterized by a second frequency that is half of the first frequency and a second pulse width that is equal to the first pulse width. The circuit also includes a first D-flipflop, a first inverter, a first Schmitt trigger, and a first AND gate. The first D-flipflop includes a clock input terminal for receiving the input clock pulse signal and an output terminal for producing a first data output. The first inverter couples the output terminal and a data input terminal of the first D-flipflop. A first Schmitt trigger receives the input clock pulse signal and provides a first delayed input clock signal. The first AND gate receives the first data output and the first delayed input clock signal, and provides the output pulse signal.

Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes: forming a first groove having depth H in a semiconductor layer; filling the first groove with an oxide film and forming a surface oxide film having thickness a on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer to equalize the oxide film and the surface oxide film in height; forming a second groove having depth h greater than thickness a, from an uppermost surface of a third oxide film; forming gate trenches deeper than depth H, in the semiconductor layer; depositing polysilicon until at least the gate trenches and the second groove are filled with polysilicon; forming a peripheral element by injecting an impurity into polysilicon deposited in the second groove; and making a thickness of the peripheral element equal to depth h by concurrently removing polysilicon deposited in the gate trenches and polysilicon deposited in the second groove until they become equal in height.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a vertical field-effect transistor including: a low-concentration impurity layer; a body region; a gate trench; a gate insulating film; and a gate conductor. The body region includes: a first body portion containing an active region and has a constant depth; and a second body portion adjacent to the first body portion and includes a zone that has a limited length in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction along the top surface of the low-concentration impurity layer, and has a constant depth at a position shallower than the constant depth of the first body portion. The second body portion includes a portion in which a region having relatively high concentration of an impurity and a region having relatively low concentration of an impurity are alternately and periodically present in the first direction in a cross-sectional view of a plane orthogonal to the second direction.

Abstract: An oscillator equipped with a temperature compensation circuit is illustrated. Through the temperature compensation circuit, a transistor of a current mirror circuit of the oscillator which outputs a reference current to a voltage matching circuit is controlled by the temperature compensation voltage. Both of the temperature compensation voltage and a reference current decrease as the temperature rises, and a delay time of the oscillation voltage is proportional to the temperature compensation voltage and inversely proportional to the reference current. Therefore, the effects of temperature on the delay time just cancel each other out. The delay time of the oscillating voltage is related to the frequency of the clock signal. Therefore, if the delay time of the oscillating voltage is not affected by temperature, the frequency of the clock signal will not be affected by temperature.

Abstract: A touch-sensing circuit and a touch-judging method are provided. The touch-sensing circuit controls the charging process or the discharging process of a sensing capacitor by a charge-discharge control unit. The first comparator and the second comparator are connected to the sensing capacitor to compare whether the voltage level of the sensing capacitor is higher than the preset high voltage or lower than the preset low voltage. The crossing detection unit receives the output pulse of the comparator and samples the first duration before the output pulse has a state transition and the second duration after the output pulse has the state transition. When the second duration is greater than the first duration, a switching signal is sent to the charge-discharge control unit to switch between the charging and discharging processes.

Abstract: A microphone array includes a four-channel serial peripheral interface, a core logic unit, a data receiving unit and a voice recognition unit. The four-channel serial peripheral interface includes a bit clock signal line, a frame clock signal line, and four data signal lines, the core logic unit includes a frequency divider module for converting the control signal and the clock signal to provide a bit clock signal and a frame clock signal. The data receiving unit includes a shift register and a buffer, the shift register is connected to four data signal lines and receives input data of the four digital microphones, and the buffer is connected to the shift register. The voice recognition unit is connected to the data receiving unit and receives microphone signals of the four digital microphones to perform voice recognition.

Abstract: A light source device includes a semiconductor light-emitting device which emits coherent excitation light, and a wavelength conversion element which is spaced from the semiconductor light-emitting device, generates fluorescence by converting the wavelength of the excitation light emitted from semiconductor light-emitting device, and generates scattered light by scattering the excitation light. The wavelength conversion element includes a support member, and a wavelength converter disposed on the support member. The wavelength converter includes a first wavelength converter, and a second wavelength converter which is disposed around the first wavelength converter to surround the first wavelength converter in a top view of the surface of the support member on which the wavelength converter is disposed. The ratio of the intensity of fluorescence to that of scattered light is lower in the second wavelength converter than in the first wavelength converter.

Abstract: A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a controller which repeatedly performs outputting of an emission signal instructing light emission and outputting of an exposure signal instructing exposure; a light source unit which performs light emission a plurality of times in accordance with the emission signal repeatedly outputted by the controller; and an imaging unit which includes a solid-state imaging element for performing exposure a plurality of times in accordance with the exposure signal repeatedly outputted by the controller and which generates an imaging signal through the exposure performed the plurality of times.

Abstract: An information security protection method includes: repeatedly substituting a plaintext into an encryption algorithm to obtain a plurality of ciphertexts, and determining whether the ciphertexts are all the same h the processor core. Each time the processor core substitutes the plaintext into the encryption algorithm, the encryption algorithm outputs a ciphertext. When the processor core determines that the ciphertexts are not all the same, the processor core outputs a hacker attack message, which means that an encryption process has suffered a hacker attack.

Abstract: A microcontroller includes a setting unit, an encoder, a modulation circuit, and a digital-to-analog converter. The setting unit outputs a control signal. The encoder outputs a digital signal that is encoded. The modulation circuit loads at least one carrier signal on the digital signal at the logic high level and/or the logic low level according to the control signal to generate a modulated digital signal. The digital-to-analog converter converts the modulated digital signal into an analog signal, and outputs the analog signal for transmission.

Abstract: A gas sensor driving method for a gas sensor that (i) includes: a first electrode including a first principal surface; a second electrode including a second principal surface; a metal-oxide layer interposed between the first principal surface and the second principal surface that face each other; and an insulating film covering the first electrode, the metal-oxide layer, and the second electrode, and exposing at least a part of a third principal surface of the second electrode, the third principal surface being disposed on an opposite side of the second principal surface, and (ii) detects hydrogen in accordance with a change in a resistance value of the metal-oxide layer. The gas sensor driving method includes repeatedly applying a positive voltage and a negative voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode.