Abstract: This invention relates to Analog to Digital Converters (ADC) and, inter alia, to Time Interleaved ADCs and Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADC's. In a conventional Time Interleaved ADC employing SAR ADC units, the input signal is processed through a track-and-hold circuit (T/H), and then through a buffer circuit, before the SAR ADC unit. There, by means of a comparator, the signal is compared with a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) signal from the SAR logic. The buffer reduces the influence of capacitive loading and physical layout design on the SAR ADC input, but typically has a non-linear response and thus introduces distortion to the input signal. This can limit the ADC linearity, particularly for high-speed ADCs operating with low-supply voltages. An objective of the invention is to reduce or eliminate the effect of the buffer non-linearity. This is done in some embodiments by routing both the signals to the comparator through the same buffer circuit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device comprising a first electric contact (8, 98) and a substrate (1, 91). The first electric contact (8, 98) comprises a first area (10, 110) with a first wettability, and the substrate (1, 91) comprises a second area (3) with a second wettability and a third area (2) with a third wettability and being adjacent to the second area (2). The first electric contact (8, 98) is attached on the substrate (1, 91) so that the first area (10, 110) of the first electric contact (8, 98) is adjacent to the second area (3), and the second area (3) is located between the first area (10, 110) and the third area (2). The first and the second wettability are higher than the third wettability. The invention also relates to a transponder (T1, T2, T3) which comprises the substrate (1, 91), an electric device (50, 80) and an antenna (7, 93).

Abstract: A voltage sampling RF receiver in which an impedance control circuit controls the input impedance, by using a mixer stage which generates a feedback voltage, which is coupled to the RF input by a feedback resistor. A biasing arrangement can be used to adjust the feedback path so that local oscillator leakage signals are suppressed.

Abstract: A method for storing or reading data in a memory array of a transponder and a corresponding transponder, read/write device and program element is described. Therein, a data structure for storing data within the memory array is defined by a predetermined protocol. The data structure comprises: a header data block including predefined header data; an application data block for storing application data; a memory control data block including a reservation indicator for indicating a reserved partial memory area of the memory array where, in accordance with the predetermined protocol, application data cannot be read or written by a protocol compliant reader device. The method for storing data comprises storing additional application data in the reserved partial memory area.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit (100) comprising a transistor (110) coupled between a supply voltage line (102) and ground (106), the transistor comprising a control terminal coupled to a input signal line (104), the circuit further comprising first and second bipolar transistors (122, 124) coupled in series between the input signal line (104) and ground (106), wherein the base of the first bipolar transistor is connected to the input signal line and the base of the second bipolar transistor is connected to ground.

Abstract: A radio frequency communication device has data transmission means and data receiving means. The data transmission means comprise load modulating means being adapted to receive a radio frequency carrier signal emitted by another RF communication device and to modulate the RF carrier signal by means of load modulation in accordance with data to be sent. The data receiving means comprise a RF frequency carrier signal generator being adapted to emit a radio frequency carrier signal and load demodulating means being connected to an emission path of the radio frequency carrier signal and demodulating the radio frequency carrier signal when it has been load modulated by another RF communication device.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to the production of erasure flags to indicate errors resulting from decoding of convolutional codes. A Viterbi decoder may use a register exchange method to produce a plurality of survivor codes. At a defined index, a majority vote may take place comparing values of bits in each of the survivor codes. This majority vote may involve obtaining both the quantity of high-order bits and the quantity of low-order bits and obtaining the difference of the two quantities. The absolute value of the difference of high-order bits to low-order bits may be compared to a defined threshold. When the absolute value difference is below the defined quantity, an erasure flag may be produced and associated with the bits of the defined index, indicating that they are eligible for erasure. In some embodiments, a Reed-Solomon decoder may use the erasure flag to target specific survivor bits or survivor bytes for error-correction through erasure.

Abstract: Methods for manufacturing a bipolar transistor semiconductor device are described, along with devices fabricated in accordance with the methods. The methods include the steps of forming a stack of layers over a semiconductor body comprising a window definition layer (18,38), a layer (20) of semiconductor material, a first insulating layer (22), and a second insulating layer (24) which is selectively etchable with respect to the first insulating layer. A trench (26) is then etched into the stack down to the window definition layer. The portion of the trench extending through the second insulating layer is widened to form a wider trench portion (28) therethrough. A window (36) is defined in the window definition layer which is aligned with the wider trench portion, and serves to define the base-collector or base-emitter junction in the finished device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit and method for receiving a signal of which—at the receiver end—the frequency is basically unknown. By sampling the data and deriving the frequency of the signal (or actually: the data rate of the data carried by the signal) and setting a phase locked loop in the receiver to the derived—estimated—circuit, the receiver can very quickly tune in to the frequency of the signal. Hence, no embedded or accompanying clock is required for the signal. Oversampling of the signal by the receiver front end is preferred, though.

Abstract: An apparatus (100) for feeding antenna elements of a phased array antenna, comprises: at least two transmission lines (101, 101) disposed in parallel and operated at a certain frequency as resonators, each of the transmission lines (101, 101) having a predetermined length dimensioned to be at least approximately an electrical quarter-wavelength of the operating frequency, a plurality of measuring positions provided on the transmission lines (101, 101) in spacings along the longitudinal direction (x) of the transmission lines, wherein each measuring position on one of the two transmission lines (101) faces directly a corresponding neighbored measuring position on the other transmission line (101) and such corresponding measuring positions being adjacent to each other in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the transmission lines (101, 101) form a measuring position pair, respectively, wherein each of the circuits (110, 120, 130) detects and amplifies/attenuates the measuring signals from an

Abstract: A micro-electromechanical resonator suspended from an anchor. The resonator has: a length; a first width at a first distance from the anchor; and a second width at a second, greater distance from the anchor. The second width is greater than the first width, and the width of the resonator tapers gradually along at least part of its length from the second width to the first width.

Abstract: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a typical multi-carrier technique that has been applied by many advanced wireless communication systems, e.g., 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX. In order to support high mobility transmission, the sub-carrier spacing of multi-carrier systems is made large enough to overcome the Doppler frequency offset. However, this large sub-carrier spacing results in lower transmission efficiency since the CP (Cyclic Prefix) consumes a considerable of radio resources. The present invention provides an adaptive scheme to determine the sub-carrier spacing in which the default sub-carrier spacing is set to support lower mobility, while the adaptively adjusted sub-carrier spacing based on User Equipment (UE) mobile velocities is set to support higher mobility.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a node in distributed communication system operating under a time triggered protocol, further it relates to distributed communication system and to a monitoring device coupled to such node of a communication system.

Abstract: A semiconductor chip, apparatus, and associated method wherein the semiconductor chip, having at least one electrode and configured as a sensor such as a biosensor, is removably attachable to a tip of a dipstick. The dipstick tip, with the attached semiconductor chip, is arranged to be dipped into a well containing an analyte. The well may be part of a micro-titre plate. The chip electrically senses the presence of a target molecule in the analyte. The sensing may be by detecting a change in capacitance associated with the electrode which occurs in the presence of the target molecule. The apparatus may include plural dipsticks and associated semiconductor chips which are sensitive for different target molecules. Alternatively or in addition, a single semiconductor chip may have a plurality of electrodes, which may be sensitive to different target molecules.

Abstract: A switching circuit (400) comprising an inductive component (406) including at least one winding; and a switch (404) is configured to transfer power from a voltage source (402) to the inductive component (406) in accordance with a switch control signal (412). The switching circuit (400) also comprises a controller (408) configured to integrate the voltage across the inductive component (406) in order to generate a signal representative of magnetic flux in the inductive component (406); and use the signal representative of the magnetic flux in the inductive component to account for a peak magnetization current value in order to control the switch (404).

Abstract: A method and system of fine timing synchronization for an OFDM signal. The OFDM signal is coarse timing synchronized, generating a synchronization sequence and a CFR (Channel Frequency Response). The synchronization sequence is removed. A correlation coefficient of the correlation between the CFR applied to a number of carriers and the number of carriers with different window shifts is calculated. The largest window shift corresponding to a downsampling factor is indicated by the lowest correlation coefficient greater than a threshold. The CFR is downsampled by the downsampling factor, and an inverse FFT is performed on the downsampled CFR with a reduced number of calculations reduced by the downsampling factor, transforming the CFR into a CIR. A fine timing synchronization position is determined from the CIR and is utilized by an FFT unit within an OFDM receiver to accurately receive OFDM symbols of the OFDM signal.

Abstract: A method of forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor having top and bottom plates separated by a dielectric layer, one of the top and bottom plates having at least one protrusion extending into a corresponding cavity in the other of the top and bottom plates, the method including the steps of growing one or more nanofibers on a base surface.

Abstract: A sigma-delta modulator (400) 400, 500, 600) for converting an input signal (X(s)) (X(s)) to a quantized output signal (Y(z)) (Y(z)), in which a feedback loop is provided between a filter (402) and a quantizer (403) of the modulator, the feedback loop configured to reduce quantization errors from the modulator by filtering and subtracting quantization noise fed back to an input of the quantizer (403).

Abstract: Disclosed is a device comprising a substrate carrying a microscopic structure in a cavity capped by a capping layer including a material of formula SiNxHy, wherein x>1.33 and y>0. A method of forming such a device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A resonant converter (10) comprising a voltage compensation circuit (72, 73) configured to generate a periodic compensation voltage signal (Vslopecompens) at a switching frequency of the converter such that conduction intervals (31, 32) are ended according to first and second voltage levels in combination with the periodic compensation signal.