Abstract: An integrated device includes a Seebeck device (4) integrated in a substrate (2). A heat-generating device (6) warms up the Seebeck device (4) generating electrical power. The Seebeck device powers a further device which may be a micro-battery (8) likewise integrated in the substrate or a Peltier effect device for cooling another heat-generating device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method for fabricating a dual-orientation group-IV semiconductor substrate and comprises in addition to performing a masked amorphization on a DSB-like substrate only in first lateral regions of the surface layer, and a solid-phase epitaxial regrowth of the surface layer in only the first lateral regions so as to establish their (100)-orientation. Subsequently, a cover layer on the surface layer is fabricated, followed by fabricating isolation regions, which laterally separate (1 1?)-oriented first lateral regions and (100)-oriented second lateral regions from each other. Then the cover layer is removed in a selective manner with respect to the isolation regions so as to uncover the surface layer in the first and second lateral regions and a refilling of the first and second lateral regions between the isolation regions is performed using epitaxy.

Abstract: A resonator comprising a beam formed from a first material having a first Young's modulus and a first temperature coefficient of the first Young's modulus, and a second material having a second Young's modulus and a second temperature coefficient of the second Young's modulus, a sign of the second temperature coefficient being opposite to a sign of the first temperature coefficient at least within operating conditions of the resonator, wherein the ratio of the cross sectional area of the first material to the cross sectional area of the second material varies along the length of the beam, the cross sectional areas being measured substantially perpendicularly to the beam.

Abstract: A sensor is provided for sensing a value of a physical parameter characteristic of the sensor's environment. The sensor is implemented in semiconductor technology. A behavior of the sensor's electronic circuitry is affected by stress. The stress is induced by a film covering the circuitry or only part thereof. The stress is caused by the film's material, whose dimensions depend on a value of the parameter. This dependence is different from the 5 dependence of the circuitry's substrate on the same parameter.

Abstract: A power supply arrangement is for supplying power to a chip core. A dc-dc converter arrangement is used both for a wake-up state of the core in preparation for an active state, and for a shut down charge recycling state in which the core supplies charge to the dc-dc converter. Thus, the dc-dc converter arrangement functions both to control powering on of the core in an efficient manner and the powering down of the core to implement charge recycling.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for converting an analog input signal (100) into a digital code (b1-bN), comprising a delay circuit (230) adapted to generate a periodical signal (CLK) having a delay as a function of the analog input signal value; and a quantization stage (205) for converting the delayed periodical signal (232) into the digital code. The circuit converts an analog voltage or current into the time-domain, thus facilitating the implementation of high-speed analog-to-digital converters into submicron technologies, in particular CMOS technologies. A method of converting an analog input signal (100) into a digital code (b1-bN) is also disclosed.

Abstract: A sensor (400) for sensing jitter in a clock signal has a DLL (402, 310, 312) for locking a clock signal and a delayed version of the clock signal. The sensor comprises a delay line (402) having a first number of cascaded controllable delay segments. The DLL uses a second number of the cascaded delay segments for generating a delay of an average clock period of the clock signal. The second number is smaller than the first number. The sensor also has a comparator (408) for supplying a sensor output signal representative of a comparison of the clock signal and a further delayed version of the clock signal. The further delayed version of the clock signal is obtained from an output of a specific one of the delay segments located in the delay line after the second number of cascaded delay segments.

Abstract: A road pricing smart client and method for a road pricing system enabling the removal of information from the positioning data describing the itinerary which suggest private data such as travelling speed and itinerary of the originator of the data. Accordingly, the smart client and method is configured to re-sample the original positioning points of the route into equidistant sections, remove timing information from the positioning data, slice the re-sampled route into slices shaped as those provided by other road users by employing a common “virtual grid”. By transmitting the slices in randomized order with an arbitrary delay, coherence of slices corresponding to formerly neighboring portions of the itinerary, are not correlated anymore. However, there is still enough information provided to the toll system to send an excerpt of the fee database allowing the smart pricing client or method to calculate the occurred fees.

Abstract: The present invention provides a means to integrate planar coils on silicon, while providing a high inductance. This high inductance is achieved through a special back- and front sided shielding of a material. In many applications, high-value inductors are a necessity. In particular, this holds for applications in power management. In these applications, the inductors are at least 5 of the order of 1 ?H, and must have an equivalent series resistance of less than 0.1 ?. For this reason, those inductors are always bulky components, of a typical size of 2×2×1 mm 3, which make a fully integrated solution impossible. On the other hand, integrated inductors, which can monolithically be integrated, do exist. However, these inductors suffer either from low inductance values, or 10 very-high DC resistance values.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for compensating the output of a transmitter stage (50) of a communications system. A communications apparatus has a transmitter stage (50) providing a variable control voltage which varies the power of the transmitter stage. The impedance at the output of the transmitter stage. (50) varies as the power varies. A control generation circuit compares a reference voltage to the variable control voltage to produce a control signal (VvswrC). A compensated load (40) coupled to the output of the transmitter stage (50) has active component (s) whose' impedance varies in response to the control signal (VvsweC) so as to compensate for the impedance at the output of the transmitter stage (50).

Abstract: A sensing circuit (100) for sensing the content of a memory cell (101), wherein the sensing circuit comprises a sense node (103) connectable to the memory cell (101) so that a signal indicative of the content of the memory cell (101) is providable to the sense node (103). The sensing circuit (100) further comprises a logic gate (102) having a first input, a second in-put and an output, wherein a reference signal (105) is providable to the first input and wherein the sense node (103) is coupled to the second input. The sensing circuit (100) further comprises a feedback loop (104) for coupling the output of the logic gate (102) to the second input of the logic gate (102) so that, during sensing the content of the memory cell (101), an electrical potential at the sense node (103) is used to make a decision but after a result is obtained, the memory and sense amplifier combination are configured so that the result is held indefinitely and so that no static current continues to flow.

Abstract: An adaptive cruise control system and a method for controlling the speed of a vehicle are disclosed. The system generally includes a controller which determines a torque instruction associated with a limit speed of the vehicle which is less than a selected speed. The method generally includes determining a distance between the vehicle and an object detected in the path of the vehicle, determining a torque instruction which is associated with a limit speed which is less than a selected speed from at least the distance, and transmitting the torque instruction to an engine controller of the vehicle.

Abstract: Consistent with an example embodiment, a non-volatile memory cell on a semiconductor substrate includes a first and a second transistor. Each transistor is arranged a s a memory element that includes two diffusion regions capable of either acting as a source or drain, a charge storage element and a control gate element. A channel region is located intermediate the two diffusion regions. The charge storage element is located over the channel region and the control gate element is arranged on top of the charge storage element. One diffusion region of the first transistor and one diffusion region of the second transistor form a common diffusion region. The other diffusion region of the first transistor is connected as first diffusion region to a first bit line, the other diffusion region of the second transistor is connected as second diffusion region to a second bit line and the common diffusion region is connected to a sensing line.

Abstract: Data is read from a memory matrix (10) with a plurality of bit lines (12). A differential sense amplifier (14) receives a signal derived from a first one of the bit lines (12) on a first input. The differential sense amplifier (14) receives a reference signal from a reference output of a reference circuit (15) to a second input. A second one of the bit lines (12), which is adjacent to the first one of the bit lines (12), is coupled to the reference circuit (15), so that a bit line signal value on the second one of the bit lines (12) affects a reference signal value on the reference output, at least partly reproducing an effect of crosstalk of the bit line signal value (12) on the second one of the bit lines (12) on a bit line signal value on the first one of the bit lines (12).

Abstract: A passivating coupling material for, on the one hand, passivating a dielectric layer in a semiconductor device, and on the other hand, for permitting or at least promoting liquid phase metal deposition thereon in a subsequent process step. In a particular example, the dielectric layer may be a porous material having a desirably decreased dielectric constant k, and the passivating coupling material provides steric shielding groups that substantially block the adsorption and uptake of ambient moisture into the porous dielectric layer. The passivating coupling materials also provides metal nucleation sides for promoting the deposition of a metal thereon in liquid phase, in comparison with metal deposition without the presence of the passivating coupling material. The use of a liquid phase metal deposition process facilitates the subsequent manufacture of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A semiconductor device (1) and a method are disclosed for obtaining on a substrate (2) a multilayer structure (3) with a quantum well structure (4). The quantum well structure (4) comprises a semiconductor layer (5) sandwiched by insulating layers (6,6?), wherein the material of the insulating layers (6,6?) has preferably a high dielectric constant. In a FET the quantum wells (4,9) function as channels, allowing a higher drive current and a lower off current. Short channel effects are reduced. The multi-channel FET is suitable to operate even for sub-35 nm gate lengths. In the method the quantum wells are formed by epitaxial growth of the high dielectric constant material and the semiconductor material alternately on top of each other, preferably with MBE.

Abstract: A circuit (1) is described for determining the current (Iload) in a load (6), the circuit having a main transistor (2) and a sense transistor (3), each transistor having a main current path (4, 5) and a control terminal (9, 10), the main current paths each operably connected in parallel between the load and a ground terminal (7) and the control terminals being connected together. Means is provided for setting the voltage across the main current path (5) of the sense transistor (3) to a voltage level substantially equal to a predetermined portion of the voltage across the main current path (4) of the main transistor (3).

Abstract: An electronic circuit has an inductor. The inductor comprises a first number of electrically conductive tracks (108, . . . ) in, or on, a substrate (105). The tracks are separated from one another. The inductor comprises a second number of electrically conductive wires (120, . . . ). The ends of each wire contacts two different ones of the tracks. Among the first number of tracks there is at least a specific track that is electrically isolated from the wires upon the wires having been connected. Such an inductor can be made using a standardized track configuration on a substrate, and selectively skipping one or more tracks in order to determine the inductance.

Abstract: The device improved according to the invention comprises a micro-electromechanical switch (MEMS) with a piezoelectric element connected to a mechanical support on both sides at the edges. The electrode design of this piezoelectric element is characterized by two electrodes mounted on at least one of the surfaces.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system of automatically adjusting a mirror (14, 16, 18) in a vehicle (10) to provide a driver (1) with an optimized rear view. A camera (24, 26, 28) is provided that is directed at the adjustable mirror (14, 16, 18). A camera capture area (60) is defined in the adjustable mirror (14, 16, 18), and the mirror (14, 16, 18) is automatically adjusted until the eyes (50) of the driver (1) are captured by the camera (24, 26, 28) within the capture area (60).