Abstract: A testing architecture for integrated circuits on a wafer includes at least one first circuit of a structure TEG realized in a scribe line providing separation between first and second integrated circuits. At least one pad is shared by a second circuit inside at least one of the first and second integrated circuits and the first circuit. Switching circuitry is coupled to the at least one pad and to the first and second circuits.

Abstract: A package packaged with a cap. The package features trenches, through holes, and a non-conductive coupling element forming a locking mechanism integrated embedded or integrated within a substrate. The package has a cap coupled to the non-conductive coupling element through ultrasonic plastic welding. The package protects the dice from an outside environment or external stresses or both. A method is desired to form package to reduce glue overflow defects in the package. Fabrication of the package comprises drilling holes in a substrate; forming trenches in the substrate; forming a non-conductive coupling element in the through holes and the trenches to form a locking mechanism; allowing the non-conductive coupling element to harden and cure; coupling a die or dice to the substrate; and coupling a cap to the non-conductive coupling element to protect the die or dice from an outside environment or external stresses or both.

Abstract: A gyroscope includes a substrate, a first structure, a second structure and a third structure elastically coupled to the substrate and movable along a first axis. The first and second structure are arranged at opposite sides of the third structure with respect to the first axis A driving system is configured to oscillate the first and second structure along the first axis in phase with one another and in phase opposition with the third structure. The first, second and third structure are provided with respective sets of sensing electrodes, configured to be displaced along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis in response to rotations of the substrate about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and to the second axis.

Abstract: A method disclosed herein includes operating a processor of a system on a chip in a configuration mode until completion of a set of tasks, and operating the processor in a normal operation mode after completion of the set of tasks. During the configuration mode, the method includes performing steps of sending by the processor of configuration information to a configuration programming block, sending by the configuration programming block of the configuration information to one or more electronic components to thereby complete a first subset of the set of tasks, while permitting the processor to complete a second subset of the set of tasks, and sending by the configuration programming block of a notification to the processor after completing the first subset of the set of tasks.

Abstract: A millimeter wave transceiver including a plate forming an interposer having its upper surface supporting an interconnection network and having its lower surface intended to be assembled on a printed circuit board by bumps; an integrated circuit chip assembled on the upper surface of the interposer; antennas made of tracks formed on the upper surface of the interposer; and reflectors on the upper surface of the printed circuit board in front of each of the antennas, the effective distance between each antenna and the reflector plate being on the order of one quarter of the wavelength, taking into account the dielectric constants of the interposed materials.

Abstract: A powerline communication system includes a plurality of rail segments. Each of the rail segments is electrically isolated from other rail segments, and each receives power from a rail segment power supply. At least one cart operates on the rail segments. The cart has a powerline communications controller. Each rail segment has a current state defined by how many and which carts are operating on the rail segment. A central coordinator is coupled to each rail segment and configured to execute a channel estimation using a sounding protocol on its rail segment. The central coordinators store tone maps associated with the possible states of its rail segment, and possibly its adjacent rail segment. A main controller communicates with each central coordinator to direct the state and future state of its segment so that tone maps and network keys can be managed by the CCo in advance of an imminent state change.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a high power factor quasi resonant converter. The converter converts an AC power line input to a DC output to power a load, generally a string of LEDs. The power input is fed into a transformer being controlled by a power switch. The power switch is driven by a controller having a shaping circuit. The shaping circuit uses a current generator, switched resistor and capacitor to produce a sinusoidal reference voltage signal. The controller drives the power switch based on the voltage reference signal, resulting in a sinusoidal input current in a primary winding of the transformer, resulting in high power factor and low total harmonic distortion for the converter.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit, for a capacitive acoustic transducer defining a sensing capacitor that generates a sensing signal as a function of an acoustic signal, has a first input terminal and a second input terminal, which are coupled to the sensing capacitor and: a dummy capacitor, which has a capacitance corresponding to a capacitance at rest of the sensing capacitor and a first terminal connected to the first input terminal; a first amplifier, which is coupled at input to the second input terminal and defines a first differential output of the circuit; a second amplifier, which is coupled at input to a second terminal of the dummy capacitor and defines a second differential output of the circuit; and a feedback stage, which is coupled between the differential outputs and the first input terminal, for feeding back onto the first input terminal a feedback signal, which has an amplitude that is a function of the sensing signal and is in phase opposition with respect thereto.

Abstract: Cantilever probes are produced for use in a test apparatus of integrated electronic circuits. The probes are configured to contact corresponding terminals of the electronic circuits to be tested during a test operation. The probe bodies are formed of electrically conductive materials. On a lower portion of each probe body that, in use, is directed to the respective terminal to be contacted, an electrically conductive contact region is formed having a first hardness value equal to or greater than 300 HV; each contact region and the respective probe body form the corresponding probe.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a device for determining a speed of rotation of an object includes a visualization device fastened to the object. A lighting device is configured to light the visualization device by light pulses of adjustable frequency. An adjustment device is configured to adjust a frequency of the light pulses so that the visualization device appears immobile when the object is in rotation. A processor is configured to determine the speed of rotation based on the adjusted frequency.

Abstract: A thin-film battery of lithium-free type includes a stack of a positive electrode made of LiCoO2, an electrolyte layer made of LiPON, and a negative electrode made of copper. An adhesive layer based on polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) is positioned on a face of the negative electrode opposite the electrolyte layer.

Abstract: A protection circuit for a transistor switch coupled to a power supply rail operates to modulate a control voltage at a control terminal of the transistor switch. A first circuit detects an overload across the terminals of the switch with respect to a threshold to generate a signal which modulates the control voltage. A second circuit operates to adjust a value of the threshold in response to sensed variations in a supply voltage at the power supply rail.

Abstract: Mirror control circuitry described herein is for controlling a first micro-mirror of a micro-mirror apparatus that scans across a target area in a scan pattern. The mirror control circuitry includes a processor that determines a mechanical angle of the first micro-mirror for a given instant in time during scanning of the first micro-mirror between upper and lower rotational limits, the mechanical angle being such to maintain the scan pattern as being uniform while the micro-mirror apparatus scans across the target area between the upper and lower rotational limits. The processor also generates a driving signal for the first micro-mirror as a function of the determined mechanical angle for the first micro-mirror at the given instant in time.

Abstract: An integrated magnetoresistive device includes a substrate of semiconductor material that is covered, on a first surface, by an insulating layer. A magnetoresistor of ferromagnetic material extends within the insulating layer and defines a sensitivity plane of the sensor. A concentrator of ferromagnetic material includes at least one arm that extends in a transversal direction to the sensitivity plane and is vertically offset from the magnetoresistor. The concentrator concentrates deflects magnetic flux lines perpendicular to the sensitivity plane so as to generate magnetic-field components directed in a parallel direction to the sensitivity plane.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate and a multitude of electrically conductive pads situated between component zones of the semiconductor substrate and a first metallization level of the integrated circuit, respectively. The multitude of electrically conductive pads are encapsulated in an insulating region and include: first pads, in electrical contact with corresponding first component zones, and at least one second pad, not in electrical contact with a corresponding second component zone.

Abstract: A semiconductor device may include a substrate, a fin above the substrate and having a channel region therein, and source and drain regions adjacent the channel region to generate shear and normal strain on the channel region. A semiconductor device may include a substrate, a fin above the substrate and having a channel region therein, source and drain regions adjacent the channel region, and a gate over the channel region. The fin may be canted with respect to the source and drain regions to generate shear and normal strain on the channel region.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an electronic device includes fixing a rear face of an integrated-circuit chip to a front face of a support wafer. An infused adhesive is applied in the form of drops or segments that are separated from each other. A protective wafer is applied to the infused adhesive, and the infused adhesive is cured. The infused adhesive includes a curable adhesive and solid spacer elements infused in the curable adhesive. A closed intermediate peripheral ring is deposited on the integrated-circuit chip outside the cured infused adhesive, and an encapsulation block is formed such that it surrounds the chip, the protective wafer and the closed intermediate peripheral ring.

Abstract: Switching circuitry includes first and second transistors in series between two terminals and including a common control node with a capacitance between the common control node and an intermediate point. A control circuit includes first and second circuits configured to charge and discharge the capacitance as a function of first and second control signals. The control circuit includes a third circuit having a plurality of diodes and a switch that operates when the voltage at the capacitance is greater than a threshold two diodes in cascade between the intermediate point and the common control node to enable current flow from the intermediate point to the common control node. When the voltage at the capacitance is smaller than the given threshold two diodes are connected in series between the common control node and the intermediate point to enable current flow from the common control node to the intermediate point.

Abstract: A panning device for processing relative motion vectors and absolute motion vectors obtained from a video sequence, includes: a panning filter module, such as a high-pass IIR filter, for subjecting relative motion vectors to panning processing, an adder module for adding the relative motion vectors subjected to panning in the panning filter module to absolute motion vectors to obtain respective summed values of motion vectors, a clipping module for subjecting the summed values of motion vectors obtained in the adder module to clipping according to a selected cropping window for obtaining final output absolute motion vectors, a first leak integrator arranged after the panning filter module, and a second leak integrator arranged after the clipping module.

Abstract: An electronic device disclosed herein includes a touch screen controller to identify an island i.e., a matrix of acquired touch data values, the island including adjacent touch data values indicating a potential touch of a touch sensitive screen. A first sharpness of the island is calculated using a first normalization type and not a second normalization type. A second sharpness of the island is calculated using the first and second normalization types if the first sharpness is greater than the sharpness threshold. A dynamic variance threshold is determined as a function of the second sharpness. A dynamic strength threshold is determined as a function of the second sharpness if a variance of the island is greater than the dynamic variance threshold, and the island is determined to be a valid stylus island if the peak strength is greater than the dynamic strength threshold.