Abstract: A source synchronous data transmission system includes a data transmitting device and a data receiving device. A dedicated data line carries a data signal from the data transmission device to the data receiving device. A dedicated clock line carries a modulated clock signal from the data transmission device to the data receiving device. The data transmission device includes a clock data driver configured to encode data into the modulated clock signal by modulating an amplitude of the modulated clock signal. Thus, the clock line of the source synchronous data transmission system carries the clock signal and additional data.
Abstract: A method of compensated touch data values disclosed herein includes acquiring touch data values about a dead sensing zone of a touch screen, and determining a peak value of those touch data values. Then, a new peak value is calculated as a function of an average of the peak value and another value of the touch data value, and a sharpness value for the dead sensing zone is generated if a second highest value of the touch data values is less than the new peak value. Thereafter, compensated touch data values are generated for the dead sensing zone if the second highest value is greater than the new peak value.
Type:
Application
Filed:
April 8, 2016
Publication date:
October 12, 2017
Applicant:
STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
Abstract: A silicon on insulator substrate includes a semiconductor bulk handle wafer, an insulating layer on said semiconductor bulk handle wafer and a semiconductor film on said insulating layer. An opening extends completely through the semiconductor film and insulating layer to expose a surface of the semiconductor bulk handle wafer. Epitaxial material fills the opening and extends on said semiconductor film, with the epitaxial material and semiconductor film forming a thick semiconductor film. A trench isolation surrounds a region of the thick semiconductor film to define an electrical contact made to the semiconductor bulk handle wafer through the opening.
Type:
Application
Filed:
April 7, 2016
Publication date:
October 12, 2017
Applicants:
STMicroelectronics SA, STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a substrate with an interlevel dielectric layer positioned above the substrate. First trenches having a first depth are formed in the interlevel dielectric layer and a metal material fills the first trenches to form first interconnection lines. Second trenches having a second depth are also formed in the interlevel dielectric layer and filled with a metal material to form second interconnection lines. The first and second interconnection lines have a substantially equal pitch, which in a preferred implementation is a sub-lithographic pitch, and different resistivities due to the difference in trench depth. The first and second trenches are formed with an etching process through a hard mask having corresponding first and second openings of different depths. A sidewall image transfer process is used to define sub-lithographic structures for forming the first and second openings in the hard mask.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 29, 2014
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignees:
STMICROELECTRONICS, INC., INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Inventors:
John Hongguang Zhang, Lawrence A. Clevenger, Carl Radens, Yiheng Xu, Richard Stephen Wise
Abstract: An apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers includes at least a wet bench and an automatic handling system of a wafer carrier removably connected thereto. The wet bench includes a first processing tank, a second processing tank and a third processing tank, separated from one another, each processing tank being dedicated to a different chemical, as well as a special cleaning and drying tank for processing the automatic handling system when the wafer carrier has been removed.
Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a touch controller includes a touch frame processing component adapted to receive sensor signals containing information about a touch point on a touch screen. The touch frame processing component processes the sensor signals to generate touch information associated with each touch point. A touch coordinate processing component is coupled to receive touch information from the touch frame processing component and includes virtual area parameters that define a plurality of virtual areas on the touch screen. The touch coordinate processing component is operable to identify which one of the plurality of virtual areas contains the current touch point and to report or filter the current touch point as a function of the identified virtual area.
Abstract: An electronic device includes at least one chip and an insulating body embedding the chip. The electronic device further includes a heat-sink in contact with the chip. The heat-sink includes a plate having a first thickness. A recess is provided in the plate that defines a central portion of the plate having a second thickness less than the first thickness. The chip is mounted to the central region of the heat-sink within the recess. The insulating body includes a surface, such as a mounting surface, including an opening exposing at least a portion of the heat-sink. The device may further include a reophore extending through a side surface of the insulating body, that reophore being in contact with the heat sink.
Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in high dynamic range automatic exposure control imaging are disclosed. In the method and apparatus, image data is received and a shadow threshold is determined based on the image data. Further, a respective threshold integration ratio is determined for each merge transition of a plurality of exposures having a respective plurality of exposure times. The threshold integration ratio is determined based on a threshold SNR for the merge transition. In the method and apparatus, an integration ratio for each merge transition is determined based on the shadow threshold and the threshold integration ratios. An output image is generated based on the determined integration ratios for each merge transition.
Abstract: A circuit may include an array of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) cells, each SPAD cell configured to be selectively enabled by an activation signal. The circuit may include a control circuit configured to selectively enable a subset of the array of SPAD cells based on a measured count rate of the array of SPAD cells.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 29, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignees:
STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited, STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
Inventors:
Pascal Mellot, Stuart McLeod, Bruce Rae, Marc Drader
Abstract: A gyroscope includes: a mass, which is movable with respect to a supporting body; a driving loop for keeping the mass in oscillation according to a driving axis; a reading device, which supplying an output signal indicating an angular speed of the body; and a compensation device, for attenuating spurious signal components in quadrature with respect to a velocity of oscillation of the mass. The reading device includes an amplifier, which supplies a transduction signal indicating a position of the mass according to a sensing axis. The compensation device forms a control loop with the amplifier, extracts from the transduction signal an error signal representing quadrature components in the transduction signal, and supplies to the amplifier a compensation signal such as to attenuate the error signal.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 9, 2014
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Inventors:
Andrea Donadel, Davide Magnoni, Marco Garbarino
Abstract: A significant reduction of the amplitude of the transient response is obtained by keeping a low dropout regulator circuit in a closed loop condition. This is achieved by manipulation of the reference voltage level when an open loop condition arises due to a falling input voltage. In this case, the reference voltage level is tracked with the input voltage level, keeping the output voltage regulated. As a consequence, the power pass element of the regulator is not forced into the linear region (in the case of a MOSFET) or deep saturation (in the case of a bipolar transistor).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 3, 2016
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignees:
STMicroelectronics Design and Application S.R.O., STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Abstract: An estimate of the initial position of a rotor is made by monitoring sensed motor current signals which are amplitude and phase modulated with the rotor flux position in response to a high frequency voltage signal injection. The motor current signals are envelope detected to determine zero crossing points. Samples are taken of the motor current signals at positive and negative offsets from the zero crossing point, with the samples processed to identify a direction of the rotor flux axis. Further samples of at least one motor current signal are taken with respect to a certain phase reference, and the samples compared to resolve a polarity of the rotor flux axis which is indicative of the angular position of the rotor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 24, 2016
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Inventors:
Dino Costanzo, Giacomo Scelba, Giuseppe Scarcella
Abstract: An electronic circuit includes a functional circuit in series with at least one first current source between two terminals of application of a power supply voltage. The first current source is controllable between an operating mode where it delivers a fixed current, independent from the power consumption of said functional circuit, and an operating mode where it delivers a variable current, depending on the power consumption of the functional circuit.
Abstract: A boost converter receives an input voltage and provides an output voltage and includes a power switch and a voltage control circuit configured to drive the power switch as a function of the output voltage. A voltage sensing circuit in the form of a voltage divider is coupled to sense the output voltage and provide a feedback voltage. The voltage control circuit drives the power switch. An electronic control switch is configured to selectively connect the voltage divider to sense the output voltage as a function of an enable signal generated by a timer circuit. The enable signal is pulsed such that the voltage divider is periodically connected to sense the output voltage during a first time and is disconnected from sensing during a second time.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 31, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Inventors:
Gioacchino Lo Iacono, Domenico Cristaudo, Daniele Battaglia
Abstract: A power-supply circuit includes a transformer with primary and secondary windings, and an energy accumulator on the secondary winding. A circuit monitors the secondary winding and generates a feedback signal that is transferred by a transmission circuit through the secondary winding by selectively transferring energy from the energy accumulator. The transmission circuit includes: a) an electronic switch having a control terminal; and b) a driver circuit for driving the electronic switch. The driver circuit includes a charge-accumulation capacitor connected to the control terminal, and a charge circuit configured to draw energy from the secondary winding and charge the charge-accumulation capacitor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 30, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Inventors:
Andrea Rapisarda, Marco Sammartano, Salvatore Tumminaro
Abstract: An electronic device includes: a semiconductor body; a front metallization region; a top buffer region, arranged between the front metallization region and the semiconductor body; and a conductive wire, electrically connected to the front metallization region. The top buffer region is at least partially sintered.
Abstract: An integrated electronic device includes an electronic component and a temperature transducer. The temperature transducer is electrically arranged between a control terminal and a conduction terminal of the electronic component and includes a first diode. The first diode has a bulk resistance of at least 1 k?.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 16, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
Inventors:
Davide Giuseppe Patti, Lorenzo Maurizio Selgi
Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first zone for a first transistor and a second zone for a second transistor. The transistors are supported by a substrate of the silicon-on-insulator type that includes a semiconductor film on a buried insulating layer on a carrier substrate. In the second zone, the semiconductor film has been removed. The second transistor in the second zone includes a gate-dielectric region resting on the carrier substrate that is formed by a portion of the buried insulating layer). The first transistor in the first zone includes a gate-dielectric region formed by a dielectric layer on the semiconductor film.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 2, 2015
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2017
Assignee:
STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
Inventors:
Dominique Golanski, Gregory Bidal, Simon Jeannot
Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device including a bit line and a complementary bit line, first and second cross coupled inverters, a first pass gate coupled between the complementary bit line and the first inverter, and a second pass gate coupled between the bit line and the second inverter. The electronic device also includes third and fourth cross coupled inverters, a third pass gate coupled between the complementary bit line and the third inverter, and a fourth pass gate coupled between the bit line and the fourth inverter. The first, second, and fourth inverters are powered between a supply node and a reference node, and the third inverter is powered between a floating node and the reference node. The first pass gate and third pass gate are coupled in parallel.
Abstract: A MEMS device includes a platform carried by a frame via elastic connection elements configured to enable rotation of the platform about a first axis. A bearing structure supports the frame through first and second elastic suspension arms configured to enable rotation of the frame about a second axis transverse to the first axis. The first and second elastic suspension arms are anchored to the bearing structure through respective anchorage portions arranged offset with respect to the second axis. A stress sensor formed by first and second sensor elements respectively arranged on the first and second suspension arms is positioned in proximity of the anchorage portions, on a same side of the second axis, in a symmetrical position with respect to the first axis.
Type:
Application
Filed:
September 15, 2016
Publication date:
October 5, 2017
Applicant:
STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
Inventors:
Massimiliano Merli, Roberto Carminati, Marco Rossi