Abstract: A semiconductor package that is a proximity sensor includes a light transmitting die, a light receiving die, an ambient light sensor, a cap, and a substrate. The light receiving die and the light transmitting die are coupled to the substrate. The cap is coupled to the substrate forming a first chamber around the light transmitting die and a second chamber around the light receiving die. The cap further includes a recess with contact pads. The ambient light sensor is mounted within the recess of the cap and coupled to the contact pads. The cap includes electrical traces that are coupled to the contact pads within the recess coupling the ambient light sensor to the substrate. By utilizing a cap with a recess containing contact pads, a proximity sensor can be formed in a single semiconductor package all while maintaining a compact size and reducing the manufacturing costs of proximity sensors.

Abstract: A system for detecting the concentration of metal particles of at least one first material, which includes a detector with: a semiconductor body including a cathode region, delimited by a front surface; and an anode structure made of metal material, which extends over a part of the cathode region, leaving part of the front surface exposed. The anode structure and the part of the cathode region form a first contact of a Schottky type. The exposed part of the front surface can access the metal particles.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a gas sensor device that detects gases with large molecules (e.g., a gas with a molecular weight between 150 g/mol and 450 g/mol), such as siloxanes. The gas sensor device includes a thin film gas sensor and a bulk film gas sensor. The thin film gas sensor and the bulk film gas sensor each include a semiconductor metal oxide (SMO) film, a heater, and a temperature sensor. The SMO film of the thin film gas sensor is an thin film (e.g., between 90 nanometers and 110 nanometers thick), and the SMO film of the bulk film gas sensor is an thick film (e.g., between 5 micrometers and 20 micrometers thick). The gas sensor device detects gases with large molecules based on a variation between resistances of the SMO thin film and the SMO thick film.

Abstract: A system includes a random access memory organized into individually addressable words. Streaming access control circuitry is coupled to word lines of the random access memory. The streaming access control circuitry responds to a request to access a plurality of individually addressable words of a determined region of the random access memory by generating control signals to drive the word lines to streamingly access the plurality of individually addressable words of the determined region. The request indicates an offset associated with the determined region and a pattern associated with the streaming access.

Abstract: A processing system includes a plurality of configuration data clients; each associated with a respective address and including a respective register, a hardware block, a non-volatile memory, and a hardware configuration circuit. A respective configuration data client receives a respective first configuration data and stores it in the respective register. The hardware block is coupled to at least one of the configuration data clients and changes operation as a function of the respective first configuration data stored in the respective registers. The non-volatile memory includes second configuration data stored as data packets including the respective first configuration data and an attribute field identifying the respective address of one of the configuration data clients. The hardware configuration circuit sequentially reads the data packets from the non-volatile memory and transmits the respective first configuration data to the respective configuration data client.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a die comprising metal pillars extending from a surface of the die, the height of each pillar being substantially equal to or greater than 20 ?m, the pillars being intended to raise the die when fastening the die by means of a bonding material on a surface of a support. The metal pillars being inserted into the bonding material at which point the bonding material is annealed to be cured and hardened solidifying the bonding material to couple the die to the surface of the support.

Abstract: A cryptographic circuit performs a substitution operation of a cryptographic algorithm. For each substitution operation of the cryptographic algorithm, a series of substitution operations are performed by the cryptographic circuit. One of the substitution operations of the series is a real substitution operation corresponding to the substitution operation of the cryptographic algorithm. One or more other substitution operations of the series are dummy substitution operations. A position of the real substitution operation in said series is selected randomly.

Abstract: A contactless communication method comprises retro-modulation of a carrier signal received at the terminals of an antenna in an alternation of modulated states and unmodulated states. The modulated state comprises a modulation of a load at the terminals of the antenna at zero impedance, and the transitions from the modulated state to the unmodulated state are controlled at an instant determined by a first delay.

Abstract: A method for writing into a one-time programmable memory of an integrated circuit includes attempting, by a memory control circuit of the integrated circuit, to write data in at least one first register of the one-time programmable memory; verifying, by the memory control circuit, whether the data has been correctly written in the at least one first register; and, in case the data has not been correctly written in the at least one first register, attempting, by the memory control circuit, to write the data in at least one second register of the one-time programmable memory.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a device configured to detect whether the device is in a bag or outside of the bag. The device determines whether the device is in or outside of the bag based on distance measurements generated by at least one proximity sensor and motion measurements generated by at least one motion sensor. By using both distance measurements and motion measurements, the device is able to detect whether the device is in the bag or outside of the bag with high accuracy and robustness.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a device and method for generating and transmitting a TDM signal including both raw data and processed data. The device includes a sensor having a time division multiplexing (TDM) interface. The TDM interface transmits both raw data and processed data in a single TDM signal by reserving one or more slots inside a TDM frame for transmission of the processed data. The sensor also embeds additional information inside a data stream of raw data by repurposing one or more of values of the raw data as an exception code, flag, or another type of notification. The device is also enabled to transmit data, and disabled when not in use in order to conserve power.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing dynamic current scaling of an input current of a voltage regulator are provided. The method and apparatus allow tuning current consumption in various applications, calculating a duration of an activity phase in which various algorithms are executed and activating dynamic current scaling of a regulator if the activity duration is shorter than a programmable threshold. A controller receives a threshold for an activity duration and a window size in which to evaluate the activity duration.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a memory device including at least one memory point having a volatile memory cell and a single non-volatile memory cell coupled together to a common node.

Abstract: A MEMS optical device having an optically active portion and an actuation portion adjacent to each other. The MEMS optical device includes a body, a piezoelectric actuator, and a cap. The body is formed by a substrate, housing a cavity containing a fluid and by a deformable region fixed to the substrate, suspended over the cavity and forming a membrane. The piezoelectric actuator extends on the deformable region at the actuation portion and is protected by the cap, which is coupled to the body at the actuation portion and defines a chamber that houses the piezoelectric actuator.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electronic device includes locally implanting ionic species into a first region of a silicon nitride layer and into a first region of an electrically insulating layer located under the first region of the silicon nitride layer. A second region of the silicon nitride layer and a region of the electrically insulating layer located under the second region of the silicon nitride layer are protected from the implantation. The electrically insulating layer is disposed between a semi-conducting substrate and the silicon nitride layer. At least one trench is formed extending into the semi-conducting substrate through the silicon nitride layer and the electrically insulating layer. The trench separates the first region from the second region of the electrically insulating layer. The electrically insulating layer is selectively etched, and the etch rate of the electrically insulating layer in the first region is greater than the etch rate in the second region.

Abstract: A test circuit and a method for testing an integrated circuit are provided. The integrated circuit includes a test circuit. The test circuit includes a conductive track extending over at least a portion of the periphery of the integrated circuit, at least one component and an activation circuit adapted to deviating an input data signal into the conductive track during a test mode, and to transmitting the input data signal to the at least one component during a normal operating mode.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises an array of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Each of the vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers is configured to be a source of light. The apparatus also comprises an optical arrangement configured to receive light from a plurality of the vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and to output a plurality of light beams.

Abstract: System for detecting a touch gesture of a user on a detection surface, comprising: a processing unit; and an accelerometer to detect a vibration at the detection surface and generate a vibration signal. The processing unit is configured to: acquire the vibration signal, detect, in the vibration signal, a signal characteristic which can be correlated to the touch gesture of the user, detect, in the vibration signal, a stationarity condition preceding and/or following the detected signal characteristic, and validate the touch gesture in the event that both the signal characteristic and the stationarity condition have been detected. An electrostatic charge sensor may also be used as a further parameter to validate the touch gesture.

Abstract: An embodiment electronic device includes a memory containing a plurality of copies of firmware of the device.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a scan chain circuit comprising cascaded flip-flops having a functional input node and a test input node configured to be selectively coupled to logic circuitry at a clock edge time. A clock line is provided configured to distribute one or more clock signals to the flip-flops in the chain, wherein the flip-flops in the chain have active clock edges applied thereto at respective clock edge times. The chain of flip-flops comprise a set of flip-flops configured to receive an edge inversion signal and to selectively invert their active clock edges in response to the edge inversion signal being asserted.