Abstract: A power transistor and a cascode transistor are connected in series. A driver circuit has an output driving a control terminal of the power transistor. The driver circuit has a first power supply node coupled to receive a floating voltage that is also applied to a control terminal of the cascode transistor. A variable voltage generator generates the floating voltage. The floating voltage track either a power supply voltage or a reference voltage over a first range of voltage levels for the power supply voltage. The floating voltage further satisfies a ratio metric relationship dependent on the power supply voltage and reference voltage over a second range of voltage levels for said power supply voltage.

Abstract: A latch circuit sequentially latches a first data weighted averaging (DWA) data word and then a second DWA data word. A first detector circuit identifies a first bit location in the first DWA data that is associated with an ending of a first string of logic 1 bits in the first DWA data word. A second detector circuit identifies a second bit location in the second DWA data word associated with an ending of a second string of logic 1 bits in the second DWA data word. A DWA-to-binary conversion circuit converts the second DWA data word to a binary word by using the first bit location and second bit location to identify a number of logic 1 bits present in said second DWA data word. A binary value for that binary word that is equal to the identified number is output.

Abstract: An N-bit linear feedback shift register includes P parallel chains of flip flops each having an input and output. The input is coupled to output of an XOR circuit for that parallel chain. Inputs of the XOR circuit for that parallel chain are coupled to outputs of different flip flops of the P parallel chains according to exponents of a primitive polynomial of order N?1. The flip flops of the P parallel chains of flip flops are clocked by a second clock. At each rising edge of the second clock, P LFSR pre-outputs are respectively produced from the outputs of last flip flops of each of P parallel chains of flip flops. Readout circuitry clocked by a first clock having a frequency that is P times that of the first clock passes a different one of the P pre-LFSR outputs at each clock cycle as a LFSR output.

Abstract: A memory management circuit stores information indicative of reliability-types of regions of a memory array. The memory management circuitry responds to a request to allocate memory in the memory array to a process by determining a request type associated with the request to allocate memory. Memory of the memory array is allocated to the process based on the request type associated with the request to allocate memory and the stored information indicative of reliability-types of regions of the memory array. The memory array may be a shared memory array. The memory array may be organized into rows and columns, and the regions of the memory array may be the rows of the memory array.

Abstract: A charge pump circuit generates a charge pump output signal at a first node and is enabled by a control signal. A diode has an anode coupled to the first node and a cathode coupled to a second node. A current mirror arrangement sources a first current to the second node and sinks a second current from a third node. A comparator causes the control signal to direct the charge pump circuit to generate the charge pump output signal as having a voltage that ramps upwardly in magnitude (but negative in sign) if the voltage at the second node is greater than the voltage at the third node, and causes the control signal to direct the charge pump circuit to cease the ramping of the voltage of the charge pump output signal if the voltage at the second node is at least equal to the voltage at the third node.

Abstract: A divider circuit includes a subtract-by-two circuit receiving MSBs of an input and producing a subtracted-by-two output, a subtract-by-one circuit receiving the MSBs and producing a subtracted-by-one output, a first multiplexer passing the subtracted-by-two or the subtracted-by-one output based on a first control signal, a second multiplexer passing output of the first multiplexer or the MSBs based on a second control signal to produce an asynchronous divisor. An asynchronous one-shot N+2 divider divides an input clock by the asynchronous divisor to produce a first divided signal. An output flip-flop receives the first divided signal and is clocked by an inverse of the input clock to produce a second divided signal. A third multiplexer passes the first divided signal or the second divided signal in response to a select load signal to produce a multiplexer output. A divider divides the multiplexer output by a set divisor to produce an output clock.

Abstract: A PLL includes a phase-frequency-detector-and-charge-pump-circuit (PFDCPC) receiving a reference signal and divided signal, and generating a charge-pump current. A loop-filter is between output of the PFDCPC and a reference-voltage. A first voltage-to-current converter (V2I1) has low gain, and a second voltage-to-current converter (V2I2) has high gain. A low-gain-path is between outputs of the PFDCPC and V2I1, and a high-gain-path is between the outputs of the PFDCPC and V2I2. A current-controlled-oscillator receives an input signal, and generates an output signal. A loop divider divides the output signal by a divider-value, producing the divided signal. The low-gain-path runs directly from the PFDCPC, through the V2I1, to the input of the current-controlled-oscillator. The high-gain-path runs from the PFDCPC to the loop-filter, from a tap of the loop-filter to a low-pass filter through a current mirror, from a tap of the low-pass filter through the V2I2, to the input of the current-controlled-oscillator.

Abstract: A diode and method of design the layout of the same having reduced parasitic capacitance is disclosed. In particular, the diode for providing fast response protection of an RF circuit from a high power noise event, such as an ESD, voltage spike, power surge or other noise is disclose. The parasitic capacitance in disclosed circuit is a greatly reduced compared to the prior art, thus significantly increasing the speed of the response to dissipate all high power noise events.

Abstract: A quad signal generator circuit generates four 2N-1 bit control signals in response to a 2N-1 bit thermometer coded signal. A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit has 2N-1 unit DAC elements, with each unit DAC element including four switching circuits controlled by corresponding bits of the four 2N-1 bit control signals. Outputs of the 2N-1 unit DAC elements are summed to generate an analog output signal. The quad signal generator circuit controls a time delay applied to clock signals relative to the 2N-1 bit thermometer coded signal and a time delay applied to the 2N-1 bit thermometer coded signal relative to the delayed clock signals in logically generating the four 2N-1 bit control signals. The analog output signal may be a feedback signal in a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit that includes a multi-bit quantization circuit operating to quantize a filtered loop signal to generate the 2N-1 bit thermometer coded signal.

Abstract: A squelch detection device is provided. The squelch detection device receives first and second input signals and first and second threshold voltages. The squelch detection device determines a first common mode of the first and second input signals and a second common mode of the first and second threshold voltages. The squelch detection device averages the first common mode with the second common mode to produce an average common mode and sets the first common mode of the first and second input signals to the average common mode. The squelch detection device sets the second common mode of the first and second threshold voltages to the average common mode and determines a state of a squelch signal, indicative of whether the first and second input signals are attributable to noise, based on the first and second input signals and the first and second threshold voltages.

Abstract: A row decoder includes decoder logic generating an initial word line signal, and two inverters. The first inverter is formed by a first p-channel transistor having a source coupled to a supply voltage and a gate receiving the initial word line signal. The second inverter is formed by a first n-channel transistor having a drain coupled to a drain of the first p-channel transistor, a source coupled to a shared ground line, and a gate receiving the initial word line signal. An inverse word line signal is generated at the drain of the first n-channel transistor. A second inverter inverts the inverse word line signal to produce a word line signal. Negative bias generation circuitry generates a negative bias voltage on the shared ground line when the initial word line signal is logic high, and otherwise couples the shared ground line to ground.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a circuit layout of a dual port static random-access-memory (SRAM) cell. The memory cell includes active regions in a substrate, with polysilicon gate electrodes on the active regions to define transistors of the memory cell. The eight transistor (8T) memory cell layout includes a reduced aspect ratio and non-polysilicon bit line discharge path routing by positioning an active region for the first port opposite an active region for the second port and consolidating power line nodes at a central portion of the memory cell.

Abstract: A system on a chip (SoC) includes a plurality of processing cores and a stream switch coupled to two or more of the plurality of processing cores. The stream switch includes a plurality of N multibit input ports, wherein N is a first integer, a plurality of M multibit output ports, wherein M is a second integer, and a plurality of M multibit stream links dedicated to respective output ports of the plurality of M multibit output ports. The M multibit stream links are reconfigurably coupleable at run time to a selectable number of the N multibit input ports, wherein the selectable number is an integer between zero and N.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of performing a password challenge in an embedded system. The method includes receiving a password, scrambling the sub-words of the password pursuant to scramble control codes, retrieving a verification word, scrambling the sub-words of the verification word pursuant to the scramble control codes, and comparing the scrambled sub-words of the password to the scrambled sub-words of the verification word. Access to a secure resource is granted if the scrambled sub-words of the password match the scrambled sub-words of the verification word. The scramble control codes cause random reordering of the sub-words of the password and sub-words of the verification word in a same fashion, and insertion of random delays between the comparison of different sub-words of the password to corresponding sub-words of the verification word.

Abstract: An input signal having a logic low level at a first voltage and a logic high level at a second voltage is received by a Schmitt trigger. A voltage generator outputs a reference voltage generated from a third voltage that is higher than the second voltage. A first transistor coupled between the third voltage and a power supply node of the Schmitt trigger is biased by the reference voltage to apply a fourth voltage to the power supply node of the Schmitt trigger that is dependent on the reference voltage. The reference voltage has a value which causes the fourth voltage to be less than or equal to the second voltage. A second transistor coupled between the input signal and the input of the Schmitt trigger circuit is also biased by the reference voltage to control the logic high level voltage of the input signal at the Schmitt trigger.

Abstract: Low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) receiver circuits, electronic devices, and methods are provided. A LVDS receiver includes an input differential pair of transistors that receive a differential input signal. The input differential pair includes a first NMOS transistor that receives a first input signal and a second NMOS transistor that receives a second input signal. A third NMOS transistor has source and drain terminals respectively coupled to source and drain terminals of the first NMOS transistor, and a fourth NMOS transistor has source and drain terminals respectively coupled to source and drain terminals of the second NMOS transistor. A first level shifter is coupled to a gate of the third NMOS transistor, and a second level shifter is coupled to a gate of the fourth NMOS transistor.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC includes a bit step selector. During testing of the ADC, the bit step selector selects a number of bits to be tested for a next analog test voltage based on digital values that are within an integer delta value of most recent digital value for a most recent analog test voltage.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes: receiving, with a first buffer of a first error compactor unit (ECU), a first memory error packet associated with a first memory; receiving, with the first buffer, a second memory error packet associated with a second memory; transmitting a first reading request for reading the first memory error packet; receiving the first reading request with an arbiter of an error aggregator unit (EAU) of a central memory error management unit (MEMU); in response to receiving the first reading request, reading the first memory error packet from the first buffer, transmitting the first memory error packet to a controller of the central MEMU, and transmitting a first acknowledgement to the first ECU; receiving the first acknowledgement with the first ECU; and in response to receiving the first acknowledgement, transmitting a second reading request for reading the second memory error packet.

Abstract: A reference current generator circuit generating a reference current that is proportional to absolute temperature as a function of a difference between bias voltages of first and second transistors. A voltage generator generates an input voltage from the reference current by applying the reference current that is proportional to absolute temperature through a plurality of transistors coupled in series between the bias voltage of the second transistor and ground, with the input voltage being generated at a node between given adjacent ones of the plurality of transistors. The input voltage is complementary to absolute temperature. A differential amplifier is biased by a current derived from the reference current and generates a temperature insensitive output reference voltage from the input voltage and a voltage proportional to absolute temperature.

Abstract: A time-interleaved analog to digital converter (TI-ADC) includes a first sub-ADC configured to sample and convert an input analog signal to generate a first digital signal and a second sub-ADC configured to sample and convert said input analog signal to generate a second digital signal. Sampling by the second sub-ADC occurs with a time skew mismatch. A multiplexor interleaves the first and second digital signals to generate a third digital signal. A time skew mismatch error determination circuit processes the first and second digital signals to generate a time error corresponding to the time skew mismatch. A slope value of said third digital signal is determined and multiplied by the time error to generate a signal error. The signal error is summed with the third digital signal to generate a digital output signal which eliminates the error due to the time skew mismatch. This correction is performed in real time.