Abstract: A system and method of sharing testing components for multiple embedded memories and the memory system incorporating the same. The memory system includes multiple test controllers, multiple interface devices, a main controller, and a serial interface. The main controller is used for initializing testing of each of the dissimilar memory groups using a serial interface and local test controllers. The memory system results in reduced routing congestion and faster testing of plurality of dissimilar memories. The present disclosure further provides a programmable shared built in self testing (BIST) architecture utilizing globally asynchronous and locally synchronous (GALS) methodology for testing multiple memories. The built in self test (BIST) architecture includes a programmable master controller, multiple memory wrappers, and an interface. The interface can be a globally asynchronous and locally synchronous (GALS) interface.

Abstract: A level shifter includes an output stage transistor and a level controller. The level controller receives a selection signal and provides a reference voltage at a gate terminal of the output stage transistor based on the selection signal. The output stage transistor, on being enabled by the reference voltage, provides a first level shifted output based on a first output reference voltage.

Abstract: A wear leveling solution is proposed for use in a storage device based on a flash memory. The flash memory includes a plurality of physical blocks, which are adapted to be erased individually. A corresponding method starts with the step for erasing one of the physical blocks. One of the physical blocks being allocated for storing data is selected; this operation is performed in response to the reaching of a threshold by an indication of a difference between a number of erasures of the erased physical block and a number of erasures of the selected physical block. At least the data of the selected physical block being valid is copied into the erased physical block. The selected physical block is then erased.

Abstract: A common-source circuit including two branches in parallel between a terminal of application of a voltage and a current source, each branch comprising: a series association of a resistor and a transistor, having their junction point defining an output terminal of the branch; a first switch connecting an input terminal of the branch to a control terminal of the transistor; and a controllable stage for amplifying data representing the level present on the output terminal of the opposite branch.

Abstract: A low dropout voltage regulator (LDO) includes a bias voltage generator, a differential error amplifier, an output driver, a controlled active load, a Double Ended Cascode Miller compensation block. The bias voltage generator produces a plurality of bias voltages. The differential error amplifier produces a differential output voltage based on the difference between a reference voltage and a function of the output voltage. The input terminal of the output driver is coupled to one output of the differential error amplifier. The substrate terminal of the output driver is capacitively coupled to the output node and resistively coupled to the input supply node. The controlled active load is coupled to the output of the output driver, and its control terminal is coupled to a function of the second output of the differential error amplifier.

Abstract: The present invention provides a built-in self-repairable memory. The invention repairs a faulty IC through hard fuses, as well as through available redundancy in memories on chip. As the faults are not present in all the memories, the invention uses a lesser number of fuses to actually make a repair and thus results in a yield enhancement. The fuse data is stored in a compressed form and then decompressed as a restore happens at the power on. The fuse data interface with the memory to be repaired is serial. The serial links decreases the routing congestion and hence gain in area as well as gain in yield (due to lesser defects and reduced area).

Abstract: A chip configuration for dual board voltage compatibility comprising ballast I/O pads, regulator control block and VDDCO pad. If 1.8V is available on board, all 1.8V pads are connected to the package pins and the VDDCO pad is double bonded with one 1.8V package pin. This ensures that the regulator is in operation providing 1.2V supply to the core. If 1.2V is available on board, all 1.2V pads are bonded to the package pins and VDDCO pad is left unbonded. A weak pulldown ensures that the regulator is inoperational and the gate voltage of ballast transistor is pulled up. Now 1.2V pads directly get supply from the board through package pins and is provided to the core without suffering IR drop.

Abstract: A system having an input and output buffer includes a dynamic driver reference generator to generate dynamic driver reference signals based on a data signal and an IO buffer supply voltage, a level shifter to generate level shifted signals based, in part, on the dynamic driver reference signals, and a driver having at least one stress transistor. The driver dynamically adjusts a voltage across the stress transistor based on at least one of dynamic driver reference signals, the level shifted signals, and a current state of an IO pad.

Abstract: An integrated test device reduces external wiring congestion to a memory. The integrated test device provides for separate decoder testing and debugging to find specific errors in the memory. The device also helps in reducing the complexity of the test of external BIST. Furthermore, the number of clock cycles required for the decoder testing for an N-address memory is reduced from 4N cycles to N clock cycles. Additionally, the access time for the memory is reduced as the test device is used as a pipelining device in normal operation mode.

Abstract: A solution for restoring operation of a storage device based on a flash memory is proposed. The storage device emulates a logical memory space (including a plurality of logical blocks each one having a plurality of logical sectors), which is mapped on a physical memory space of the flash memory (including a plurality of physical blocks each one having a plurality of physical sectors for storing different versions of the logical sectors). A corresponding method starts by detecting a plurality of conflicting physical blocks for a corrupted logical block (resulting from a breakdown of the storage device). The method continues by determining a plurality of validity indexes (indicative of the number of last versions of the logical sectors of the corrupted logical block that are stored in the conflicting physical blocks). One ore more of the conflicting physical blocks are selected according to the validity indexes. The selected conflicting physical blocks are then associated with the corrupted logical block.

Abstract: A difference between a reference clock and feedback clock is detected to generate a difference signal that is filtered to generate a voltage controlled oscillator control signal and produce an oscillation signal having an oscillation frequency. A first frequency dividing circuit divides the oscillation signal by a selected one of a number of first frequency divisors to generate an output signal at a selected frequency. A second frequency dividing circuit divides the output signal by a selected one of a number of second frequency divisors to generate the feedback clock. The frequency divisors are selected by a frequency selection signal. The first frequency dividing circuit samples the frequency selection signal at the rate of the oscillation signal divided by a least common multiple of the plurality of first frequency divisors. The second frequency dividing circuit samples the sampled frequency selection signal at the rate of the feedback clock.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a spread spectrum clock generation system having a digitally controlled phase locked loop (PLL) and a digital frequency profile generator to create a near optimal frequency modulation profile for the purpose of achieving spectral flatness in the output frequency modulated clock. The circuit is combined with a multilevel error feedback noise shaping structure that provides the required noise transfer function for the quantization noise but maintains a unity gain all pass signal transfer function. This arrangement offers minimal degradation of the in-band signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the cost of higher out-of-band noise.

Abstract: A current-steering digital-to-analog converter may include a plurality of current cells. Each current cell may comprise a dual bias switched cascode output current source/sink, a bias source, complementary bias switching elements coupled between the bias source and the bias inputs of the switched cascode output current source/sink, and complementary switching signals coupled to the control inputs of the complementary bias switching element.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for controlling leakage power consumption at a System on Chip (SoC) level during a normal run or a boot-up mode. The leakage power reduction is achieved by incorporating a central programmable controller in the SoC architecture and test structures of idle SoC peripherals to place them into an Absolute Minimum Power consumption state with respect to static and dynamic power.

Abstract: An embodiment of a low-to-high-level voltage translator is proposed. This translator translates the low voltage swing signals for the core into high voltage swing signals of the I/O blocks. This translator may be particularly useful for high-speed application where the difference between the core and the I/O supply voltage is very large, e.g., the core is working at 0.8V and the I/O is working at 3.6V or higher without little or no static power dissipation. The proposed translator may give improved transition times and propagation delays as compared to conventional translators. The proposed translator may also use less hardware in comparison to other such translators.

Abstract: A methodology for efficiently copying data is presented. An internal controller RAM is multiplexed between storing existing RAM data such as look up table data) and storing copy back data with respect to a flash memory. The data in the controller RAM is temporarily stored in a free space of the flash memory. The data of the flash memory, which is to be copied, is read from a source page and is stored in the free space of the controller RAM, and from there, the data is written to a destination block of the flash memory. After completion of the copy back operation, the data of the controller RAM that was moved to the free space is retrieved for storage back in the controller RAM.

Abstract: A solution for managing a storage device based on a flash memory is proposed. A corresponding method starts with the step for mapping a logical memory space of the storage device (including a plurality of logical blocks) on a physical memory space of the flash memory (including a plurality of physical blocks, which are adapted to be erased individually). The physical blocks include a set of first physical blocks (corresponding to the logical blocks) and a set of second—or spare—physical blocks (for replacing each bad physical block that is unusable). The method continues by detecting each bad physical block. Each bad physical block is then discarded, so to prevent using the bad physical block for mapping the logical memory space.

Abstract: A macro-block level parallel video decoder for a parallel processing environment is provided. The video decoder includes a Variable Length Decoding (VLD) block for decoding the encoded Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficients, a master node that receives the decoded DCT coefficients, and multiple slave nodes/processors for parallel implementation of Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform (IDCT) and motion compensation at the macro-block level. Also provided is a method for macro-block level video decoding in a parallel processing system.

Abstract: A memory card and a communication method between a memory card and a host unit are disclosed. High throughput of data between the memory card and the host unit is guaranteed by providing a communication interface between the memory card and the host unit including a first communication interface between a memory unit of the memory card and a control unit of the memory card and a second communication interface between the control unit of the memory card and the host unit.

Abstract: A difference between a reference clock and feedback clock is detected to generate a difference signal that is filtered to generate a voltage controlled oscillator control signal and produce an oscillation signal having an oscillation frequency. A first frequency dividing circuit divides the oscillation signal by a selected one of a number of first frequency divisors to generate an output signal at a selected frequency. A second frequency dividing circuit divides the output signal by a selected one of a number of second frequency divisors to generate the feedback clock. The frequency divisors are selected by a frequency selection signal. The first frequency dividing circuit samples the frequency selection signal at the rate of the oscillation signal divided by a least common multiple of the plurality of first frequency divisors. The second frequency dividing circuit samples the sampled frequency selection signal at the rate of the feedback clock.