Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
  • IDENTIFICATION, BY A MASTER CIRCUIT, OF TWO SLAVE CIRCUITS CONNECTED TO A SAME BUS
    Publication number: 20120079151
    Abstract: A method of communication between a master circuit and two slave circuits over a serial bus wherein: the two slave circuits simultaneously transmit their associated identifiers; the two slave circuits simultaneously transmit the inverse of these identifiers; and each slave circuit exploits the combinations present on the bus to determine an order of communication between the two circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: François Tailliet, Yvon Bahout
  • EEPROM CELL WITH CHARGE LOSS
    Publication number: 20120068689
    Abstract: An EEPROM memory cell that includes a dual-gate MOS transistor in which the two gates are separated by an insulation layer, wherein the insulation layer includes a first portion and a second portion having lower insulation properties than the first one, the second portion being located at least partially above a channel area of the transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Pascal Fornara
  • KEY EXTRACTION IN AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
    Publication number: 20120066571
    Abstract: A method of extraction of a key from a physical unclonable function exploiting the states of cells of a volatile memory after a powering on, wherein: cells are read according to addresses stored in a non-volatile memory; an error-correction code corrects the read states; and, in case an error has been corrected, the address of the cell providing an erroneous state is replaced in the non-volatile memory with that of another cell providing the non-erroneous state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Fabrice Marinet
  • METHOD OF DETECTING AN OBJECT WITH A PROXIMITY SENSOR
    Publication number: 20120035883
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of detecting an object using a detection signal supplied by a proximity sensor. The method comprises the steps of generating a reference signal by filtering the value of the detection signal, defining a first detection threshold, and going from an object non-detecting state to an object detecting state when the value of the detection signal becomes greater than the first detection threshold. When the value of the detection signal becomes greater than the first detection threshold, the value of the reference signal is readjusted in a manner such that the value of the detection signal again becomes less than or respectively greater than, the first detection threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Maxime Teissier, Cyril Troise
  • MULTIPROTOCOL COMMUNICATION AUTHENTICATION
    Publication number: 20120030753
    Abstract: A method for authenticating a transmission between a first and a second circuit transiting through at least one third circuit, wherein: data are transmitted from the first to the third circuit, and from the third to the second circuit; a first signature of the data is calculated by the first circuit; at least a second signature of the data is calculated by the third circuit; at least one first portion of the first signature is transmitted by the first circuit to the third one; and the second signature is transmitted by the third circuit to the second one, a portion of this signature being distorted in case of a failure of authentication of the first portion of the first signature by the third circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Gilles Bas, Hervé Chalopin, François Tailliet
  • PROTECTION OF SECRET KEYS
    Publication number: 20120030443
    Abstract: A method for protecting at least first data of a non-volatile memory from which the extraction of this first data is triggered by the reading or the writing, by a processor from or into the memory, of second data independent from the first data, said first data being provided to a circuit which the processor cannot access.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Sylvie Wuidart
  • SINGLE-WIRE BUS COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL
    Publication number: 20120027104
    Abstract: A method for transmitting data over a single-wire bus wherein a first communication channel is defined by pulses of different durations according to the state of the transmitted bit and depending on a reference duration, and a second communication channel is defined by the reference duration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Gilles Bas, Hervé Chalopin, François Tailliet
  • CONVERSION OF A TWO-WIRE BUS INTO A SINGLE-WIRE BUS
    Publication number: 20120030388
    Abstract: A method of conversion by at least one interface circuit connected between a first bus including at least one data wire and one clock wire, and at least one second single-wire bus, of a transmission between a master circuit connected to the first bus and at least one slave circuit connected to the second bus, wherein a speculative read command is sent to the slave circuit before interpreting the state of a bit for controlling a reading or a writing, originating from the master circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Gilles Bas, Hervé Chalopin, François Tailliet
  • METHOD FOR DETECTING AN ATTACK BY FAULT INJECTION INTO A MEMORY DEVICE, AND CORRESPONDING DETECTION SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20120023580
    Abstract: The method for detecting an attack by fault injection into memory positions includes a generation of an initial value of a reference indication including an application of a reversible mathematical operator to the values of the information stored in the memory positions. An updating of the value of this reference indication is performed on each write in at least one memory position by using the operator, the reverse operator and the values of the stored information before and after each write in the at least one memory position. And, in the presence of a request, a check is performed as to whether a criterion involving the values of the information stored in the memory positions at the time of the request and the operator or its reverse is or is not satisfied by the value of the reference indication at the time of the request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Frédéric BANCEL
  • Method of Testing a Structure Protected from Overvoltages and the Corresponding Structure
    Publication number: 20120014024
    Abstract: An electronic device includes an electronic component and a protection circuit configured to protect the component from overvoltages. A control circuit is configured to inhibit a part of the protection circuit in the presence of a test voltage across terminals of the component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: François Tailliet
  • DEVICE FOR DETECTING AN ATTACK AGAINST AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
    Publication number: 20120009774
    Abstract: An integrated circuit including an intrusion attack detection device. The device includes a single-piece formed of a conductive material and surrounded with an insulating material and includes at least one stretched or compressed elongated conductive track, connected to a mobile element, at least one conductive portion distant from said piece and a circuit for detecting an electric connection between the piece and the conductive portion. A variation in the length of said track in an attack by removal of the insulating material, causes a displacement of the mobile element until it contacts the conductive portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pascal Fornara, Christian Rivero
  • CHIP STACK WITH CONDUCTIVE COLUMN THROUGH ELECTRICALLY INSULATED SEMICONDUCTOR REGION
    Publication number: 20110309521
    Abstract: A method for stacking and interconnecting integrated circuits includes providing at least two substrates; forming a trench in each substrate; filling the trench with an insulating material; forming, in each substrate, at least one conductive area; thinning each substrate until reaching at least the bottom of the trench, to obtain in each substrate at least one electrically insulated region within the closed perimeter delineated by the trench; bonding the substrates together; making at least one hole through the bonded substrates so that the hole passes at least partially through the conductive areas and passes through the insulated region of each substrate; and filling the hole with an electrically conductive material so as to obtain a conductive column that traverses the isolated region of each substrate and is in lateral electrical contact with the conductive areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventor: Brendan Dunne
  • EVALUATION OF THE COUPLING FACTOR OF AN ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSPONDER BY CAPACITIVE DETUNING
    Publication number: 20110300800
    Abstract: A method for evaluating the current coupling factor between an electromagnetic transponder and a terminal, and a transponder implementing this method, wherein a ratio between data representative of a voltage across an oscillating circuit of the transponder and obtained for two capacitance values of the oscillating circuit is compared with one or several thresholds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Luc Wuidart
  • METHOD FOR DESIGNING MASKS USED TO FORM ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
    Publication number: 20110302539
    Abstract: A method for designing masks adapted to the forming of integrated circuits, including the steps of: (a) forming a first test file including a set of configurations of integrated circuit elements; (b) forming a second test file comprising the elements of the first test file, less the elements corresponding to configurations forbidden by design rule manuals; (c) trans-forming the second test file by means of a set of logical operations implemented by computing means to obtain a mask file; (d) testing the mask file and, if the test is negative, modifying the design rule manuals; and (e) repeating steps (a) to (d) until the test of step (d) is positive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Julia Castellan
  • CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR DETECTING A FAULT ATTACK
    Publication number: 20110267094
    Abstract: A device for detecting a fault attack, including: a circuit for detecting an interruption of a power supply; a circuit for comparing the duration of said interruption with a first threshold; and a counter of the number of successive interruptions of the power supply having a duration which does not exceed the first threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francesco La Rosa
  • Magnetic RAM
    Patent number: 8048685
    Abstract: A memory element for a magnetic RAM, having a first magnetic portion in a first recess of a first insulating layer; and a non-magnetic portion and a second magnetic portion in a second recess of a second insulating layer covering the first insulating layer, the second recess exposing the first magnetic portion and a portion of the first insulating layer around the first magnetic portion, the non-magnetic portion being interposed between the first and second magnetic portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Philippe Boivin
  • Method and Device for Authenticating a User With the Aid of Biometric Data
    Publication number: 20110265178
    Abstract: Authentication system comprising an input device comprising a plurality of input elements configured for inputting respectively characters in response to an input of a sequence of at least one character carried out by a user, the input device comprising at least one determination means coupled to at least one input element in order to determine a force exerted on the said at least one input element, the system comprising a recording means for recording a series of at least one force exerted on the said at least one input element, a memory configured for storing a series of at least one reference force, and comparison means configured for comparing the series of at least one exerted force with the series of at least one reference force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Yannick Teglia
  • PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY METHOD AND DEVICE
    Publication number: 20110255064
    Abstract: A photolithography method includes projecting a light beam through a mask onto a photosensitive layer to form on the photosensitive layer an image of a mask pattern formed by the mask, and controlling a layer of active elements of the mask so that the light beam after having traversed the layer of active elements, reproduces the mask pattern onto the photosensitive layer. The active elements are distributed throughout the layer of active elements in conformance with a matrical organization of lines and columns, each active element being individually controllable to take a state transparent to the light of the light beam, or else a state opaque to or reflecting of the light of the light beam, as a function of a command signal supplied to the active element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Jerome Conraux, Christiane Fantauzzo, Patrice Hamard, Pierre Nunzi, Patrick Regnier
  • METHOD FOR DECONTAMINATING SEMICONDUCTOR WAFERS
    Publication number: 20110253174
    Abstract: A method for decontaminating at least one object contained in a chamber, the method including a succession of alternated steps of lowering and increasing the pressure in the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Christophe Martin, Sëbastien Collura
  • TRANSMISSION OVER AN 12C BUS
    Publication number: 20110255560
    Abstract: A method and a system of multichannel transmission over a twin-wire bus including a data signal and a synchronization signal, data of a first channel being transmitted by a state coding of the data signal for a time period containing a first state of the synchronization signal, data of a second channel being transmitted by pulse coding outside of said period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet