Patents Assigned to STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET)
  • Patent number: 9012961
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing vertical gate transistors in a semiconductor substrate, comprising implanting, in the depth of the substrate, a doped isolation layer, to form a source region of the transistors; forming, in the substrate, parallel trench isolations and second trenches perpendicular to the trench isolations, reaching the isolation layer, and isolated from the substrate by a first dielectric layer; depositing a first conductive layer on the surface of the substrate and in the second trenches; etching the first conductive layer to form the vertical gates of the transistors, and vertical gate connection pads between the extremity of the vertical gates and an edge of the substrate, while keeping a continuity zone in the first conductive layer between each connection pad and a vertical gate; and implanting doped regions on each side of the second trenches, to form drain regions of the transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Stephan Niel, Arnaud Regnier, Hélène Dalle-Houilliez
  • Patent number: 9012911
    Abstract: An integrated circuit, including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type; a plurality of regions of the first conductivity type vertically extending from the surface of the substrate, each of the regions being laterally delimited all along its periphery by a region of the second conductivity type; and a device for detecting a variation of the substrate resistance between each region of the first conductivity type and an area for biasing the substrate to a reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Sylvie Wuidart, Mathieu Lisart, Alexandre Sarafianos
  • Patent number: 9006897
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a number of metallization levels separated by an insulating region disposed over a substrate. A housing includes walls formed from metal portions produced in various metallization levels. A metal device is housed in the housing. An aperture is produced in at least one wall of the housing. An external mechanism outside of the housing is configured so as to form an obstacle to diffusion of a fluid out of the housing through the at least one aperture. At least one through-metallization passes through the external mechanism and penetrates into the housing through the aperture in order to make contact with at least one element of the metal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Antonio Di-Giacomo
  • Patent number: 8999796
    Abstract: A method for fabricating at least one cell of a semiconducting component includes positioning a first conducting polysilicon-type layer on a substrate, above an insulating oxide-type layer. The production of at least one trench within the first conducting layer is included to form two electrically unlinked distinct conducting parts intended to form two transistor gates of respectively two distinct twin cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Philippe Boivin
  • Patent number: 9001602
    Abstract: A method for testing an integrated circuit includes, in a burn-in test mode, two steps during which gate oxides of conductive high voltage MOS transistors of the integrated circuit are subjected to a first test voltage, and blocked high voltage MOS transistors of the integrated circuit are subjected to a second test voltage. The first test voltage is set to a value higher than a high supply voltage supplied to the high voltage MOS transistors in a normal operating mode, to make the gate oxides of transistors considered as insufficiently robust break down. The second test voltage is set to a value lower than the first test voltage and which can be supported by the blocked transistors, the states of the transistors being changed between the two steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet
  • Patent number: 9003265
    Abstract: Method for processing a non-volatile memory designed to store words containing data bits and control bits allowing an error correction with an error correction code, the method comprising the storage of information in the memory plane comprising an operation for writing in the memory plane at least one digital word modified with respect to at least one initial digital word not having any erroneous bit, said at least one modified digital word containing a bit having a modified value with respect to the value of this bit in said at least one initial digital word, the other bits of the modified digital word having values identical to those of these same bits in the initial digital word, the position of the modified bit in said at least one modified digital word defining the value of the digital information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet
  • Patent number: 8994022
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a method of evaluating a semiconductor wafer dicing process, comprising providing evaluation lines extending in at least one scribe line of the wafer, dicing the wafer in the scribe line, evaluating the length of the evaluation lines, providing an information about their length, and using the information to evaluate the dicing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Rousset SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet
  • Patent number: 8995190
    Abstract: A sector of an electrically programmable non-volatile memory includes memory cells connected to word lines and to bit lines, each cell including at least one transistor having a gate connected to a word line, a drain connected to a bit line and a source connected to a source line. The sector includes at least two distinct wells insulated from one another, each including a number of cells of the sector, being able to take different potentials, and in that the sector has at least one bit line electrically linked to the drain of at least two cells mounted on two distinct wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Jean-Michel Mirabel
  • Patent number: 8995101
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge protection circuit is coupled to a power supply rail and a ground supply rail of an integrated circuit and includes at least one shunt configured to couple the supply rails and a trigger configured to supply on an output a shunt control voltage to a control terminal of the shunt to set the shunt in a coupling state when an ESD event is sensed on one of the supply rails. The protection circuit further comprises a voltage booster arranged between the output of the trigger and the control terminal of the shunt to boost the shunt control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Nicolas Demange
  • Patent number: 8988196
    Abstract: A method of power recovery by an electromagnetic transponder in the field of a terminal, wherein: a ratio of the current coupling factor of the transponder with the terminal to an optimum coupling position with a resistive load value is evaluated; and a detuning of the oscillating circuit is caused if the ratio is greater than a first threshold greater than or equal to one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Luc Wuidart
  • Patent number: 8963574
    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: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francesco La Rosa
  • Patent number: 8964471
    Abstract: A method for managing a non-volatile memory may include a first phase of writing data to a first bank of a memory plane of the non-volatile memory, and then a second phase of writing the same data to a second bank of the same memory plane of the non-volatile memory in the case of success of the first writing phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet
  • Patent number: 8963831
    Abstract: A method for controlling an electronic apparatus, includes steps of: acquiring an image of the environment of the apparatus, detecting the presence of human faces in the image acquired, estimating a respective position of each face detected in relation to the apparatus, and sending a signal to the apparatus to enable a function of the apparatus if a condition is met relating to a number of faces detected in the image and/or the estimated position of each detected face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: David Coulon
  • Publication number: 20150048459
    Abstract: A device for detecting a laser attack made on an integrated circuit chip comprises a bipolar transistor of a first type formed in a semiconductor substrate, that bipolar transistor comprising a parasitic bipolar transistor of a second type. A buried region, forming the base of the parasitic bipolar transistor, operates as a detector of the variations in current flowing caused by impingement of laser light on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Fabrice Marinet, Jimmy Fort, Alexandre Sarafianos, Julien Mercier
  • Patent number: 8958549
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a countermeasure method in an integrated circuit comprising at least one first logic circuit and at least one first input register supplying the first logic circuit with a datum, the method comprising steps of introducing a random datum into each first input register of the first logic circuit and of the first logic circuit reading the random datum in each first input register, then of introducing a datum to be processed into each first input register, and of the first logic circuit processing the datum in each first input register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Fabrice Romain
  • Patent number: 8957724
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns circuitry for controlling a power transistor of a drive circuit arranged to drive an electrical component, the circuitry comprising: a variable current source adapted to set the level of a current for charging a control terminal of said power transistor; and a control circuit adapted to control said variable current source in a continuous manner based on a feedback voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Antoine Pavlin, Philippe Bienvenu
  • Patent number: 8958556
    Abstract: A method of secure cryptographic calculation includes formulating a first list of first random quantities, formulating a first non-linear substitution operator masked with at least part of the first list, and formulating a second list determined from the first list. The second list includes second random quantities respectively determined from the first random quantities. A second non-linear substitution operator masked with at least part of the second list is formulated. At least two successive implementations of a cryptographic calculation algorithm are performed that includes N rounds of calculations carried out successively to obtain output data based on input data and of a secret key, with a data path of the cryptographic calculation algorithm being masked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Pierre Yvan Liardet, Fabrice Romain
  • Publication number: 20150043269
    Abstract: A charge flow circuit for a time measurement, including a plurality of elementary capacitive elements electrically in series, each elementary capacitive element leaking through its dielectric space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventors: Francesco La Rosa, Pascal Fornara
  • Publication number: 20150046627
    Abstract: A communication system includes an I2C bus interconnecting at least one first device and one second device. At least one direct data link, other than the I2C bus, interconnects the first and second devices. The system is configurable to operate in: a first operating mode providing for data only transmission between the first and second devices over the I2C bus; and a second operating mode providing for simultaneous data transmission between the first and second devices over both the I2C bus and said data link.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS
    Inventor: Francois Tailliet
  • Patent number: 8952709
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for measuring a capacitance of a pair of electrodes including charging the pair of electrodes and transferring the charge between the pair of electrodes and a sampling capacitor, and a measuring step representative of the capacitance of the pair of electrodes according to the voltage at the terminals of the sampling capacitor according to the number of cycles executed so that the voltage at the terminals of the sampling capacitor reaches a threshold voltage. According to the present disclosure, the method comprises an initial step of charging the sampling capacitor between a first voltage and a second intermediate voltage in between the first voltage and a third voltage greater than or equal to a ground voltage, the pair of electrodes being charged between the second voltage and the third voltage. The present disclosure applies in particular to the control of a touch pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Maxime Teissier, Laurent Beyly, Cyril Troise