Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode, including a semiconductor body, is provided. The semiconductor body includes a semiconductive structure and a front epitaxial layer on the semiconductive structure. The front epitaxial layer has a first conductivity type. An anode region having a second conductivity type that is different from the first conductivity type extends into the front epitaxial layer. The photodiode further includes a plurality of gettering regions in the semiconductive structure.

Abstract: In providing electrical wire-like connections between at least one semiconductor die arranged on a semiconductor die mounting area of a substrate and an array of electrically-conductive leads in the substrate, pressure force is applied to the electrically-conductive leads in the substrate during bonding the wire-like connections to the electrically-conductive leads. Such a pressure force is applied to the electrically-conductive leads in the substrate via a pair of mutually co-operating force transmitting surfaces. These surfaces include a first convex surface engaging a second concave surface.

Abstract: A embodiment method, for linearizing a transmission signal resulting from a quadrature amplitude modulation of an analog baseband signal and a radiofrequency amplification, comprises a demodulation of a feedback signal taken from the transmission signal, a comparison between the demodulated feedback signal and the baseband signal, a digital calculation of a predistortion control signal based on the comparison, and an analog predistortion of the analog baseband signal controlled by the predistortion control signal.

Abstract: A thermographic sensor is proposed. The thermographic sensor includes a plurality of sensing elements each comprising at least one thermo-couple. The thermographic sensor is integrated on a semiconductor on insulator body that is patterned to define a grid suspended from a substrate; for each sensing element, the grid has a frame with the cold joint of the thermo-couple, a plate with the hot joint of the thermo-couple and one or more arms sustaining the plate from the frame. The frames include one or more conductive layers of thermally conductive material for thermally equalizing the cold joints with the substrate. Moreover, each sensing element may also include a processing circuit for the thermo-couple that is integrated on the corresponding frame. A thermographic device including the thermographic sensor and a corresponding signal processing circuit, and a system including one or more thermographic devices are also proposed.

Abstract: A semiconductor MOS device having an epitaxial layer with a first conductivity type formed by a drain region and by a drift region. The drift region accommodates a plurality of first columns with a second conductivity type and a plurality of second columns with the first conductivity type, the first and second columns alternating with each other and extending on the drain region. Insulated gate regions are each arranged on top of a respective second column; body regions having the second conductivity type extend above and at a distance from a respective first column, thus improving the output capacitance Cds of the device, for use in high efficiency RF applications.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a MEMS piezoelectric device includes: forming a membrane at a first surface of wafer of semiconductor material further having a second surface (the first and second surfaces being opposite along a vertical axis and extending parallel to a horizontal plane formed by first and second horizontal axes); forming a cavity within the wafer so that the membrane is suspended above the cavity; forming a piezoelectric material layer above a first surface of the membrane; forming an electrode arrangement in contact with the piezoelectric material layer; and forming a proof mass coupled to a second surface of the membrane opposite to the first surface along the vertical axis. The proof mass deforms the membrane in response to environmental mechanical vibrations. Forming the proof mass includes forming a connection element at a central position between the membrane and the proof mass in the direction of the vertical axis.

Abstract: An analysis method of a device through a MEMS sensor is provided in which the MEMS sensor includes a control unit and a sensing assembly coupled to the device. The analysis method includes acquiring, through the sensing assembly, first data indicative of an operative state of the device. Testing is performed for the presence of a first abnormal operating condition of the device. If the first abnormal operating condition of the device is confirmed, a self-test of the sensing assembly is performed to generate a quantity indicative of an operative state of the sensing assembly. The self-test includes acquiring, through the sensing assembly, second data indicative of the operative state of the sensing assembly, generating a signature according to the second data, and processing the signature through deep learning techniques to generate said quantity.

Abstract: In an embodiment a non-volatile memory device includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells, a control unit operatively coupled to the memory array, a biasing stage controllable by the control unit and configured to apply a biasing configuration to the memory cells to perform a memory operation and a reading stage coupled to the memory array and controllable by the control unit, the reading stage configured to verify whether the memory operation has been successful based on a verify level, wherein the control unit is configured to adaptively modify a value of the verify level based on an ageing of the memory cells.

Abstract: A battery management system includes: a controller; a master battery management integrated circuit (BMIC) device coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with the controller through a standard Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol; and a first slave BMIC device and a second slave BMIC device that are connected in a daisy chain configuration and communicating through Isolated SPI interfaces, where the first slave BMIC device is coupled to the master BMIC through an Isolated SPI interface, where the Isolated SPI interface uses a differential signal comprising a positive signal and a complementary negative signal, where a bit frame of the positive signal includes a bit period followed by an idle period having a same duration as the bit period, where the first slave BMIC device and the second slave BMIC device are configured to be coupled to a first battery pack and a second battery pack, respectively.

Abstract: Capacitive, MEMS-type acoustic transducer, having a sound collection part and a transduction part. A substrate region surrounds a first chamber arranged in the sound collection part and open towards the outside; a fixed structure is coupled to the substrate region; a cap region is coupled to the fixed structure. A sensitive membrane is arranged in the sound collection part, is coupled to the fixed structure and faces the first chamber. A transduction chamber is arranged in the transduction part, hermetically closed with respect to the outside and accommodates a detection membrane. An articulated structure extends between the sensitive membrane and the detection membrane, through the walls of the transduction chamber. A fixed electrode faces and is capacitively coupled to the detection membrane. Conducive electrical connection regions extend above the substrate region, into the transduction chamber.

Abstract: A method to drive a digital to analog converter (DAC), the method including setting a reference current for the DAC with a reference current source, a base voltage being responsive to changes in a reference voltage at a reference node coupled with the reference current source; sensing a change in the reference voltage; and adaptively steadying the base voltage based on the change in the reference voltage to maintain proportionality between an output current of the DAC and the reference current.

Abstract: A pointing electronic device is provided with: an inertial measurement module, to generate motion input data, indicative of motion of the pointing electronic device, at an input data rate; a pointing determination unit, to implement a pointing algorithm at a processing data rate based on the motion input data, to generate screen-frame displacement data corresponding to 3D-space movements of the pointing electronic device, the processing data rate being higher than the input data rate. The pointing electronic device is further provided with a rate upscaling unit, interposed between the inertial measurement module and the pointing determination unit, to implement a data-rate upscaling of the motion input data, to generate upscaled motion input data to be processed by the pointing determination unit at a data rate matching the processing data rate, via a predictive data reconstruction of missing samples based on the actual motion input data.

Abstract: A control method of an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a control unit coupled to a proximity sensor to detect a first distance of a user in a field of view, and coupled to a charge variation sensor to detect an electric/electrostatic charge variation caused by the user in a detection region. The control method includes acquiring a charge variation signal and generating charge variation parameters as a function of the charge variation signal. The control method further includes determining whether a condition on charge variation parameters is verified, and if the condition on charge variation parameters is verified, activating the proximity sensor and acquiring a proximity signal. Proximity parameters are generated as a function of the proximity signal. If a condition on proximity parameters is verified, one or more functionalities of the apparatus are activated.

Abstract: An electronic device comprising: a semiconductor body of silicon carbide, SiC, having a first and a second face, opposite to one another along a first direction, which presents positive-charge carriers at said first face that form a positive interface charge; a first conduction terminal, which extends at the first face of the semiconductor body; a second conduction terminal, which extends on the second face of the semiconductor body; a channel region in the semiconductor body, configured to house, in use, a flow of electrons between the first conduction terminal and the second conduction terminal; and a trapping layer, of insulating material, which extends in electrical contact with the semiconductor body at said channel region and is designed so as to present electron-trapping states that generate a negative charge such as to balance, at least in part, said positive interface charge.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a SiC-based electronic device, that includes implanting, at a front side of a solid body of SiC having a conductivity of N type, dopant species of P type, thus forming an implanted region that extends in depth in the solid body starting from the front side and has a top surface co-planar with said front side; and generating a laser beam directed towards the implanted region in order to generate heating of the implanted region at temperatures comprised between 1500° C. and 2600° C. so as to form an ohmic contact region including one or more carbon-rich layers, for example graphene and/or graphite layers, in the implanted region and, simultaneously, activation of the dopant species of P type.

Abstract: A button device includes a MEMS sensor having a MEMS strain detection structure and a deformable substrate configured to undergo deformation under the action of an external force. The MEMS strain detection structure includes a mobile element carried by the deformable substrate via at least a first and a second anchorage, the latter fixed with respect to the deformable substrate and configured to displace and generate a deformation force on the mobile element in the presence of the external force; and stator elements capacitively coupled to the mobile element. The deformation of the mobile element causes a capacitance variation between the mobile element and the stator elements. Furthermore, the MEMS sensor is configured to generate detection signals correlated to the capacitance variation.

Abstract: A driver circuit includes an input node to receive an input signal for conversion at the output node of a converter, a driver node to provide to a switching power circuit stage in the converter a pulse-width modulated drive signal having an active time, first and second active time generation paths, and a selector circuit coupled to the first and second active time generation paths. The circuit is operable selectively in a first and a second operational mode wherein the driver node receives the pulse-width modulated drive signal having a first active time value generated in the first active time generation path, or a second active time value generated in the second active time generation path. The second active time generation path includes an active time generator network to provide a second active time value with the second active time value adaptively variable to match the first active time value.

Abstract: An multi-die semiconductor device disclosed herein includes a metallic leadframe with a central die pad encircled by electrically-conductive leads. Mounted on the die pad are two semiconductor dice, each with dedicated bonding pads on the surfaces facing away from the die pad. A layer of laser-activatable material is precisely molded over the dice and the leadframe. This layer forms a network of laser-activated lines: the first subset establishes electrical connections between the dice bonding pads and the leadframe leads, while the second subset interconnects the bonding pads of the first die to those of the second. There are two distinct metallic layers; the lower one, directly on the laser-activated lines, is formed of electroless-plated material, and the upper one, enhancing the structure, is formed of electroplated material, thus providing robust and reliable interconnections within the device.

Abstract: A circuit includes at least one coupling node configured to be coupled, via a cable, to a load to transmit a supply voltage thereto. The circuit includes test circuitry configured to sense at least one sensing signal indicative of a value of the cable impedance and/or of the cable voltage across the cable, to perform a comparison between the at least one sensing signal and at least one threshold indicative either of a threshold resistance value for the cable impedance or indicative of a threshold voltage value for the cable voltage, produce a comparison signal as a result of the comparison.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an air filter sensor system that can monitor a status of a filter and provide information to a remote system regarding the filter's status. The system can receive, by a computing server via one or more computer networks and from each of a plurality of sensor assemblies coupled to a corresponding plurality of air filters, information indicative of filter contamination levels respectively associated with each corresponding air filter of the plurality of air filters. Each of the respective filter contamination levels being provided by one sensor assembly of the plurality of sensor assemblies based at least in part on a difference in detected air pressure between first and second sides of the corresponding air filter.