Abstract: An oscillator has an oscillator output emitting an oscillating signal. The oscillator includes oscillator cores which each have a same circuit topology. A set of configuration switches couple a selected number of oscillator cores in parallel to generate the oscillating signal. The oscillator cores are arranged with a symmetry around a central axis. The planar inductors of the oscillator cores are arranged in a petal-like pattern with the planar inductors forming the petals of the petal-like pattern. The selected coupling of the oscillator cores in made in response to a selected phase noise threshold of a modulation device which receives the oscillating signal.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor formed by a Hall cell having a first, second, third and fourth conduction nodes electrically coupled together by resistive paths. Flowing between the first and second conduction nodes is a control current. In the presence of a magnetic field, a difference of potential due to the Hall effect is generated between the third and fourth conduction nodes. An operational amplifier has an inverting input terminal coupled to the fourth conduction node, a non-inverting input terminal biased at the voltage at the third conduction node, and an output terminal coupled in feedback mode to the inverting input by a feedback resistor. The current generated in feedback through the feedback resistor generates a voltage indicating unbalancing, due to the Hall effect, between the third and fourth conductive nodes, and consequently indicates the intensity of the magnetic field that acts upon the Hall cell.

Abstract: A diagnostic device includes a photodiode formed by a body of semiconductor material having a first surface, an integrated optical structure on the first surface and having a second surface, and at least one detection region on the second surface. The at least one detection region includes at least one receptor that binds to a corresponding target molecule that can be mated with a corresponding marker, which, when excited by radiation having a first wavelength, emits radiation having a second wavelength that can be detected by the photodiode. The integrated optical structure includes at least a first layer of a first material having a first refractive index. The first layer has a thickness substantially equal to an integer and odd multiple of one fourth of the first wavelength divided by the first refractive index.

Abstract: Detecting the presence of a finger in proximity of a screen that generates detection signals in the horizontal direction and vertical direction includes sampling the detection signals and generating raw-data vectors X and Y. The raw data have a maximum for elements of the vector that define the position of the finger on the screen in the directions X and Y, respectively. The vectors X and Y are divided into subsets defined as “macro-areas” and cumulative values computed of each macro-area by adding together all the elements of the vector X and of the vector Y that belong to the macro-area. The maximum values are selected from among horizontal cumulative values and vertical cumulative values. A value identifying the macro-area selected on the basis of the maximum values is supplied, or no value supplied in the presence of elements of disturbance in the proximity of the screen.

Abstract: A switching amplifier includes a first half-bridge PWM modulator, a second half-bridge PWM modulator, and at least one amplifier stage configured to receive input signals. The switching amplifier also includes a PWM control stage configured to control switching of the first PWM modulator and of the second PWM modulator as a function of the input signals, by respective first PWM control signals and second PWM control signals. The amplifier stage and the PWM control stage have a fully differential structure.

Abstract: A method includes setting a first indicator to a first value, which causes an apparatus to stop receiving traffic from a traffic source. At least one register is accessed to read or write at least one new value, and a second indicator is set indicating that accessing of the at least one register has completed. The first indicator is set to a second value. When the first indicator has the second value and the second indicator is set, the apparatus is again allowed to receive traffic from the traffic source.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a quadrilateral package with a first pair of opposed sides and a second pair of opposed sides. Both sides of the first pair of opposed sides are provided with electrical contact leads. Only one side of the second pair of opposed sides is provided with electrical contact leads. The side of the second pair of opposed sides without electrical contact leads is a leadless side. That side is not a molded side of the package, but rather is defined by a cut surface.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a quadrilateral package with a first pair of opposed sides and a second pair of opposed sides. Both sides of the first pair of opposed sides are provided with electrical contact leads. Only one side of the second pair of opposed sides is provided with electrical contact leads. The side of the second pair of opposed sides without electrical contact leads is a leadless side. That side is not a molded side of the package, but rather is defined by a cut surface.

Abstract: Described herein is a preamplifier circuit for a capacitive acoustic transducer provided with a MEMS detection structure that generates a capacitive variation as a function of an acoustic signal to be detected, starting from a capacitance at rest; the preamplifier circuit is provided with an amplification stage that generates a differential output signal correlated to the capacitive variation. In particular, the amplification stage is an input stage of the preamplifier circuit and has a fully differential amplifier having a first differential input (INP) directly connected to the MEMS detection structure and a second differential input (INN) connected to a reference capacitive element, which has a value of capacitance equal to the capacitance at rest of the MEMS detection structure and fixed with respect to the acoustic signal to be detected; the fully differential amplifier amplifies the capacitive variation and generates the differential output signal.

Abstract: An embodiment of a consumer electronics product having a thumbnail display feature includes a system for generating and storing thumbnails having a given size from images, such as JPEG images, for which a spatial frequency domain representation is available. The system includes a zooming processor to reduce the size of the images by zooming. The zooming processor is configured to perform both spatial frequency domain zooming to approximate the desired thumbnail size and then image pixel domain zooming to fit the desired thumbnail size. The product includes cache storage configured to store a plurality of thumbnails in a file system as free blocks in the file system, so that file system data structures are left unchanged.

Abstract: An energy harvester circuit operates to harvest energy in battery-less electrical apparatus. The circuit includes a string of capacitors coupled to a circuit input to receive energy to be harvested. A string of transistors are coupled as pumping transistors to respective ones of the capacitors in the string of capacitors. A compensation coupling circuit is coupled between each transistor in the string of pumping transistors and one of a subsequent or a preceding transistor in the string of pumping transistors.

Abstract: A control circuit controls the operation of a brushless DC (BLDC) sensorless motor having a first terminal connected to a first winding, a second terminal connected to a second winding and a third terminal connected to a third winding. A driver circuit applies drive signals to the first and second terminals and places the third terminal in a high-impedance state. The drive signals include first drive signals at a first current amplitude and second drive signals at a second current amplitude different from the first current amplitude. A differencing circuit senses a first mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the first drive signals and senses a second mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the second drive signals. The differencing circuit further determines a difference between the first and second mutual inductance voltages and produces a difference signal that is used for zero-crossing detection and rotor position sensing.

Abstract: A substrate for mounting a semiconductor device includes an insulating layer having first and second opposed surfaces defining a thickness. First and second electrically conductive lands are included in the insulating layer. The first electrically conductive lands extend through the whole thickness of the insulating layer and are exposed on both the first and second opposed surfaces. The second electrically conductive lands have a thickness less than the thickness of the insulating layer and are exposed only at the first surface. Electrically conductive lines at the first surface of the insulating layer couple certain ones of the first electrically conductive lands with certain ones of the second electrically conductive lands. The semiconductor device is mounted to the first surface of the insulating layer. Wire bonding may be used to electrically coupling the semiconductor device to certain ones of the first and second lands.

Abstract: A differential PCM memory may include first and second PCM elements, and a sense amplifier circuit configured to sense a difference between first and second sense currents passing through the first and second PCM elements, respectively, during a sense operation. The differential PCM memory may include a first margin current branch coupled in parallel with the first PCM element and configured to selectively add a first margin current to the first sense current, and a second margin current branch coupled in parallel with the second PCM element and configured to selectively add a second margin current to the second sense current.

Abstract: A driving module of a resonant converter receives an enabling signal and a voltage across a switch of a secondary side, and generates a control signal for first and second switches of the secondary side. The driving module cyclically controls switches of a primary full-bridge switching stage and both switches of the secondary side. After a fixed time, the driving module turns off the low-side switch and turns on the high-side switch, waits for a rising edge of the enabling signal, waits for zero current in the secondary side switches, turns off the first switch via the control signal after a variable delay relative to the rising edge of the enabling signal, keeps the second switch on, waits for zero voltage across the first switch, switches back on the first switch via the control signal when the voltage measured across the first switch drops below a variable threshold.

Abstract: A control device for a converter of the switched-mode type provided with an inductor element and a switch element generates a driving signal for controlling switching of the switch element and determining alternately a phase of storage of energy in the inductor element as a function of an input quantity and a phase of transfer of the energy stored in the inductor element to an output element on which an output quantity is present; the control device generates the driving signal by means of a control based on the value of the output quantity in order to regulate the same output quantity. In particular, an estimation block determines an estimated value of the output quantity, and a driving block generates the driving signal as a function of said estimated value.

Abstract: A radiation hardened memory cell includes an odd number of storage elements configured to redundantly store an input data logic signal. The storage elements include output lines for outputting respective logic signals having respective logic values. A logic combination network receives the respective logic signals and is configured to generate an output signal having a same logic value as a majority of the logic signals output from the storage elements. An exclusive logic sum circuit receives the respective logic signals output from the storage elements and is configured to produce a refresh of the logic data signal as stored in the storage elements when one of the logic signals output from the storage elements undergoes a logic value transition due to an error event.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory device may be integrated in a chip of semiconductor material. The memory device may include circuitry for receiving a measure instruction for obtaining a numerical measure value of a selected one among a plurality of predefined memory operations of the memory device. The memory device may also include circuitry for enabling the execution of the selected memory operation in response to the measure instruction. The execution of the selected memory operation may generate a corresponding result. The memory device may further include circuitry for providing at least one time signal, different from the corresponding result, relating to the execution of each memory operation, and circuitry for determining the measure value according to the at least one time signal of the selected memory operation.

Abstract: An electronic device is integrated on a chip of semiconductor material having a main surface and a substrate region with a first type of conductivity. The electronic device has a vertical MOS transistor, formed in an active area having a body region with a second conductivity type.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine is supplied with a mixed fuel from a supply system. The mixed fuel includes hydrogen. An electrolytic cell operates to produce hydrogen and oxygen starting from water in a liquid or vapor state. The produced hydrogen is delivered for inclusion in the mixed fuel and the produced oxygen is delivered to an intake of the internal combustion engine. A converter device operates to generate electrical energy starting from the thermal energy of exhaust gases output from the internal combustion engine. At least part of the electrical energy generated by the converter device is used in the electrolytic cell for the production of hydrogen.