Abstract: A MOS transistor including a U-shaped channel-forming semiconductor region and source and drain regions having the same U shape located against the channel-forming region on either side thereof, the internal surface of the channel-forming semiconductor region being coated with a conductive gate, a gate insulator being interposed.

Abstract: A MEMS device includes a supporting body, a first deformable element and a second deformable element, and a mobile element set between the first and second deformable elements and rotatable with respect to the fixed supporting body. A generator causes a current to flow through at least one of the first and second deformable elements, which function as resistors, so as to generate an electrical position signal proportional to deformation of the first and second deformable elements and indicative of angular position of the mobile element. The electrical signal is processed to determine mobile element angular position. A drive signal is generated in response to the electrical signal for the purpose of driving oscillation of the mobile element.

Abstract: A control circuit of a voice coil motor is configured to move at least one read/write head of an hard disk into a parking position. The control circuit compares a received supply signal with a reference signal having a minimum value and a maximum value and a frequency. When the value of the supply signal is between the minimum value and the maximum value of the reference signal, the controller causes alternation of a working condition of the voice coil motor, when the value of said supply signal is higher than the value of the reference signal, and of a stop condition of the voice coil motor, when the value of said supply signal is lower than the value of the reference signal, with a frequency equal to the frequency of said reference signal.

Abstract: A sensor package includes a radiation source and a radiation detector provided on a substrate. A cover member is mounted on or affixed to the substrate over the source and detector. The cover member includes an opaque housing, a first transparent portion provided over the source, a second transparent portion provided over the detector and a transparent insert within the housing and positioned at one of said transparent portions. An opaque protrusion is provided on the housing separating a region associate with the first transparent portion (and radiation source) from a region associated with the second transparent portion (and detector), the protrusion attached to a surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A system for power measurement in an electronic device includes a sensing unit, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a controller. The sensing unit senses voltage across a power source and modulates a carrier signal based on the sensed voltage. The ADC converts a combination of the modulated carrier signal and audio signals received by the electronic device to generate a digitized combined signal and provides the digitized combined signal to the controller. The controller separates digitized modulated carrier signal and digitized audio signals. The digitized modulated carrier signal is demodulated to generate an output signal that provides a measure of the power consumed by the electronic device.

Abstract: A pico-projector device includes a light source operable to generate a light beam as a function of an image to be generated, a mirror mechanism operable to direct the light beam towards a displaying surface, and a driving circuit that supplies driving signals for controlling movement of the mirror mechanism. The driving circuit includes a compensation stage that receives angular velocity signals from a gyroscopic sensor coupled to the pico-projector device and generates the driving signals as a function of the angular velocity signals, thereby stabilizing the image projected on the displaying surface with respect to undesired movements of the pico-projector device.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method and an apparatus for manufacturing lead frames are described. For example, a coating layer is formed on one or more predefined portions of the surface of the substrate of the lead frame by delimiting the predefined portions by means of screen printing. The employment of screen printing may allow obtaining large amounts of lead frames with excellent electronic and structural properties in a quick and cost-effective way.

Abstract: A micro-electrochemical sensor contains magnetic compounds inserted within a substrate that exert a magnetic force of attraction on paramagnetic beads held in contact with an electrode. The magnetic compounds can be contained within a fluid that is introduced into a void in the substrate. The electrode can be spaced apart from the magnetic compounds by a dielectric multi-layer membrane. During the fabrication process, different layers within the membrane-electrode structure can be tuned to have compressive or tensile stress so as to maintain structural integrity of the membrane, which is thin compared with the size of the void beneath it. During a process of forming the structure of the sensor, the tensile stress in a TiW adhesion layer can be adjusted to offset a composite net compressive stress associated with the dielectric layers of the membrane. The membrane can also be used in forming both the electrode and the void.

Abstract: A specimen holder is configured to hold, during a sample preparation procedure carried out using first and second sample preparation apparatuses, a semiconductor device to be analyzed using an electron microscope. The specimen holder includes a holding portion having a support configured to support the semiconductor device; and a supporting portion configured to releasable support the holding portion. The supporting portion includes an engaging element configured to couple the specimen holder into the first and second sample preparation apparatuses during the sample preparation procedure, and a guide configured to enable the holding portion to slide within the guide and vary a position of the holding portion with respect to the supporting portion.

Abstract: A wireless sensor network including a plurality of Smart Sensors coupled to a wide area network such as the Internet via a Wireless Sensor Coordinator. Each wireless sensor network comprises a plurality of Smart Sensors, each operable to measure one or more physical quantities. Each wireless sensor communicates the measured data to a Wireless Sensor Coordinator which then stores the collected data in memory. The Wireless Sensor Coordinator further includes a web server operable to post a web site on a network that is accessible by a common web browser. Upon receiving a request for sensed data via the web site, the Wireless Sensor Coordinator retrieves the appropriate measured and stored data and converts it into HTML format pages which are then posted on the web site for review by the requestor.

Abstract: A filtering circuit with BAW type acoustic resonators having at least a first quadripole and a second quadripole connected in cascade, each quadripole having a branch series with a first acoustic resonator of type BAW and a branch parallel with each branch having an acoustic resonator of type BAW, the first acoustic resonator having a frequency of resonance series approximately equal to the frequency of parallel resonance of the second acoustic resonator, the branch parallel of the first quadripole having a first capacitance connected in series with the second resonator and, in parallel with the capacitance, a first switching transistor to short circuit the capacitance.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for a measurement system that reports as a measurement result a confidence interval associated with a histogram bin into which a measurement value falls. The confidence interval is calculated from a subset of training values that also fall within the histogram bin. A training process may be performed in which a plurality of training values is obtained and a mean and standard deviation of the values determined. A plurality of histogram bins are defined from the mean and standard deviation and, for the subsets of training values that fall into each bin, confidence intervals calculated. A need to perform the training process may be determined from a plurality of measured values.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for testing a microelectromechanical device provided with a microstructure having a fixed structure and a movable mass, which is capacitively coupled to the fixed structure and mechanically connected thereto so as to be movable between a rest position and at least one position of maximum extension. The method envisages: applying a test voltage between the movable mass and the fixed structure so as to set up an electrostatic force between them and displace the movable mass into the position of maximum extension; keeping the movable mass in the position of maximum extension for a time interval; releasing the movable mass from the position of maximum extension; and detecting a current position of the movable mass.

Abstract: A hydrogen-air fuel cell having a mobile element capable of, in closed position, covering the cell cathode in substantially tight fashion.

Abstract: Rate control algorithms are adapted to cover multiple encoding standards. A rate controller includes an input adaptation interface, a core rate controller, and an output adaptation interface. The input adaptation interface converts rate control input parameters of a target encoding standard to corresponding native control input parameters of the rate controller. The core rate controller is coupled to the output of the input adaptation interface generating output parameters conforming to its native encoding standard. The output adaptation interface is coupled to the output of the core rate controller converting the generated output parameters to equivalent rate control output parameters conforming to the target encoding standard.

Abstract: A fan-out wafer level package is provided with a semiconductor die embedded in a reconstituted wafer. A redistribution layer is positioned over the semiconductor die, and includes a land grid array on a face of the package. A copper heat spreader is formed in the redistribution layer over the die in a same layer as a plurality of electrical traces configured to couple circuit pads of the semiconductor die to respective contact lands of the land grid array. In operation, the heat spreader improves efficiency of heat transfer from the die to the circuit board.

Abstract: A processing system, such as typically a CPU, is used for converting a digital signal organized in pixels, such as a video signal, between a first format and a second multiple-description format. The system comprises at least one input register and at least one output register, and is configured via instructions, that can be constituted at least in part by instructions of a SIMD type, so as to: order the pixels of the signal to be converted in a set of input registers; and take selectively the pixels from the aforesaid set of input registers and place them in an orderly way in at least one output register.

Abstract: An integrated microelectromechanical structure is provided with: a driving mass, anchored to a substrate via elastic anchorage elements and moved in a plane with a driving movement; and a first sensing mass, suspended inside, and coupled to, the driving mass via elastic supporting elements so as to be fixed with respect to the driving mass in the driving movement and to perform a detection movement of rotation out of the plane in response to a first angular velocity; the elastic anchorage elements and the elastic supporting elements cause the detection movement to be decoupled from the driving movement. The elastic supporting elements are coupled to the first sensing mass at an end portion thereof, and the axis of rotation of the detection movement extends, within the first sensing mass, only through the end portion.

Abstract: A silicon on insulater (SOI) wafer is provided. A dielectric layer is formed on an active silicon substrate of the wafer. The dielectric layer is patterned and etched to expose selected portions of the silicon substrate. Impurities are then introduced into the exposed portions of the silicon substrate to act as gettering regions. The dielectric layer is then removed and an epitaxial layer of silicon is grown on the silicon substrate. Trenches are etched in the epitaxial layer of silicon through the gettering regions, partially removing the gettering regions and any contaminants contained therein. Remaining portions of the gettering regions still act as gettering regions during subsequent process steps.

Abstract: A method for detecting possible correlations between signal patterns of a power signal used by an electronic device during execution of operations, including setting couples of windows including respective pairs of sequences of the sampling values. The method includes computing values of correlations between the respective pairs of sequences. Each values may be determined by computing a maximum value of correlation between one sequence of a couple and a plurality of sequences of sampled values included in corresponding moving windows.