Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics
  • Patent number: 8619469
    Abstract: An embodiment of a non-volatile memory device integrated in a chip of semiconductor material is proposed. The memory device includes a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a first well and a second well of first type of conductivity that are formed in an insulating region of a second type of conductivity. The memory cell further includes a first, a second, a third and a fourth region of the second type of conductivity that are formed in the first well; these regions define a sequence of a first selection transistor of MOS type, a storage transistor of floating gate MOS type, and a second selection transistor of MOS type that are coupled in series. The first region is short-circuited to the first well. Moreover, the memory device includes a first gate of the first selection transistor, a second gate of the second selection transistor, and a floating gate of the storage transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Marco Pasotti, Marcella Carissimi, Davide Lena
  • Patent number: 8617758
    Abstract: A hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell including a main cell and an auxiliary cell sharing a common electrolyte and having at least one separate electrode, circuitry for measuring the humidity ratio of the electrolyte, and control and switching circuitry for operating the main and auxiliary cells in parallel on a same load or separately on two different loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Tours) SAS, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
    Inventors: Nicolas Karst, Pierre Bouillon, Nelly Martin, Audrey Martinent
  • Patent number: 8619911
    Abstract: A system and method for decoding quadrature signals includes a quadrature signal generator, a quadrature signal decoder, a key matrix and a driver. The quadrature signal generator generates quadrature signals on rotation. The quadrature signal decoder is configured to convert the quadrature signals into non-overlapping signals. The key matrix is configured to receive the non-overlapping signals. The driver is configured to scan the key matrix to decode the non-overlapping signals to generate an event update corresponding to a direction of rotation of the quadrature signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Ranajay Mallik, Munish Mangal
  • Patent number: 8617987
    Abstract: An embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) is formed by embedding a semiconductor die in a molding compound. A trench is formed in the molding compound with a laser drill. A first layer of copper is deposited on the sidewall of the trench by physical vapor deposition. A second layer of copper is then formed on the first layer of copper by an electroless process. A third layer of copper is then formed on the second layer by electroplating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Pte Ltd.
    Inventors: Kah Wee Gan, Yonggang Jin, Yun Liu, Yaohuang Huang
  • Publication number: 20130343482
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a transmitter includes first and second processing blocks, which may each include hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The first processing block is operable to generate a first peak-reducing vector. And the a second first processing block is operable to receive a first data vector, the data vector comprising a plurality of samples, the first data vector having a first peak with a first index and a first magnitude, a second peak with a second index and a second magnitude that is less than the first magnitude, and a first peak-to-average power ratio, and to generate a second data vector having a second peak-to-average power ratio that is lower than the first peak-to-average power ratio by using the first peak-reducing vector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics (Beijing) R&D Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sen JIANG
  • Publication number: 20130343137
    Abstract: A memory architecture includes a plurality of local input and output circuitries, with each local input and output circuitry associated with at least one memory bank. The memory architecture also includes a global input and output circuitry, which includes a plurality of global sub-write circuitries, is coupled to the plurality of local input and output circuitries One global sub-write circuitry is enabled and provides a write-data to a selected local input and output circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Siddharth GUPTA, Nitin JAIN, Anand Kumar MISHRA
  • Publication number: 20130342186
    Abstract: Device (100) for detecting and monitoring local parameters within a solid structure (300). The device comprises an integrated detection module (1) made on a single chip, having an integrated functional circuitry portion (16) comprising at least one integrated sensor (10) and an integrated antenna (11), and electromagnetic means (2) for transmitting/receiving signals and energy exchange. The integrated functional circuitry portion (16) comprises a functional surface (18) facing towards the outside of the chip. A passivation layer (15) is arranged to completely cover at least the functional surface (18), so that the integrated detection module (1) is entirely hermetically sealed and galvanically insulated from the surrounding environment. The integrated antenna (11), the electromagnetic means (2) and the remote antenna (221) are operatively connected wirelessly through magnetic or electromagnetic coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Alberto Pagani, Bruno Murari
  • Publication number: 20130342763
    Abstract: This system for processing digital data may include a set of slave processing units for the execution of elementary functions, an interconnection module, which is designed to communicate with a data transfer network and to transfer data between the processing units, on the one hand, and the data transfer network, on the other hand, and a controller controlling the interconnection module to control the data transfer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (GRENOBLE 2) SAS
    Inventors: XAVIER CAUCHY, ANTHONY PHILIPPE, ISABELLE FAUGERAS, DIDIER SIRON
  • Publication number: 20130342376
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital conversion loop adapted to generate a digital output signal corresponding to a low-pass filtered replica of an analog input signal, including an analog adder configured to receive the input analog signal and an analog feedback signal, adapted to generate an analog error signal corresponding to the difference between the analog input signal and the analog feedback signal; an analog-to-digital converter having a nonlinear input-output conversion characteristic defining a larger quantization step the more the input to be converted differs from a null value, configured to receive the analog error signal and to generate a corresponding digital error signal a digital integrator configured to receive the digital error signal, configured to generate the digital output signal corresponding to the time integration of the digital error signal; a digital-to-analog converter, configured to receive the digital output signal and to generate the analog feedback signal as analog replica of the digital out
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Vanni Poletto, Carlo Antonini, Salvatore Cannavacciuolo
  • Publication number: 20130342750
    Abstract: The method includes changing a focal length of a camera device while capturing one or more frames of sensor data from a sensor array of the camera device by sequentially reading signals from different areas of the sensor array, such that different sections of each of the one or more frames corresponds to sensor data captured at different focal lengths of the camera device. The method further includes deriving focus statistics from the one or more captured frames, each focus statistic providing a measure of an extent to which a section of a frame to which the focus statistic relates is in focus at a given focal length; identifying from the focus statistics an optimal focal length at which an optimally focused image can be captured; and adapting the focal length of the camera device in accordance with the optimal focal length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT) LIMITED
    Inventor: William Foote
  • Patent number: 8614602
    Abstract: In an embodiment are provided are a differential amplifier, a method of amplifying a differential input signal, a device including a differential amplifier, and a low voltage differential signaling receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventor: Abhishek Sharma
  • Patent number: 8615056
    Abstract: A differential phase shift keying demodulator having an input structured to receive current data representing a current phasor and past data representing at least two past phasors, and a phase differentiator structured to process the current data and reference data representing a reference phasor to provide resulting data representing a phase difference between said current and reference phasors. The differential phase shift keying demodulator also includes a reference phasor computational module configured to generate said reference data basing on said past data representing the at least two past phasors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Domenico Di Grazia, Michele Renna
  • Patent number: 8614859
    Abstract: A method and circuit to stop a spindle motor in the absence of the external supply voltage in which the spindle motor is structured to move a hard disk provided with at least one reading or writing head moved by a voice coil motor, the spindle motor provided with a plurality of coils. The method includes rectifying the backelectromotive force of the spindle motor to produce a braking current, driving the voice coil motor with at least a portion of the braking current until the speed of the spindle motor becomes lower than a predetermined stop speed, and, after the parking of the at least one reading or writing head of the voice coil motor, stopping the spindle motor by short-circuiting the coils of the spindle motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Ezio Galbiati, Frederic Pascal Bonvin
  • Publication number: 20130335864
    Abstract: An electronic system to discharge a transformer in case of a failure during a charging phase of the transformer. The system includes the transformer having a primary winding with a first terminal connected to a battery voltage and with a second terminal for generating a primary voltage signal, includes a switch serially connected to the primary winding and having a control terminal carrying a control voltage signal for opening or closing the switch and includes an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit further includes a current generator and a voltage clamping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.I.
    Inventors: Calogero Andrea Trecarichi, Giovanni Luca Torrisi, Donato Tagliavia
  • Publication number: 20130335121
    Abstract: An electronic switch may include transfer transistor having a first conduction terminal for receiving an input signal, a second conduction terminal, and a control terminal. The transfer transistor may enable/disable a transfer of the input signal from the first conduction terminal to the second conduction terminal according to a control signal. The control signal may take a first value and a second value different from the first value, a difference between the first value and the second value defining, in absolute value, an operative value of the control signal. The electronic switch may further comprise a driving circuit for receiving the input signal and the control signal, and for providing a driving signal equal to the sum between the input signal and the operative value of the control signal to the control terminal of the transfer transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventor: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
  • Publication number: 20130337770
    Abstract: A method for detecting an attempt of diversion of a communication pipe between a port of a security module and a port of a near-field communication router present in a telecommunication device, wherein the router filters the messages addressed to said security module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicants: Proton World International N.V., STMicroelectronics (Roesset) SAS
    Inventors: Thierry Huque, Olivier Van Nieuwenhuyze, Alexandre Charles
  • Publication number: 20130336590
    Abstract: An embodiment includes a method and an apparatus for the generation of a visual story board in real time in an image-capturing device including a photo sensor and a buffer, wherein the method includes the consecutively performed steps: starting the recording of a video, receiving information on an image frame of the video, comparing the information on the received image frame with information on at least one of a plurality of image frames wherein the information on the plurality of image frames has previously been stored in the buffer, storing the information on the received image frame in the buffer depending on the result of the comparison, and finishing the recording of the video.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Alexandro SENTINELLI, Luca CELETTO, Arcangelo Ranieri BRUNA, Giuseppe SPAMPINATO, Claudio Domenico MARCHISIO
  • Patent number: 8610048
    Abstract: A method for producing a photosensitive integrated circuit including producing circuit control transistors, producing, above the control transistors, and between at least one upper electrode and at least one lower electrode, at least one photodiode, by amorphous silicon layers into which photons from incident electromagnetic radiation are absorbed, producing at least one passivation layer, between the lower electrode and the control transistors, and producing, between the control transistors and the external surface of the integrated circuit, a reflective layer capable of reflecting photons not absorbed by the amorphous silicon layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Jerome Alieu, Simon Guillaumet, Christophe Legendre, Hughes Leininger, Jean-Pierre Oddou, Marc Vincent
  • Patent number: 8609508
    Abstract: A shallow trench isolation is formed in a semiconductor substrate adjacent a MOS transistor. The shallow trench is filled with a fill material while other processing steps are performed. The fill material is later removed through a thin well etched into layers above the trench, leaving the trench hollow. A thin strain inducing layer is then formed on the sidewall of the hollow trench. The well is then plugged, leaving the trench substantially hollow except for the thin strain inducing layer on the sidewall of the trench. The strain inducing layer is configured to induce compressive or tensile strain on a channel region of the MOS transistor and thereby to enhance conduction properties of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Barry Dove
  • Patent number: 8610805
    Abstract: An electronic device includes an array of daisy chained image sensors, with each image sensor including a pixel array. A host is coupled to an image sensor at an end of the array and is configured to insert identification codes. The identification codes include embedded data values to thereby indicate specific parts of the image data, and a set of identification codes comprising a first identification code to identify a start of a data stream and a second identification code to identify an end of the data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
    Inventors: Jeffrey Raynor, Patrick Baxter