Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics
  • Publication number: 20130249642
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical device includes a body, a movable mass, elastically connected to the body and movable in accordance with a degree of freedom, and a driving device, coupled to the movable mass and configured to maintain the movable mass in oscillation at a steady working frequency in a normal operating mode. The microelectromechanical device moreover includes a start-up device, which is activatable in a start-up operating mode and is configured to compare a current oscillation frequency of a first signal correlated to oscillation of the movable mass with a reference frequency, and for deciding, on the basis of the comparison between the current oscillation frequency and the reference frequency, whether to supply to the movable mass a forcing signal packet so as to transfer energy to the movable mass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Alessandra Maria Rizzo Piazza Roncoroni, Carlo Caminada, Luciano Prandi
  • Publication number: 20130249691
    Abstract: An embodiment of an apparatus has a closed housing accommodating an element to be protected, and a pressure sensor coupled to a control unit configured to detect pressure variations within the housing upon opening the housing. The control unit is configured to activate countermeasures upon detecting opening of the housing. For example, the apparatus may be a set-top box, a cell phone, a television set, a printer ink cartridge of toner cartridge, or a meter, wherein the element to be protected is a semiconductor chip and relevant couplings, storing an enabling code or key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Guido Marco BERTONI, Fabio TOTA
  • Patent number: 8542322
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, motion compensated interpolation is performed by locating full frame conceal and reveal areas, determining intermediate frame occlusion areas of an interpolated frame of the displayable output by locating intermediate frame conceal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame conceal areas using primary forward motion vectors and information about a time slot for the interpolated frame, and by locating intermediate frame reveal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame reveal areas using primary backward motion vectors and information about the time slot for the interpolated frame. The intermediate frame conceal areas are then modified by projecting locations of pixels using secondary forward motion vectors and the intermediate frame reveal areas are modified by projecting locations of pixels using secondary backward motion vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Gordon Petrides
  • Patent number: 8543851
    Abstract: A system and method for optimizing power distribution in a closed system. In an electronic device, one may apply a plurality of driving algorithms for components that provide different variations functionality. Thus, each component may be operated according to one of several different algorithms depending on the level and manner of functionality needed. In this manner, the overall system may be optimized for any number of operating modes such that each component may conserve electrical power usage while still providing the needed functionality for specific components during each operating mode. Such an optimization assessment may be a function of an economic model applied to the system whereby functionality and components are assigned specific values and costs based on the required functionality for any given task. Thus, the amount of power available may be allocated in an efficient manner based on a cost-benefit analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Srebranig, Mohammed I Alhroub
  • Patent number: 8541791
    Abstract: A source of photons resulting from a recombination of localized excitons, including a semiconductor layer having a central portion surrounded with heavily-doped regions; above said central portion, a layer portion containing elements capable of being activated by excitons, coated with a first metallization; and under the semiconductor layer, a second metallization of greater extension than the first metallization. The distance between the first and second metallizations is on the order of from 10 to 60 nm; and the lateral extension of the first metallization is on the order of from ?0/10*ne to ?0/2*ne, where ?0 is the wavelength in vacuum of the emitted light and ne is the effective refractive index of the mode formed in the cavity created by the two metallizations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Grenoble) SAS, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
    Inventors: Roch Espiau de Lamaestre, Jean-Jacques Greffet, Bernard Guillaumot, Ruben Esteban Llorente
  • Patent number: 8539834
    Abstract: A gyroscope includes a body, a driving mass, which is mobile according to a driving axis, and a sensing mass, which is driven by the driving mass and is mobile according to a sensing axis, in response to rotations of the body. A driving device forms a microelectromechanical control loop with the body and the driving mass and maintains the driving mass in oscillation with a driving frequency. The driving device comprises a frequency detector, which supplies a clock signal at the frequency of oscillation of the driving mass, and a synchronization stage, which applies a calibrated phase shift to the clock signal so as to compensate a phase shift caused by components of the loop that are set between the driving mass and the control node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada, Alessandra Maria Rizzo Piazza Roncoroni
  • Patent number: 8543632
    Abstract: A method for computing the alignment sticky bit in floating-point operations is provided. The method includes computing a pre-computed sticky bit. A significand is aligned based on an alignment counter. A shifter sticky OR is computed. The alignment sticky bit is computed based on the pre-computed sticky bit by ORing the pre-computed sticky bit and the shifter sticky OR when the alignment counter comprises a value greater than or equal to a predefined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Driker, Cristian Duroiu
  • Patent number: 8543889
    Abstract: A method is for generating, for each check node related to a parity check equation of a LDPC code, signals representing a first output table of corrected values of symbols of a word received through a communication channel and transmitted according to the LDPC code, and signals representing a second output table of the logarithm of the ratio between the respective probability of correctness of the values of same coordinates in the first output table and their corresponding maximum probability of correctness. The method is implemented by processing the components of a first input table of values of a Galois Field of symbols that may have been transmitted and of a second input table of corresponding probability of correctness of each value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Mauro Natuzzi, Angelo Poloni, Stefano Valle
  • Patent number: 8542754
    Abstract: The method transmits a long packet of digital data over a poly-phase power line affected by impulsive noise synchronous with phase voltages. Instead of using very complicated coding schemes, starting from the knowledge of the typical power line scenario, useful information is transmitted where noise synchronous with the main signal is absent. Time-intervals of a known or estimated duration during which the poly-phase power line is affected by impulsive noise are determined, and dummy data during the time-intervals, and useful data during other time-intervals free from impulsive noise, are transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignees: Dora S.p.A., STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Lorenzo Guerrieri, Emile Saccani, Alessandro Lasciandare, Arturo Lotito, Paola Bisaglia
  • Patent number: 8542056
    Abstract: A high voltage transmission switch comprises a switching block coupled between a connection terminal to a load and a low voltage output terminal and comprising at least a first switching transistor and a second switching transistor coupled between the connection terminal and the low voltage output terminal and interconnected at a first circuit node; and a driving circuit coupled between a positive low voltage supply reference and a negative high voltage supply reference and having an output terminal connected to the switching block. The driving circuit including at least a first driving transistor coupled between the positive low voltage supply reference and the output terminal and a second driving transistor coupled between the output terminal and the negative high voltage supply reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.rl.
    Inventors: Sandro Rossi, Giulio Ricotti
  • Publication number: 20130244397
    Abstract: An embodiment of a semiconductor power device provided with: a structural body made of semiconductor material with a first conductivity, having an active area housing one or more elementary electronic components and an edge area delimiting externally the active area; and charge-balance structures, constituted by regions doped with a second conductivity opposite to the first conductivity, extending through the structural body both in the active area and in the edge area in order to create a substantial charge balance. The charge-balance structures are columnar walls extending in strips parallel to one another, without any mutual intersections, in the active area and in the edge area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.I.
    Inventors: Mario Giuseppe Saggio, Alfio Guarnera
  • Publication number: 20130239651
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes a body and a sensing mass, which is movable with a degree of freedom in response to rotations of the body about an axis. A self-test actuator is capacitively coupled to the sensing mass for supplying a self-test signal. The capacitive coupling causes, in response to the self-test signal, electrostatic forces that are able to move the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom at an actuation frequency. A sensing device detects transduction signals indicating displacements of the sensing mass in accordance with the degree of freedom. The sensing device is configured for discriminating, in the transduction signals, spectral components that are correlated to the actuation frequency and indicate the movement of the sensing mass as a result of the self-test signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Donadel, Luciano Prandi, Carlo Caminada
  • Publication number: 20130240999
    Abstract: A method for selective deposition of Si or SiGe on a Si or SiGe surface exploits differences in physico-chemical surface behavior according to a difference in doping of first and second surface regions. By providing at least one first surface region with a Boron doping of a suitable concentration range and exposing the substrate surface to a cleaning and passivating ambient atmosphere in a prebake step at a temperature lower or equal than 800° C., a subsequent deposition step of Si or SiGe will not lead to a layer deposition in the first surface region. This effect is used for selective deposition of Si or SiGe in the second surface region, which is not doped with Boron in the suitable concentration range, or doped with another dopant, or not doped. Several devices are, thus, provided. The method thus saves a usual photolithography sequence required for selective deposition of Si or SiGe in the second surface region according to the prior art.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicants: NXP B.V., STMICROELECTRONICS (CROLLES 2) SAS
    Inventors: Alexandre Mondot, Markus Mueller, Thomas Kormann
  • Publication number: 20130244592
    Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) architectures for spectrum access networks are provided. Embodiments of the invention generally provide a radio frequency (RF) architecture for customer premise equipment (CPE) for use in, for example, IEEE 802.22 wireless regional area networks (WRANs). In some embodiments, the CPE RF architecture includes two receive chains with a directional antenna and an omni-directional antenna, respectively. The CPE RF architecture facilitates opportunistic out-of-band spectrum sensing and WRAN signal receiving that are performed in parallel with data transmission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: George A. Vlantis, Wendong Hu
  • Publication number: 20130239686
    Abstract: A MEMS detection structure is provided with: a substrate having a top surface, on which a first fixed-electrode arrangement is set; a sensing mass, extending in a plane and suspended above the substrate and above the first fixed-electrode arrangement at a separation distance; and connection elastic elements that support the sensing mass so that it is free to rotate out of the plane about an axis of rotation, modifying the separation distance, as a function of a quantity to be detected along an axis orthogonal to the plane. The MEMS detection structure also includes: a coupling mass, suspended above the substrate and connected to the sensing mass via the connection elastic elements; and an anchoring arrangement, which anchors the coupling mass to the substrate with a first point of constraint, set at a distance from the axis of rotation and in a position corresponding to the first fixed-electrode arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.I.
    Inventors: Gabriele Cazzaniga, Luca Coronato, Barbara Simoni
  • Publication number: 20130242636
    Abstract: An electromechanical memory element includes a fixed body and a deformable element attached to the fixed body. An actuator causes a deformation of the deformable element from a first position (associated with a first logic state) to a second position (associated with a second logic state) where a mobile element makes contact with a fixed element. A programming circuit then causes a weld to be formed between the mobile element and the fixed element. The memory element is thus capable of associating the first and second positions with two different logic states. The weld may be selectively dissolved to return the deformable element back to the first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Alberto Pagani, Marco Morelli, Giulio Ricotti
  • Publication number: 20130243143
    Abstract: An embodiment of an apparatus includes a reaction chamber, a reaction unit, and an energy regulator. The reaction chamber includes an energy port, and the reaction unit is disposed in the reaction chamber and is configured to allow an energy-releasing reaction between first and second materials. And the energy regulator is configured to control a rate at which reaction-released energy exits the reaction chamber via the energy port. The reaction chamber may include a thermally conductive wall that forms a portion of the energy port, and the energy regulator may include a thermally conductive member and a mechanism configured to control a distance between the thermally conductive wall and the thermally conductive member. Furthermore, the reaction unit may include a mechanism configured to facilitate the reaction between the first and second materials, and may also include a mechanism configured to control a rate at which the reaction releases energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Ubaldo MASTROMATTEO, Federico Giovanni ZIGLIOLI
  • Publication number: 20130243333
    Abstract: There is provided a method of measuring the similarity of parts of digital image files (IF1, IF2,IF2-z)), which comprising the steps of calculating a first change value in a similarity between pixel values in a first segment (BIF1a) of a first digital image file (IF1) and in a second segment (BIF1b) of this first file (IF1), said first and second segments of said first file being spatially separated by a first translation vector (td1), calculating a second change value (v) in the similarity between pixel values in a first segment (BIF2a) of the second digital image file (IF2, IF2-z) and in a second segment (BIF2b) of the second file (IF2, IF2-z), said first and second segment of said second file being spatially separated a second translation vector (td2), wherein the first segment of the first file corresponds to substantially same part of the image as the first segment of the second file and wherein the second segment of the first file corresponds to substantially the same parts of the image as the second se
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (GRENOBLE 2) SAS
    Inventor: Marina Nicolas
  • Publication number: 20130241649
    Abstract: The regulator with a low dropout voltage comprises an error amplifier comprising a differential pair of input transistors and a circuit with folded cascode structure connected to the output of the said differential pair, an output stage connected to the output node of the error amplifier, and a Miller compensation capacitor connected between the output stage and the cascode node on the output side (XP) of the cascode circuit; the error amplifier furthermore comprises at least one inverting amplifier module in a feedback loop between the said cascode node and the gate of the cascode transistor of the cascode circuit connected between the said cascode node and the said output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Jimmy Fort, Thierry Soude
  • Publication number: 20130241070
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with overlapping contacts is provided. In one aspect, the semiconductor device includes a dielectric layer; a first contact located in the dielectric layer; and a second contact located in the dielectric layer adjacent to the first contact, wherein a portion of the second contact overlaps a top surface of the first contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation, STMicroelectronics, Inc., Globalfoundaries Inc.
    Inventors: Brett H. Engel, Lindsey Hall, David F. Hilscher, Randolph F. Knarr, Steven R. Soss, Jin Z. Wallner