Abstract: A method for testing an integrated circuit includes determining performance data of the integrated circuit, wherein at least first and second derivatives of S parameters of the integrated circuit are taken into account when determining the expected performance data. The performance data can be determined by measuring S parameters of the integrated circuit. An equivalent non-linear model of the integrated circuit can be determined from the provided S parameters and first and second derivatives of the provided S parameters. The non-linear behavior of the integrated circuit can be quantified from the equivalent non-linear model.

Abstract: A variable capacitance device including: first and second transistors coupled in parallel between first and second nodes of the capacitive device, a control node of the first transistor being adapted to receive a control signal, and a control node of the second transistor being adapted to receive the inverse of the control signal, wherein the first and second transistors are formed in a same semiconductor well.

Abstract: An image sensor includes an analog-to-digital converter receiving a pixel signal output. The converter includes a first inverting amplifier circuit having an input and an output, the first inverting amplifier circuit including a first bias circuit having a control node and configured to source current for first inverting amplifier circuit operation. The converter further includes a second inverting amplifier circuit having an input and an output, the second inverting amplifier circuit including a second bias circuit having a control node and configured to source current for second inverting amplifier circuit operation. The output of the first inverting amplifier circuit is coupled to the input of the second inverting amplifier circuit. A positive feedback circuit couples the output of the second inverting amplifier circuit to the control node of the first bias circuit.

Abstract: A system and a method detects errors when writing data to a memory in a computer system. An error detection memory write request for writing an error detection value to a memory location within the memory section is issued, the error detection value being associated with the block of data. A data memory write request for writing the block of data to the memory section is issued such that at least part of the block of data is written to the memory location. A check is performed to determine whether the error detection value in the error detection memory write request corresponds to the block of data in the data memory write request.

Abstract: A video sequence including images in the form of digital samples is encoded by: subsampling the video sequence to produce: a number N of multiple descriptions of the video sequence, each multiple description including 1/N samples of the video sequence, and a subsampled version of the sequence, the subsampled version having a resolution lower or equal to the resolution of the N multiple descriptions. The N multiple descriptions and the subsampled version are subjected to scalable video coding (SVC) to produce an SVC encoded signal having a base layer and N enhancement layers predicted from said base layer. The subsampled version of the sequence and the N multiple descriptions of the video sequence constitute the base layer and the enhancement layers, respectively, of the SVC encoded signal.

Abstract: A method is for non-destructive reading of an information datum stored in a memory that includes a first wordline, a first bitline and a second bitline, and a first ferroelectric transistor, which is connected between the bitlines and has a control terminal coupled to the first wordline. The method includes applying to the first wordline a first reading electrical quantity, generating a first difference of potential between the first and second bitlines, generating a first output electrical quantity, and applying to the first wordline a second reading electrical quantity. The method further includes generating a second difference of potential between the first and second bitlines, generating a second output electrical quantity, and comparing the first and second output electrical quantities with one another. On the basis of a result of said comparison, the method includes determining the logic value of the information data.

Abstract: A method for following hand movements in an image flow, includes receiving an image flow in real time, locating in each image in the received image flow a hand contour delimiting an image zone of the hand, extracting the postural characteristics from the image zone of the hand located in each image, and determining the hand movements in the image flow from the postural characteristics extracted from each image. The extraction of the postural characteristics of the hand in each image includes locating in the image zone of the hand the center of the palm of the hand by searching for a pixel of the image zone of the hand the furthest from the hand contour.

Abstract: An oscillator is described, comprising at least one transistor having a first terminal connected to a power supply voltage. The oscillator comprises at least one inductive element connected to a second terminal of the transistor and to a bias voltage and at least one capacitive element coupled between a third terminal of the transistor and ground. The oscillator further comprises means to collect the output signal of the oscillator on the second terminal of the transistor. The oscillator is of the millimeter wave type, i.e., both the inductive element and the capacitive element are sized such that the oscillation frequency is between 30 and 300 gigahertz.

Abstract: A camera module includes a substrate with a cavity therein. A processor is located in the cavity, and wire bonding is for connecting the processor to the substrate. An imaging module is adapted to overlay the processor in the cavity and rest on at least part of the edge of the cavity. Wire bonding is for connecting the imaging module to the substrate and the processor. The cavity includes a longitudinal cutout section adapted to accommodate at least some wire bonding for connecting the processor to the substrate or associated surface mount components.

Abstract: A biasing circuit for an acoustic transducer is provided with: a voltage-booster stage, which supplies, on a biasing terminal, a boosted voltage for biasing a first terminal of the acoustic transducer; and filtering elements, set between the biasing terminal and the acoustic transducer, for filtering disturbances on the boosted voltage. The biasing circuit is further provided with switches, which can be actuated so as to connect the first terminal to the biasing terminal of the voltage-booster stage, directly during a start-up step of the biasing circuit, and through the filtering elements at the end of the start-up step.

Abstract: The described process allows trenches to be etched in a structure comprising a support substrate and a multilayer, formed on the substrate, for the definition of wave guides of an integrated optical device and comprises a selective plasma attack in the multilayer through a masking structure that leaves uncovered areas of the multilayer corresponding to the trenches to be etched. Such a masking structure is obtained by forming a mask of metallic material on the multilayer that leaves uncovered the areas corresponding to the trenches to be etched and forming a mask of non-metallic material, for example photoresist, on it that leaves uncovered regions comprising at least part of the areas and an edge portion of the mask of metallic material.

Abstract: A slave device has an input/output adapted for connection to a serial data line of an I2C bus configuration, a clock input adapted for connection to a serial clock line of the I2C bus configuration, and an interrupt input adapted for connection to the serial clock line of the I2C bus configuration. The slave device senses transitions on the serial clock line through the interrupt input to trigger capturing of a command code on serial data line through the input output. In response to receipt of the command code, the slave device controls the serial data line through the input/output to send an acknowledgement of receipt of the command code. However, if the captured command code is not recognized the slave device inhibits sending of the acknowledgement of the command code. The pull up connection on the serial data line of the I2C bus configuration will, when the slave device is inhibited from acknowledging, produce a high logic state indicative of a no acknowledgement.

Abstract: A method for stacking and interconnecting integrated circuits includes providing at least two substrates; forming a trench in each substrate; filling the trench with an insulating material; forming, in each substrate, at least one conductive area; thinning each substrate until reaching at least the bottom of the trench, to obtain in each substrate at least one electrically insulated region within the closed perimeter delineated by the trench; bonding the substrates together; making at least one hole through the bonded substrates so that the hole passes at least partially through the conductive areas and passes through the insulated region of each substrate; and filling the hole with an electrically conductive material so as to obtain a conductive column that traverses the isolated region of each substrate and is in lateral electrical contact with the conductive areas.

Abstract: A method for determining, by means of a computer, a photolithography mask for the manufacturing a microstructure by grey level etching of a resist layer, this mask including a plurality of elementary cells, each including an opaque area arranged, in top view, in a non-peripheral portion of a transparent region or, conversely, in a transparent area arranged, in top view, in a non-peripheral portion of an opaque region, comprising the steps of: a) initializing the mask pattern in a first state; b) determining, by simulation, the profile of the microstructure which would result from the use of the mask according to said pattern; c) adjusting said pattern by modifying, in certain cells, the position of the opaque or transparent area within the cell; and d) forming the mask according to said pattern.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a DC-DC converter, which includes an inductor; a first transistor coupled to the inductor and configured to pass an inductor current to the inductor; and a second transistor forming a current mirror with the first transistor. The integrated circuit further includes an operational amplifier. The operational amplifier includes a first input node and a second input node. The first input node is configured to couple to a drain of the first transistor when the first transistor is turned on, and decoupled from the drain of the first transistor when the first transistor is turned off. The second input node is coupled to a drain of the second transistor.

Abstract: A system for generating test signals to test characteristics of input-output (IO) cells includes a memory and a processor coupled together through an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The IC chip includes a controller configured to exchange signals between the memory and the processor through IO cells of the IC chip. The IC chip further includes a protocol sequence generator for generating test signals for testing characteristics of the IO cells.

Abstract: A method for thinning and dicing a wafer of electronic circuits, wherein: a thinning step is carried out while the wafer is supported by a first film bonded at the periphery of a support frame; and a dicing step is carried out while the thinned wafer is supported by a second film bonded at the periphery of the same frame from the other surface of the wafer, the first film being unstuck only once the second one is in place.

Abstract: A blind carrier frequency offset estimator is based on a single-OFDM-symbol training sequence in multi-user OFDMA uplink. Through multiple access interference modeling and analysis, a virtual user is employed that occupies the all null sub-carriers. By minimizing the energy leakage on the virtual user in term of tentative frequency offsets, the estimator can approach the real frequency offset. The estimator performs only on frequency-domain, simplifies interference calculations, and lowers the rank of the matrix. An iterative computation method is used to approach the real frequency offset.

Abstract: A method generates a reference voltage by steps including: generating a reference signal from a voltage source; generating a comparison signal of the reference signal with a voltage reference; sampling the comparison signal; adjusting a numerical value as a function of the result of the comparison and of the numerical value; and converting the current numerical value into a voltage corresponding to the reference voltage.

Abstract: Handover of the role of a personal basic service set coordination point (PCP) in a personal wireless area network occurs with the issuance of a PCP handover request by the existing PCP station. A response from a PCP handover capable station within the BSS includes attributes of the responding station pertinent to its ability to carry out the role of a PCP. Once a new PCP station has been identified, handover steps are undertaken to modify beacon filtering and beam-forming in other non-PCP stations within the BSS to facilitate interruption free transition from the old PCP to the new PCP.