Patents Assigned to Texas Instruments
  • Patent number: 4622083
    Abstract: A molecular beam epitaxial growth process, for growth of III-V compounds, wherein a substrate is heated approximately to growth temperature before the group III cell is fully heated. That is, for example, to grow gallium arsenide, the arsenic cell would be heated, the arsenic cell's shutter opened, and the substrate heated up to growth temperature (e.g. 600 C), before the gallium cell is heated up. After the gallium cell is heated up, its shutter is opened, and epitaxial growth proceeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Hung-Dah Shih
  • Patent number: 4621888
    Abstract: A coaxial wideband refractive optical system is disclosed which permits the use of high resolution optical sensors and transmitters in the visible energy wavelengths centered at 0.5 microns to the 12 microns wavelength in the infrared energy band. The system includes a front objective lens of wideband transmitting material such as, for example, ZnS, ZnSe, GaAs, TI-1173 glass or Ge followed by a beamsplitter and two doublet lenses. The front objective lens, which may be a positive lens, can have large color dispersion characteristics (aberrations) not normally associated with front lenses. A front, solid wideband objective lens is provided for receiving incoming electromagnetic energy radiating at about 0.5 micron to about 12 microns wavelength in the infrared for reducing the size of the beam diameter; thus, the size of the beamsplitter and the elements of the infrared and visible optical paths formed by the beam splitter may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert E. Crossland, Erwin E. Cooper
  • Patent number: 4620438
    Abstract: An improved cylinder pressure transmitter provides an electrical signal corresponding to pressure in a cylinder of an automotive internal combustion engine during engine operation and furnishes the signal to computer control means for use in regulating spark advance to improve engine efficiency and performance and reduce engine knocking. The pressure transmitter includes means for mounting piezoelectric means in sealed relation to an engine cylinder to be responsive to variations in cylinder pressure during engine operation to provide initial electrical signals representative of pressure variations in the cylinder and includes high temperature electronic means carried by the mounting means and electromagnetically shielded with the piezoelectric means within the mounting means for amplifying those initial signals to provide low impedance signals for transmission to computer control means at a location remote from the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Wei-Yean Howng
  • Patent number: 4620761
    Abstract: An interconnection system for high density I/O sites on an I.C. Interconnection substrate allowing field replacement thereof has a socket body with an array of contact springs adapted to be removably biased into engagement with conductive pads on the bottom surface of the substrate. The contact springs have a tail portion depending from the socket body which are affixed to a printed board. The substrate is locked into place on the socket body by removable latches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Brian M. Smith, Emanuel D. Torti
  • Patent number: 4621239
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a gallium arsenide travelling-wave transistor oscillator which extends the oscillation frequency of the individual FETs by connecting them in parallel across a pair of inductive arrangements, either in common-gate or common-source configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Hua Q. Tserng
  • Patent number: 4621276
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for realizing a fully functional buried level of interconnect using only a single level of a silicide over N+ polycrystalline silicon, the latter serving as the gate material for both the N channel and P channel devices formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Satwinder D. S. Malhi
  • Patent number: 4621346
    Abstract: A fuse circuit as used in self-repairing memory devices or the like employs a CMOS inverter and a feedback transistor to provide zero static or standby current. The fuse is in series with the feedback transistor across the supply, and the CMOS inverter has as its input the node between the fuse and feedback transistor. The inverter output controls the gate of the feedback transistor, which is N-channel or P-channel, depending upon whether the circuit is connected for high or low voltage output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Hugh P. McAdams
  • Patent number: 4620297
    Abstract: A Schmitt trigger memory cell includes a storage node (20) for storage of data thereon with a current limiter resistor (22) for sinking current therefrom to a source node. A driving transistor (24) supplies current to the storage node (20) from a supply node. The gate of the transistor (24) is supplied by a current limiter resistor (28) from the supply node to turn the transistor (24) on and source current to the storage node (20). A transistor (30) is connected between the gate of the transistor (24) and the storage node (20) for shunting current from the gate of the transistor (24) to the source thereof. The transistor (30) is turned on by pulling the storage node (20) to a low voltage. To turn the transistor (24) on, the voltage on the storage node (20) is pulled high. A transistor (34) supplies current from the supply node to the gate of a transistor (24) during turn on thereof when the storage node (20) is pulled high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Theodore W. Houston
  • Patent number: 4620209
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an infrared detector and method of making an infrared detector having HgCdTe detectors in the same focal plane of different compositions responsive to two or more different infrared frequency windows. This is accomplished by using SiO.sub.2 and/or Si.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z for masking and/or isolation during liquid phase epitaxial growth of the HgCdTe. The SiO.sub.2 and/or Si.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z are formed by plasma deposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sidney G. Parker, Rudy L. York
  • Patent number: 4619036
    Abstract: After the extrinsic base region of a bipolar transistor has been formed, and the emitter contact has been patterned and cut, the emitter dopant is deposited or spun on, and the emitter dopant is then driven in using a short pulse of radiant energy. The necessity for high-temperature annealing of the emitter doping is thereby avoided, and the base doping profile is not disturbed by high-temperature annealing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert H. Havemann, Samuel C. Baber
  • Patent number: 4620289
    Abstract: In this apparatus, a composite memory 5 includes a managing memory (5g) containing for each line of the frame to be displayed, a word made up of information relating to the composition of the line in question. This information can define a base color, the number of memory planes, and, if appropriate, a base address of a zone of a zone memory (5z) which contains the data relating to the parts of the image which contain only typographic or graphic information. If the number of planes is equal to zero, said base color becomes a constant background color in the totality of the line to be displayed. The contents of the control memory are read out, word by word, from the control memory at the frequency of the line synchronization signal for the screen.Application to teletext systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Gerard Chauvel
  • Patent number: 4619887
    Abstract: A method of plating an interconnect or contact metal of higher conductivity than aluminum onto a metal layer in VLSI devices includes depositing a coating of insulator over the metal layer, patterning and etching the insulator coating into a mask of the reverse image of a desired lead pattern and then depositing the interconnect metal onto the exposed metal layer. Following depositing the insulator mask and underlaying metal is selectively removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert C. Hooper, Douglas P. Verret, Bobby A. Roane
  • Patent number: 4618832
    Abstract: An improved differential amplifier having improved immunity to signals on the power supply terminals (32,34) thereof. The low impedance path between the power supply terminals (32,34) of the amplifier and the second gain stage transistor (24) is removed and connected to a low noise reference. The source of the transistor (24) is provided as an output terminal (23) of the amplifier and can be optionally connected to any low noise reference. High impedance input current mirrors (47,55,63,67) are connected between the supply voltage rails (33,35) and the amplifier, thereby further reducing the amplifier's susceptibility to noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Stephen R. Schenck
  • Patent number: 4618947
    Abstract: A semiconductor dynamic read/write memory device has serial data input/output modes, such as the so-called nibble, byte or extended nibble modes. This device employs improved address counter circuitry to access data from a selected row. An initial column address is latched when a serial mode is initiated, and the counter steps through the programmed number of bits, starting at the initial address. The number of bits used in the serial mode may be selected by metal-mask programming. To avoid a speed penalty, look-ahead circuitry initiates the set up for serial mode before the controls for this mode are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Bao G. Tran, Joseph H. Neal, Lionel S. White
  • Patent number: 4618848
    Abstract: A circuit for converting analog to digital data uses a CMOS multiplexer, an analog to digital converter and an operational amplifier buffer controlled by a single chip microprocessor. An FET shunt circuit is connected to the input of the operational amplifier in order to pull the input to ground during a conversion cycle of the converter and the resulting data is read and used to adjust the data from subsequent data conversions to correct for offsets of the operational amplifier and the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Steven P. Parfitt
  • Patent number: 4617593
    Abstract: An improved visible and near infrared imaging system, in a first embodiment, has an optical system, chopper, improved detector, improved first and second delta frames, display, and timing and control circuits. The detector is a parallel amplification type detector with the sense lines each including a total subtraction chain. Each parallel amplifier chain is split so that two branches exist, each containing sample and hold circuits and one with a gain of -C.sub.s /(C.sub.d +C.sub.s) times the other. The outputs of the amplifier chains are multiplexed to the first delta frame for storage by frame for summation with the outputs of the next frame for substantially reducing the reset noise. The summed output signals are multiplexed at a 2x rate into the second delta frame for removal of the pattern noise and multiplexed out at a 1x rate for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Dana Dudley
  • Patent number: 4616400
    Abstract: Using a process constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention, a double recess, N+ ledge field effect transistor may be formed using a single masking step. Two layers of photoresist of differing types are formed on the surface of an N+ epitaxial layer. On the surface of these photoresist layers a layer of material which may be etched by reactive ion etching with freon but will not etch by reactive ion etching with oxygen is formed. A gate pattern is etched into this surface layer of material and the photoresist layers are selectively undercut to provide a pattern to etch the gate recess and the wide recess. A gate contact is then formed by perpendicular evaporation through the gate pattern in the surface layer of material. Thus the invention provides a process for forming a self-aligned double recess transistor using a single mask to form the gate, the wide recess and the gate recess, and another mask to form the source and drain contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Harry M. Macksey, Rick D. Hudgens
  • Patent number: 4616403
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a metal insulator semiconductor includes first forming a substrate (10) having an array of switching elements formed therein. A plurality of deformable Indium pads (16) and (18) are then formed on the surface of the substrate and in contact with each of the switching elements. A superstrate is formed from a layer of mercury cadmium telluride (32) and a layer of dielectric insulating material (34). The superstrate is pressed down adjacent the substrate (10) with the upper surface of the conductive gates (16) and (18) contacting the lower surface of the dielectric layer (34). The deformable pads (16) and (18) conform to the lower surface of the dielectric layer (34). Epoxy (36) is then disposed in the interstices of the device to provide an adhesive force between the substrate (10) and the superstrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Eric F. Schulte, Adam J. Lewis
  • Patent number: 4615595
    Abstract: A frame addressed spatial light modulator with pixels arranged along columns of charge transfer devices, and optical projection and processing systems using such modulators are disclosed. The pixels include electrostatically deflectable flaps supported by conducting posts with nodes gated to the charge transfer device. Schlieren, dark field and reverse dark field optics are available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Larry J. Hornbeck
  • Patent number: 4616352
    Abstract: A vibrator seismic source has a sweep generator for providing a pilot signal and sensors for generating a feedback signal representative of the force imparted to the ground by the vibrator pad. Circuitry is incorporated for separating the fundamental signal from the feedback signal and for separating the distortion from the feedback signal. Means are provided for generating a control signal for controlling the action of the vibrator, the control signal being reduced or increased by the difference between the pilot signal and the fundamental signal, and further reduced by the distortion, if any. A threshold circuit is employed to ignore distortion below the threshold level and a threshold circuit is provided to ignore differences in amplitude between the pilot and fundamental signals when the difference is below the threshold. Additionally, the control system employs a phase detector circuit that outputs any phase difference between the feedback and pilot signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1986
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: John J. Sallas, Toby R. Trevino, Haroon I. Alvi, John S. Shoffner, Cameron B. Wason