Patents Assigned to Texas Instruments
  • Publication number: 20130249056
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit. An electrically resistive layer of a material for serving as a thin film resistor (TFR) is deposited. A first electrically insulating layer is deposited on the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. An electrically conductive layer of an electrically conductive material is deposited. An area is left without the conductive layer and the area overlaps the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A second electrically insulating layer is deposited on top of the conductive layer. A first VIA opening is etched through the second insulating layer, the area without the conductive layer adjacent to the electrically conductive layer and through the first insulating layer down to the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A conductive material is deposited in the first VIA opening so as to electrically connect the conductive layer and the electrically resistive layer of the TFR.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Deutschland GMBH
    Inventors: Christoph Dirnecker, Wolfgang Ploss
  • Publication number: 20130254610
    Abstract: A test architecture accesses IP core test wrappers within an IC using a Link Instruction Register (LIR). An IEEE P1500 standard is in development for providing test access to these individual cores via a test structure called a wrapper. The wrapper resides at the boundary of the core and provides a way to test the core and the interconnections between cores. The test architecture enables each of the plural wrappers in the IC, including wrappers in cores embedded within other cores, with separate enable signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Lee D. Whetsel
  • Publication number: 20130251090
    Abstract: A clock divider circuit. The clock divider receives m input clock signals each of the same frequency. Each input clock signal after the first has a phase offset of 2?/m from the previous input clock signal. The clock divider divides the frequency of the input clock signals by an integer of division K. The clock divider includes a counter that receives the first input clock signal and provides one or more count signals. The clock divider also includes m flip-flops, of which a first flip-flop receives the first input clock signal at its clock input and provides a first clock output signal. Each flip-flop after the first receives an input clock signal at its clock input and provides a clock output signal, each clock output signal after the first having a 2?K/m phase offset from the previous clock output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Rajesh Velayuthan
  • Publication number: 20130250938
    Abstract: Packets of real-time information are sent with a source rate greater than zero kilobits per second, and a time or path or combined time/path diversity rate initially being zero kilobits per second. This results in a quality of service QoS, optionally measured at the sender or the receiver. When the QoS is on an unacceptable side of a threshold of acceptability, the sender sends diversity packets at an increased rate. Increasing the diversity rate while either reducing or maintaining the overall transmission rate is new. CELP-based multiple-description data partitioning sends the base or important information plus a subset of fixed excitation in one packet and sends the base or important information plus the complementary subset of fixed excitation in another packet. Reconstruction produces acceptable quality when only one of the two packets is received and better quality when both packets are received. Reconstruction provides for single and multiple lost packets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Krishnasamy Anandakumar, Vishu R. Viswanathan, Alan V. McCree
  • Publication number: 20130254608
    Abstract: In a first embodiment a Test Access Port (TAP) of IEEE standard 1149.1 is allowed to commandeer control from a Wrapper Serial Port (WSP) of IEEE standard P1500 such that the P1500 architecture, normally controlled by the WSP, is rendered controllable by the TAP. In a second embodiment (1) the TAP and WSP based architectures are merged together such that the sharing of the previously described architectural elements are possible, and (2) the TAP and WSP test interfaces are merged into a single optimized test interface that is operable to perform all operations of each separate test interface. One approach provides for the TAP to maintain access and control of the TAP instruction register, but provides for a selected data register to be accessed and controlled by either the TAP+ATC (Auxiliary Test Control bus) or by the discrete CaptureDR, UpdateDR, TransferDR, ShiftDR, and ClockDR WSP data register control signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Lee D. Whetsel
  • Publication number: 20130254606
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a novel method and apparatuses for allowing a controller to select and access different types of access ports in a device. The selecting and accessing of the access ports is achieved using only the dedicated TDI, TMS, TCK, and TDO signal terminals of the device. The selecting and accessing of device access ports can be achieved when a single device is connected to the controller, when multiple devices are placed in a daisy-chain arrangement and connected to the controller, or when multiple devices are placed in a addressable parallel arrangement and connected to the controller. Additional embodiments are also provided and described in the disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Lee D. Whetsel
  • Publication number: 20130251092
    Abstract: A clock divider circuit. The clock divider receives m input clock signals each of the same frequency. Each input clock signal after the first has a phase offset of 2?/m from the previous input clock signal. The clock divider divides the frequency of the input clock signals by an integer of division K. The clock divider includes a counter that receives the first input clock signal and provides one or more count signals. The clock divider also includes m flip-flops, of which a first flip-flop receives the first input clock signal at its clock input and provides a first clock output signal. Each flip-flop after the first receives an input clock signal at its clock input and provides a clock output signal, each clock output signal after the first having a 2?K/m phase offset from the previous clock output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Rajesh Velayuthan
  • Publication number: 20130254605
    Abstract: A process and apparatus provide a JTAG TAP controller (302) to access a JTAG TAP domain (106) of a device using a reduced pin count, high speed DDR interface (202). The access is accomplished by combining the separate TDI and TMS signals from the TAP controller into a single signal and communicating the TDI and TMS signals of the single signal on the rising and falling edges of the TCK driving the DDR interface. The TAP domain may be coupled to the TAP controller in a point to point fashion or in an addressable bus fashion. The access to the TAP domain may be used for JTAG based device testing, debugging, programming, or other type of JTAG based operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Lee D. Whetsel
  • Publication number: 20130254725
    Abstract: A method of computational lithography includes collecting inline post-develop resist critical dimension (CD) data obtained from printing a test structure having resist on a substrate having a layer thereon using a mask including a set of gratings having main features and resolution assist features (RAFs) in proximity to the main features. The RAFs include a size range so that a lithography system used for the printing prints some of the RAFs, while some of the RAFs do not print. A plurality of resist kernels are determined from the post-develop resist CD data including a non-Gaussian developer etching kernel which represents a developer used for the printing and a Gaussian kernel. A resist model is generated which provides a resist image contour from an aerial image contour and the plurality of resist kernels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: ASHESH PARIKH
  • Publication number: 20130249098
    Abstract: A method of protecting through substrate via (TSV) die from bonding damage includes providing a substrate including a plurality of TSV die having a topside including active circuitry, a bottomside, and a plurality of TSVs that include an inner metal core that reaches from the topside to protruding TSV tips that extend out from the bottomside. A protective layer is formed on or applied to the bottomside of the TSV die including between and over the protruding TSV tips. The TSV die is bonded with its topside down onto a workpiece having a workpiece surface and its bottomside up and in contact with a bond head. The protective layer reduces damage from the bonding process including warpage of the TSV die by preventing the bond head from making direct contact to the protruding TSV tips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Jeffrey Alan West
  • Publication number: 20130248864
    Abstract: Timely testing of die on wafer reduces the cost to manufacture ICs. This disclosure describes a die test structure and process to reduce test time by adding test pads on the top surface of the die. The added test pads allow a tester to probe and test more circuits within the die simultaneously. Also, the added test pads contribute to a reduction in the amount of test wiring overhead traditionally required to access and test circuits within a die, thus reducing die size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Lee D. Whetsel, Richard L. Antley
  • Patent number: 8540375
    Abstract: A system and method for correcting optical distortion in an off-axis system is provided. The offset between the center of a display plane and the optical axis of the projection lens system is configured such that the offset is greater than half the vertical dimension of the display plane. In this manner, the distortion, such as a pincushion-type or barrel-type of distortion, is not symmetrical about the horizontal axis. In this scenario, the display plane, the projection lens system, a folding mirror, and/or the spatial light modulator may be tilted such that a keystone effect is induced. This keystone effect may be used to offset the distortion, particularly the pincushion-type or barrel-type of distortions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Patrick Rene Destain
  • Patent number: 8541981
    Abstract: A control circuit of a battery power-path management circuit establishes a first power path between a battery input node and an output node when the input node voltage is larger than a charger input node voltage and a second power path between the charger input node and the output node when the voltage on the charger input node is larger than the battery input node voltage. It controls the second power path to provide power to the output node, enabling battery charging and protection over a battery voltage range from about zero volts. It has low power consumption and can support wide-swing power supply voltage from as low as one volt to as high as maximum allowed Vds of drain-extended devices. It can use smaller device sizes because the PMOS switch gate voltage is 0V when the power supply is not too high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Weibiao Zhang, J. Randall Cooper
  • Patent number: 8542616
    Abstract: A novel mechanism for simultaneous multiple signal reception and transmission using frequency multiplexing and shared processing. Multiple RF signals, which may be of various wireless standards, are received using one or more shared processing blocks thereby significantly reducing chip space and power requirements. Shared components include local oscillators, analog to digital converters, digital RX processing and digital baseband processing. In operation, multiple RX front end circuits, one for each desired wireless signal, generate a plurality of IF signals that are frequency multiplexed and combined to create a single combined IF signal. The combined IF signal is processed by a shared processing block. Digital baseband processing is performed on each receive signal to generate respective data outputs. Further, simultaneous full-duplex transmission and reception is performed using a single local oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert B. Staszewski, Khurram Muhammad, Dirk Leipold
  • Patent number: 8542693
    Abstract: A network element including a processor with logic for managing packet queues including a queue of free packet descriptors. Upon the transmission of a packet by a host application, the packet descriptor for the transmitted packet is added to the free packet descriptor queue. If the new free packet descriptor resides in on-chip memory, relative to queue manager logic, it is added to the head of the free packet descriptor queue; if the new free packet descriptor resides in external memory, it is added to the tail of the free packet descriptor queue. Upon a packet descriptor being requested to be associated with valid data to be added to an active packet queue, the queue manager logic pops the packet descriptor currently at the head of the free descriptor queue. Packet descriptors in on-chip memory are preferentially used relative to packet descriptors in external memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Maneesh Soni, Brian J. Karguth, Michael A. Denio
  • Patent number: 8542244
    Abstract: System and method for generating multiprimary signals with optimization for bit depth for use in display devices. A preferred embodiment comprises converting an input color signal into an output color signal, wherein the number of colors in the output color signal is less than a number of colors used in a display system, when a weighting of the input color signal is less than a specified threshold, and converting the input color signal into an output color signal, wherein the number of colors in the output color signal is equal to the number of colors used in the display system, when the weighting of the input color signal is greater than the specified threshold. The use of fewer colors eliminates low bit depth colors, allowing increased dither quality in dimmer images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey Kempf, Rajeev Ramanath
  • Patent number: 8543740
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) configured to operate as a slave on an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) or I2C compatible bus. The IC is further configured to receive an address through the I2C bus and store the received address in a register, so as to be identified by the address. A method of address assignment in a master/slave system, the system comprises at least one master, a plurality of slaves, and an I2C or I2C compatible bus. The method comprises sending a first address by the master on the I2C bus to a first of the plurality of slaves and storing the first address on the first slave to identify the first slave by the first address. The method further comprises sending a second address by the master on the I2C bus to a second of the plurality of slaves and storing the second address on the second slave to identify the second slave by the second address. The steps of sending and storing are repeated until all slaves of the system have stored an address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Lars Lotzenburger, Richard Oed
  • Patent number: 8542545
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method of repairing soft failures in memory cells of an SRAM array. The SRAM array is tested to determine the location and type of soft failures in the memory cells. An assist circuit is activated that changes a voltage in a group of memory cells with the same type of soft failure. The change in voltage created by the assist circuit repairs the soft failures in the group. The group may be a word line or a bit line. The type of soft failures includes a failure during a read of a memory cell and a failure during the write of a memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Wah Kit Loh, Beena Pious
  • Patent number: 8542427
    Abstract: A system for projecting images has an illumination system for providing light, a spatial light modulator including an array of individually addressable pixel modulator elements with curved reflective surfaces, and projection optics for projecting the modulated light to form the image, wherein no focal planes of the projection optics are aligned to the reflective surfaces of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: David Joseph Mehrl
  • Patent number: 8541850
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a semiconductor substrate includes complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry disposed outwardly from the semiconductor substrate. An electrode is disposed outwardly from the CMOS circuitry. The electrode is electrically coupled to the CMOS circuitry. A resonator is disposed outwardly from the electrode. The resonator is operable to oscillate at a resonance frequency in response to an electrostatic field propagated, at least in part, by the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Arun K. Gupta, Lance W. Barron, William C. McDonald