Abstract: One embodiment relates to a ferroelectric memory device. The ferroelectric memory device includes a segment of contiguous ferroelectric memory cells arranged in rows and columns. A row of ferroelectric memory cells includes a common wordline that allows access to the memory cells of the row and also includes at least two platelines associated with the row. At least one of the at least two platelines is associated with adjacent columns of ferroelectric memory cells within the row. The row of ferroelectric memory cells includes another word line which is not associated with the at least two platelines. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices and fabrication methods are provided, in which metal transistor gates are provided for MOS transistors. A rare earth-rare earth alloy incorporated metal nitride layer is formed above a gate dielectric. This process provides adjustment of the gate electrode work function, thereby tuning the threshold voltage of the resulting NMOS transistors.

Abstract: A method for forming a single damascene and/or dual damascene interconnect structure, comprising: performing front end processing, depositing copper, annealing the copper, performing CMP planarization, performing a post copper CMP clean process, performing a BTA rinse, performing IPA drying process, performing doping during thermal ramp up and performing remaining back end processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for aligning a CVD showerhead, comprising engaging a showerhead stem clamp with a showerhead stem outside of a process chamber of the CVD system. An alignment fixture is provided, and a plurality of spacer discs are positioned between the showerhead suspended from a top plate of the CVD system and heated platen. Nuts supporting the showerhead to the top plate are loosened, therein permitting the showerhead to move vertically within the process chamber. The process chamber is closed and the top plate is lowered, wherein the showerhead contacts the plurality of spacer discs. The alignment fixture is engaged with the showerhead stem clamp, therein fixing a vertical position of the showerhead with respect to the top plate, and the top plate is raised. The position of the of the showerhead is then fixed with respect to the top plate via a plurality of standoffs, an adjustment bracket, a threaded rod, and a plurality of nuts.

Abstract: Methods for forming dual damascene interconnect structures are provided. The methods incorporate an ashing operation comprising a first ash operation and a second overash operation. The ashing operation is performed prior to etching of an etch stop layer. The operation removes residue from a cavity formed during formation of the interconnect structure and facilitates better CD control without altering the cavity profiles.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fault protection circuit, a method of operating a fault protection circuit and a voltage regulator. In one embodiment, the fault protection circuit is for use with the voltage regulator and includes an output power section having first and second MOS transistors configured to provide a regulated voltage on an output node of the voltage regulator. The fault protection circuit also includes a gate pull-down section connected to the first and second MOS transistors and configured to provide a gate pull-down MOS transistor to limit a current through the first and second MOS transistors during a current overload fault condition on the output node.

Abstract: One embodiment relates to an on-chip power amplifier (PA) test circuit. In one embodiment, a PA test circuit comprises a controllable oscillator (CO) configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal, a parallel resonant circuit tuned to the radio frequency, a pre-power amplifier (PPA) coupled to the CO and the parallel resonant circuit, the PPA configured to amplify and drive the RF signal from an output of the PPA into a load. The test circuit may further comprise a first transmission gate configured to couple the RF signal from the CO to an input of the PPA. One testing methodology for a PA test circuit comprises stressing the PPA with an RF signal, measuring a characteristic of the PPA, determining stress degradation from the characteristic measurements, and repeating the stressing and characteristic measurements until a maximum stress degradation is achieved or a maximum stress has been applied.

Abstract: Systems, methods and circuits for regulator minimum load control. In one particular case, a system is provided that includes a load control circuit and a switched load. The load control circuit includes a reference current, and a sense current representative of a load current. In addition, the load control circuit includes a comparator circuit that drives a control signal in response to a comparison between the reference current and the sense current. The switched load is electrically coupled to a load voltage signal to provide loading to the load voltage signal. The switched load is operable to switch between a first loading factor and a second loading factor in response to the control signal.

Abstract: A data transfer control apparatus includes a channel controller and a transfer controller. The channel controller receives, prioritizes and queues data transfer requests. The transfer controller includes separate control of data source and data destination in a data transfer corresponding to the data transfer requests. The transfer controller includes a data transfer program register and active source and destination registers. The transfer controller operates from the active source and destination registers. Upon completion of a data transfer the transfer controller writes data transfer parameters from the data transfer program register to the active source and destination registers.

Abstract: A memory cell for storing a charge that gives rise to a cell voltage representing a bit value, the memory cell being capable of having the cell voltage boosted to a boost value at a time following reading of the stored charge. The memory cell includes a first capacitor connected between a first node and ground. A second capacitor is connected between a second node and ground, and a first switch is connected between the first node and the second node. A second switch and a third capacitor are connected in series between the first node and the second node, with a terminal of the second switch being connected to the first node, the common connection node of the second switch and the third capacitor comprising a third node. A third switch is connected between the third node and ground. In operation, in a first storage phase the first and third switches are closed and the second switch is open.

Abstract: A method and apparatus adaptively scales the decoder input for a low-cost user equipment (UE) to reduce the memory requirement without degrading decoder performance. In order to optimize the decoder performance for a small number of input bits, the method estimates the interference of the inner receiver output and scales the decoder input such that its variance is kept constant. The method further estimates the interference of the Pilot channel and translates it into the interference of the data channel in order to avoid the estimation bias problem in a noisy channel. The method then uses a difference value of the phase-corrected pilot symbol to solve the fading rate dependency problem of the sample mean method. For a Rake receiver, the method sums up the interference estimated from each finger. For a multi-antenna receiver, the method sums up the interference estimated from each antenna demodulating element.

Abstract: An integrator is provided with protection against drift in the value of an integral during power save mode. An N-bit counter (12) is driven by the output of a comparator (11) to provide a digital count representation of the integral. The digital count is fed as an input to a current-steering digital-to-analog converter (14) which provides a current of corresponding analog magnitude to other circuitry, such as to an input stage of an error amplifier. The digital count is maintained during power save mode, preserving the integral value until resumption of normal operation.

Abstract: An arbitration unit grants access to a shared resource to one of a plurality of devices. A consecutive access register corresponds to each device. A consecutive access counter is operable to load data stored in a selectable consecutive access register and count down each operating cycle. An arbitration control unit selects one device for access to the shared resource from among all currently requesting access. Upon selection, the consecutive access counter is loaded from the corresponding consecutive access register. Access is re-arbitrated upon count down to zero. Time out registers and corresponding time out counters for each device permit advance to a higher priority after a time out following an ungranted request.

Abstract: Circuitry for preventing damage to differentially coupled input JFETs in an integrated circuit amplifier includes first (J2) and second (J4) differentially coupled input JFETs. A first input signal (Vin+) is applied to a gate of the first input JFET (J2), and second input signal (Vin?) is applied to a gate of the second input JFET. Needed amounts of drain current are supplied to the first and second input JFETs. A separator JFET (J1) having a drain coupled to a source of the first input JFET and a source coupled to the source of the second input JFET is operated to control an amount of electrical isolation between the drain and source of the separator JFET so as to limit an amount of reverse bias voltage across a gate-source junction of one of the first and second input JFETs to a value less than a gate-source junction breakdown voltage of that the first and second input JFETs.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for calibrating a digital predistorter in an integrated transceiver circuit. A digital transmitter path provides a signal from a digital input. The transmitter path includes a digital predistorter that predistorts the digital input to mitigate nonlinearities associated with a power amplifier. The integrated transceiver circuit further includes a receiver path associated with the digital transmitter path. A coupling element provides the signal from the transmitter path to the receiver path. A signal evaluator determines values for at least one parameter associated with the digital predistorter based on the signal.

Abstract: A cache subsystem may comprise a multi-way set associative cache and a data memory that holds a contiguous block of memory defined by an address stored in a register. Local variables (e.g., Java local variables) may be stored in the data memory. The data memory preferably is adapted to store two groups of local variables. A first group comprises local variables associated with finished methods and a second group comprises local variables associated with unfinished methods. Further, local variables are saved to, or fetched from, external memory upon a context change based on a threshold value differentiating the first and second groups. The first value may comprise a threshold address or an allocation bit associated with each of a plurality of lines forming the data memory.

Abstract: Each portion of an integrated circuit is tested using Automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) technique to detect intra-portion faults. Inter-portion faults are detected by first forming a scan chain containing (a) the memory elements in the fan-out of the inputs to each of said plurality of portions, (b) the memory elements in the fan-in of the outputs of each of said plurality of portions, (c) memory elements connected to combinatorial logic propagating data inputs to the memory elements of (a), and (d) memory elements connected to provide control signals to (a), (b) and (c). Sequential scan tests are then performed on the scan chain thus formed.

Abstract: A method (100) of forming semiconductor structures (202) including high-temperature processing steps (step 118), incorporates the use of a high-temperature nitride-oxide mask (220) over protected regions (214) of the device (202). The invention has application in many different embodiments, including but not limited to, the formation of recess, strained device regions (224).

Abstract: A phase locked loop (PLL) circuit automatically corrects the offset of the analog (especially active type) loop filter to improve the stability and precision of the locked clock or frequency signals. In addition to the general PLL circuit configuration having active type loop filter (30), the PLL circuit also has a frequency comparing circuit (42), a DAC controller (44) and a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) (46). In an offset measurement mode, the outputs of phase error detecting circuit (12, 14) and frequency error detecting circuit (18, 20) are cut, respectively, to establish locking in offset measurement locked loop (42, 44, 45, 30, 40). In this case, offset correction code (EDs) are identified and held. In normal mode, DAC controller (44) has offset correction code (ED) input to DAC (46), and DAC (46) sends offset correction signal (EAs) to loop filter (30).

Abstract: A trace receiver with multiple recording interfaces is used to record the same input. This configuration may provide multiple recording interfaces and multiple recording channels. The recording channels may be in a single unit or in multiple units. Separate out of phase clocks may be used to time division multiplex data to be recorded.