Patents Examined by James Cho
  • Patent number: 7750670
    Abstract: A reconfigurable logic array (RLA) having a logic capacity and configured to process a function having a total logic requirement that exceeds the logic capacity of the RLA. The RLA includes first and second storage regions and a plurality of programmable logic elements located between the first and second storage regions. When the function is parsed into a plurality of functional blocks, this configuration allows the RLA to process the function by sequentially processing the functional blocks in alternating directions within the RLA, using the plurality of programmable logic elements to sequentially process each of the functional blocks and using the first and second storage regions to temporarily hold the input and output for that one of the functional blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Goodnow, Clarence R. Ogilvie, Christopher B. Reynolds, Jack R. Smith, Sebastian T. Ventrone
  • Patent number: 7750668
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device is composed of logic gates each provided with at least two MOS transistors. The logic gates are connected to a first potential point and a second potential point. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a current control device connected between the logic gate and the first potential point and/or between the logic gate and the second potential point for controlling a value of a current flowing in the logic gate depending on an operating state of the logic gate. The circuit can be used in devices that cycle in operation between high and low power consumption modes, such as microprocessors that have both an operation mode and a low power back-up or sleep mode used for power reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Masashi Horiguchi, Kunio Uchiyama, Kiyoo Itoh, Takeshi Sakata, Masakazu Aoki, Takayuki Kawahara
  • Patent number: 7746192
    Abstract: Fabrication methods for contoured polyhedral cavities for particle acceleration are disclosed. The process may include: trimming flat sheets to a conformal shape; bending the sheets to form a contour that is axially curved and azimuthally flat; and joining the sheets to form a circumferentially polyhedral cavity that is configured to support a resonant electromagnetic field at cryogenic temperatures. The resulting cavity may have ductile or even brittle superconducting materials with an axially-oriented grain structure at each point on the circumference of the cavity. As part of the assembly process, the sheets may be bonded to a supporting substrate of thermally conductive material having integrated cooling passages. The supporting substrates may be configured to have electrical contact near the cavity openings while having a small gap near the equators of the cavity. Moreover, mode-coupling channels and waveguides may be provided to extract energy from undesired deflection modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: The Texas A&M University System
    Inventor: Peter M. McIntyre
  • Patent number: 7741868
    Abstract: Described are on-die termination (ODT) systems and methods that facilitate high-speed communication between a driver die and a receiver die interconnected via one or more signal transmission lines. An ODT control system in accordance with one embodiment calibrates and maintains termination resistances and drive currents to produce optimal output swing voltages. Comparison circuitry employed to calibrate the reference resistance is also used to calibrate the drive current. Termination elements in some embodiments are divided into two adjustable resistive portions, both of which are designed to minimize capacitive loading. One portion is optimized to produce a relatively high range of adjustment, while the other is optimized for fine-tuning and glitch-free switching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Huy M. Nguyen, Vijay Gadde, Benedict Lau
  • Patent number: 7741864
    Abstract: New and improved methods and circuit designs for asynchronous circuits that are tolerant to transient faults, such as the type introduced through radiation or, more broadly, single-event effects (SEEs). SEE-tolerant configurations are shown and described for combinational logic circuits, state-holding logic circuits and SRAM memory circuits, among others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Achronix Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Rajit Manohar, Clinton W. Kelly
  • Patent number: 7741867
    Abstract: Memory devices and systems incorporate on-die termination for signal lines. A memory device comprises an integrated circuit die. The integrated circuit die comprises a pair of input signal pins that supply a pair of input signals, and an on-die termination circuit coupled between the pair of input signal pins that differentially terminates the pair of input signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Dennis Carr, Lidia Warnes, Dan Vu, Teddy Lee, Michael Bozich Calhoun
  • Patent number: 7741930
    Abstract: There is provided a filter including a first resonator, a second resonator in which an excitation efficiency is reduced more than the first resonator, and an inductor connected in parallel with the second resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignees: Fujitsu Media Devices Limited, Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Shogo Inoue, Tokihiro Nishihara, Takashi Matsuda, Masanori Ueda
  • Patent number: 7737720
    Abstract: An integrated circuit is provided with logic blocks which draw their power from virtual supply rails. These virtual supply rails are connected by switch blocks to main supply rails. The switch blocks are subject to modulation to maintain the virtual supply rails at an intermediate voltage level such that a reduced voltage difference is applied across the logic block. This intermediate voltage level is used in a state retention mode in which the clock signal clk to the logic block is stopped and state signal values are maintained therein using this reduced virtual power rail derived voltage difference. When it is desired to resume processing then the full virtual rail voltages are restored by rendering the switch blocks fully conductive and then the clock is restarted. The switch blocks which are modulated by controllers which use feedback control based upon the sensed virtual rail voltages (VVdd and Vgnd) while drawing their own power from the normal supply rails (Vdd and gnd).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventors: Sachin Satish Idgunji, David Walter Flynn, Robert Campbell Aitken
  • Patent number: 7728623
    Abstract: A programmable logic structure is disclosed employing input logic routing cell (ILRC) multiplexers and output logic routing cell (OLRC) multiplexers for making local connections between dedicated logic cells. In a simple programmable logic structure, a dedicated logic cell (DLC) is implemented in a programmable logic structure comprising multiple ILRC multiplexers for port A and multiple OLRC multiplexers for port B. In a multi-level programmable logic structure, multiple columns of dedicated logic cells is designed with columns of dedicated local cells adjacent to each other where each DLC column is used to implement a particular logic function. In a first embodiment, local connections can be made between dedicated logic cells, e.g. an OLRC in a first DLC at level L making local point-to-point connections to an ILRC in a second DLC at level L+1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Agate Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Hare K. Verma, Ravi Sunkavalli, Sudip Nag, Conrad Kong, Bo Hu, Chandra Mulpuri, Ashok Vittal
  • Patent number: 7724023
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include an electrical circuit arrangement including a switchably removable bond pad extension test pad that allows improved testing of a corresponding electrical circuit device via enhanced placement of testing probes. The bond pad extension test pad is removably coupled to one of the electrical circuit device's electrical components, e.g., a bond pad. Because the bond pad extension test pad can be disconnected from the electrical component when not testing, the bond pad extension test pad does not contribute additional parasitic effects to the corresponding electrical circuit device. The electrical circuit arrangement automatically detects when a testing voltage is applied to the bond pad extension test pad, then connects the bond pad extension test pad in response to the detection of the applied testing voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Agere Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Roger A. Fratti
  • Patent number: 7719317
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a digital system that includes a distribution network to carry a reference clock, and a circuit domain coupled to the distribution network to receive the reference clock for synchronous operation in accordance with the reference clock. The circuit domain includes a clock generator driven by the reference clock to generate a resonant clock signal, an input port to receive a control signal, and a gate coupled to the input port to discontinue application of the resonant clock signal within the circuit domain based on the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Juang-Ying Chueh, Jerry Kao, Visvesh Sathe, Marios C. Papaefthymiou
  • Patent number: 7719319
    Abstract: In a dynamic flip-flop circuit with a data selection function, for example, when data having an H value is selected using a selection signal, a first node N1 is L, a second node N2 of a second dynamic circuit is H, so that an output signal has an H level. In this case, when none of a plurality of pieces of data is selected using a selection signal, the first node N1 is H, so that the electric charge of the second node N2 is discharged and the output signal erroneously has an L level. However, in this case, an output node N3 is H and a fourth node N4 is L, so that an n-type transistor of the second dynamic circuit is turned OFF, thereby preventing the second node N2 from being discharged. Therefore, a normal operation is performed while securing a satisfactorily high-speed operation even when none of the pieces of data is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Masaya Sumita
  • Patent number: 7719316
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a digital system that includes a distribution network to carry a reference clock and a plurality of circuit domains coupled to the distribution network to receive the reference clock for synchronous operation in accordance with the reference clock. Each circuit domain of the plurality of circuit domains includes a respective clock generator driven by the reference clock to generate a resonant clock signal, respective circuitry coupled to the clock generator to operate in accordance with the resonant clock signal, with the circuitry including a capacitive load for the resonant clock signal and a respective inductance coupled to the circuitry and the clock generator to resonate the capacitive load of the circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Juang-Ying Chueh, Jerry Kao, Visvesh Sathe, Marios C. Papaefthymiou
  • Patent number: 7719310
    Abstract: A circuit for attaining reduction in AC noise on power supply line caused by IR drop upon use of a decoupling capacitor represented by a cross-coupled decoupling capacitor with enhanced resistance to electrostatic breakdown, required in the case of a process of a high technology. There is also provided a circuit for suppressing the AC noise on power supply line due to resonance. MOS transistors composing the cross-coupled decoupling capacitor with enhanced resistance to electrostatic breakdown are caused to have lower threshold voltages Vth, thereby reducing a resistance between a source and a drain of each of the MOS transistors, resulting in reduction in IR drop. Further, a damping resistance is effective for suppressing the AC noise on power supply line, and the source-to-drain resistance of each of the MOS transistors is utilized as the damping resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akinori Yokoi, Shigeru Nakahara
  • Patent number: 7714616
    Abstract: In order to provide a semiconductor device having a circuit for operating normally even when the amplitude of a signal voltage is smaller than the amplitude of a power source voltage, a correcting circuit is provided before a digital circuit to be operated normally. As for a signal outputted from the correcting circuit, when a transistor in the objective digital circuit is required to be turned OFF, the correcting circuit outputs a corresponding signal, namely a first power source potential. At this time, the transistor is turned OFF. On the other hand, when the transistor is required to be turned ON, the correcting circuit outputs a first input potential. Consequently, the objective digital circuit is turned OFF when it is required to be in an OFF state while turned ON when it is required to be in an ON state. Thereby, the objective digital circuit can be normally operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Kimura
  • Patent number: 7710156
    Abstract: A circuit ? is coupled to an individual node Nin, in a circuit for which repeated logical values of that individual node can be identified as having a set of flip-flops Fj dependent thereon, with the effect that if the individual node Nin remains unchanged for one or more clock cycles, the set of dependent flip-flops Fj can be disabled for the second and succeeding clock cycles. The circuit ? conditionally generates a clock-enabling signal Nout in response thereto. One such circuit ? conditionally includes a logical controller, whose output is coupled using a fan-out node to both an input to a state machine and a fan-in logic circuit (such as an AND gate). The flip-flop is clocked normally; its output is coupled to that same fan-in logic circuit, whose output Nout is coupled to the set of dependent flip-flops Fj.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Envis Corporation
    Inventors: Hamid Savoj, David Berthelot
  • Patent number: 7710145
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a circuit section having an output impedance which changes in accordance with a switching signal for switching between drive capabilities, and transforming an input signal into an output signal in accordance with the output impedance, a reference voltage generating section generating a reference voltage in accordance with the switching signal and the input signal, and a comparing section comparing a voltage of the output signal to the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited
    Inventor: Tomohiko Koto
  • Patent number: 7710151
    Abstract: A level shifter circuit includes a level shifter, an inverter, a first switch circuit and a second switch circuit. The level shifter includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor and a fourth transistor. The inverter receives an input signal and thus generates an inversion input signal. The first transistor and the second transistor are respectively controlled by the input signal and an output signal to output an inversion output signal. The third transistor and the fourth transistor are respectively controlled by the inversion input signal and the inversion output signal to output an output signal. The first switch circuit is coupled to the level shifter and turns off the fourth transistor when the third transistor is turned on. The second switch circuit is coupled to the level shifter, and turns off the second transistor when the first transistor is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Raydium Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Kei-Kang Hung, Wu-Sung Li
  • Patent number: 7701254
    Abstract: The present disclosure involves reconfigurable circuits that include an asynchronous data path with asynchronous control and at least one logic element coupled with the asynchronous data path that allows the circuit to be configured to more than one logical implementation through data and control token. In one particular example, the asynchronous data path with asynchronous control includes an interconnection of memory elements, such as latches, with each memory element including a corresponding asynchronous control element, such as a GasP element. One or more logical elements are coupled at one or more points of the data path, such coupling may involve feed-back, feed-forward, or combinations of both, and may include external data connections. Through distribution of data items and control tokens to the asynchronous data path with asynchronous control, the fixed logical coupling to the data path may be reconfigured to provide various logical arrangements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Alex Chow, William Stuart Coates, Robert David Hopkins
  • Patent number: 7688114
    Abstract: A ratio asymmetric inverter has a signal input, signal output, first and second power inputs, pullup and pulldown transistors, and at least one delay element. The pullup transistor has a gate terminal, a source terminal coupled to the first power input, and a drain terminal coupled to the signal output. The pulldown transistor has a gate terminal, a drain terminal coupled to the signal output, and a source terminal coupled to the second power input. The signal input is respectively coupled to the gate terminals of the pullup transistor and the pulldown transistor via first and second signal paths. The at least one delay element is included in only one of the first and second signal paths, to impart a longer propagation delay to the one of the first and second signal paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Claudio San Roman Denegri