Patents Examined by Matthew C Tabler
  • Patent number: 7737804
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes at least one interconnection level and an acoustic resonator provided with an active element and a support. The includes at least one bilayer assembly having a layer of high acoustic impedance material and a layer of low acoustic impedance material. The support further includes a protruding element arranged on a metallization level of the interconnection level, making it possible to produce an electrical contact between an interconnection level and the active element of the acoustic resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.A., Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Guillaume Bouche, Guy Parat
  • Patent number: 7728624
    Abstract: An integrated circuit comprising at least one group comprising having multiple arithmetic/logic units arranged in sub-groups. In the sub-groups at inputs of multiple arithmetic/logic units, in each case a single one of the first selection units is connected on the input side, wherein no other selection unit is connected directly on the input side of this selection unit. The first selection units are coupled to each other such that a horizontal and/or vertical logical interconnection of the arithmetic/logic units within a group, and/or a logical interconnection of arithmetic/logic units to an upstream group can be implemented. Second selection units are in each case connected on the output side of a column of arithmetic/logic units. The second selection units of a group are connected on the output side to one bus each, and a microprocessor is coupled to this bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventor: Gert Umbach
  • Patent number: 7729300
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a Gigabit Ethernet transceiver that has a Class-B amplifier in a main transmitter for higher efficiency and power handling capabilities. The output current of the main transmitter is produced by a reference voltage applied across a resistor, where the reference voltage generator, resistor and amplifier are fabricated on the same substrate, such that the output current is constant across process voltage and temperature. The transceiver also has a replica transmitter whose signal is used to cancel the main transmitter signal at the input of the receiver section of the transceiver. The replica transmitter is fabricated on the same substrate as the main transmitter, such that its output signal reflects non-linearities in the main transmitter across process voltage and temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Ramsin Michael Ziazadeh, Varadarajan Devnath
  • Patent number: 7719312
    Abstract: Apparatus for configuring input/output signal levels of interfacing logic circuits operating at different voltage levels comprises: a logic circuit for operating at a first voltage level; a bank of input/output gates coupled to the logic circuit for interfacing input/output signals at a second voltage level, different from the first voltage level, to the logic circuit, the bank of gates including a port for setting the operational voltage level thereof; and a control circuit coupled to the port and governed by a control signal to configure the operational voltage level of the bank of gates to render the logic circuit and the interfacing input/output signals voltage level compatible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David Glen Edwards, Brian Matthew Johnson, Mark A. Shaw, Stuart C. Haden
  • Patent number: 7710343
    Abstract: Generalized non-limiting embodiments include employing a dipole antenna and/or a half slot antenna. Each of the antennas constitutes three mutually perpendicular radiating elements to achieve good isolation and low antenna signal correlation between the three ports. In one generalized non-limiting embodiment the antennas are fabricated on FR-4 epoxy boards. Experimental results show that the antennas resonate a reasonable frequency and have a desired mutual coupling. In addition experimental results for the diversity performance and the MIMO channel capacity are also provided for these antennas and these results show that the herein described antennas offer good diversity gain and the channel capacity can be increased by as much as three times by using these antennas over conventional antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Hong Kong Technologies Group Limited
    Inventors: Chi Yuk Chiu, Jie Bang Yan, Ross David Murch
  • Patent number: 7705628
    Abstract: A programmable logic device architecture having logic elements with dedicated hardware to configure the look up tables of the logic element to either perform logic functions or to operate as a register for pipelining or other purposes. The programmable logic device includes a general interconnect and a plurality of logic array blocks interconnected by the general interconnect. Each of the plurality of logic blocks further includes one or more logic elements. The logic elements each include a first look up table, a second look up table, and dedicated hardware within the logic element to configure the first look table and the second look up table as a register without having to use the general interconnect. In one embodiment, the dedicated hardware includes a plurality of dedicated interconnects within the logic element to configure the two look up tables as a pair of cross coupled muxes or latches when configured as a register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Hutton, Andy L. Lee, Gregg William Baeckler, Jinyong Yuan, Keith Duwel
  • Patent number: 7701312
    Abstract: An integrated device is constructed by integrating an FBAR and a tunable capacitor. The integrated device includes a substrate; a resonator formed on the substrate; a driving electrode layer formed on the substrate apart from the resonator; a first electrode layer formed upwardly apart from the substrate and facing the resonator; and a second electrode layer formed upwardly apart from the substrate and facing the driving electrode layer, the second electrode layer stepped from the first electrode layer. Accordingly, the integrated device can increase the tuning range and mitigate the parasitic resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eun-seok Park, Kuang-woo Nam, In-sang Song, Chul-soo Kim, Yun-Kwon Park
  • Patent number: 7696775
    Abstract: An apparatus for impedance matching circuit is disclosed. The impedance matching apparatus has an output driver for outputting an output signal and includes an output data generator, for generating an output data signal; an output stage, for generating the output signal according to the output data signal, and receiving a first control signal to adjust an impendence of the output stage; an impendence unit, electrically coupled to the output stage, for receiving a second control signal to adjust an impedance of the impedance unit; and a calibration circuit electrically coupled to the output stage and the impedance unit, for outputting the first control signal and the second control signal to respectively control the output stage and the impedance unit such that a sum of impedances of the output stage and the impedance unit is adjusted to compensate an environment factor of the chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Liu Jian, Peng-Zhan Zhang
  • Patent number: 7693703
    Abstract: Configuring reconfigurable interconnect resources employing a switch matrix and configuration bit look-up table are disclosed. Reconfigurable interconnect resources include multiplexors to decrease the number of bits needed to load a configuration. Distributed processing resources configure a selected reconfigurable interconnect resource, interconnecting each input of the reconfigurable interconnect resource with a particular output of the reconfigurable interconnect resource using configuration bits scalably extracted from a row of configuration bits of a look-up table. Use of a configuration bit look-up table allows for compression of the bits needed to load the configuration for a reconfigurable interconnect resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation
    Inventors: Xavier Montagne, Florent Bedoiseau
  • Patent number: 7692513
    Abstract: In order to reduce the parts required for matching of an SAW filter module, the SAW filter module 10 obtains matching for coupling SAW filters 10A to 10D with RF-IC 20 using impedance matching circuits 11A to 11D. The real part of output impedance Z saw of the SAW filter is closely matched with the real part of input impedance Zic of an RF-IC. The impedance matching circuit modifies the imaginary part of the output impedance Zm of the SAW filter module according to the imaginary part of the input impedance Zic of the RF-IC 20. The impedance matching circuit composed of one piece of inductance or capacitor, or a plurality of inductors or capacitors in parallel connection, ans formed as a print pattern on a module substrate, in which the real part R saw and the real part Ric are in a relation nearly of 0.8 Ric<R saw<1.2 Ric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Susumu Yoshimoto
  • Patent number: 7688115
    Abstract: A CMOS output driver is provided for driving a capacitive load over a circuit trace in high speed applications. The CMOS output driver comprises a signal input and a signal output. The output driver has a first buffer amplifier with an input connected to the signal input and an output connected to the signal output through a resistor. A second buffer amplifier is also provided, which has an input connected to the signal input and an output connected to the signal output through a capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Jungert
  • Patent number: 7688671
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory chip with an On-Die Termination (ODT) function is disclosed, which comprises a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, a synchronous circuit, an asynchronous circuit, a select signal generator, and a selector. The DLL circuit is configured to produce a local clock signal in response to a clock signal when a clock enable (CKE) signal is asserted. The DLL circuit has a predetermined boost time. The select signal generator is configured to assert a select signal in consideration of the predetermined boost time. The selector is configured to select an output of the asynchronous circuit until the select signal is asserted but to select another output of the synchronous circuit after the select signal is asserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuki Hosoe, Hiroki Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 7683662
    Abstract: A logic gate is described that implements complex logic within a memory array. The logic gate receives at least three of a first storage cell signal, a second storage cell signal, a first external signal, or a second external signal at a first input circuitry and second input circuitry. The logic gate then performs one of a set of logic functions using the first storage cell signal, the second storage cell signal, the first external signal, or the second external signal. The set of logic functions includes at least one of a matching function, an OR-AND function, or an AND function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew James Bianchi, Jose Angel Paredes
  • Patent number: 7683670
    Abstract: Embodiments that decrease power consumption of interconnecting devices in integrated circuits are disclosed. Embodiments reduce power consumption in integrated circuits by generating full and reduced swing signals at an output of a driver module in response to a control signal during and deactivating one or more elements to conserve power after an input signal remains unchanged for a period of time. Another embodiment reduces power consumption in a circuit, the embodiment comprising a swing module coupled with a swing selector and an output controller. The swing module may generate full or low swing signals depending on the state of the swing selector. The output controller may increase the output impedance of the swing module after an input signal to the swing module remains unchanged for a quantity of time. Various apparatus embodiments include portable computing devices and cellular telephones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Zhibin Cheng, Satyajit Dutta, Peter J. Klim
  • Patent number: 7671624
    Abstract: A packaged PLD solution includes a first die having a masked-Read Only Memory (ROM) that is programmed during its fabrication to store configuration data, and includes a second die having a PLD including a number of configurable resources collectively configured to implement a circuit design embodied by the configuration data. The first die is electrically connected to the second die, and both the first die and second die are stacked and encapsulated together to form the packaged PLD solution. The configuration data is programmed into the masked-ROM by a manufacturer of both the masked-ROM and the PLD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: XILINX, Inc.
    Inventor: James A. Walstrum, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7667489
    Abstract: A voltage regulator and method of voltage regulation for a power-on reset condition are described. Voltage regulation control signals responsive to the power-on reset condition are obtained. The control signals are generated with a first voltage to be associated with a second voltage to provide a first power-on-reset signal and a second power-on-reset signal which are opposite in state to one another. A portion of driver logic is tri-stated responsive to the control signals, and the second power-on-reset signal to at least impede supply to supply current leakage. Voltage is pulled up on a first output port and a second output port of the driver logic responsive to the first power-on-reset signal. A portion of a semiconductor substrate is electrically coupled to a higher one of a first voltage and a second voltage responsive to the pulling up to at least further impede the supply to supply current leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventor: Narasimhan Vasudevan
  • Patent number: 7667546
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) receiver includes at least one LVDS input buffer, a clock generating unit, and a bias circuit. The clock generating unit includes a voltage controlled oscillator for generating a clock signal tracking a frequency of data received via the at least one LVDS input buffer based on a control voltage. The bias circuit controls current sources that supply current to at least one differential amplifier in the at least one LVDS input buffer based on the control voltage of the clock signal generating unit. Therefore, the LVDS receiver can save current consumed in LVDS input buffers by controlling the amount of current supplied to the at least one differential amplifier included in the at least one LVDS input buffers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dae-Gyu Kim
  • Patent number: 7663442
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system, apparatus, and method for receiving high-speed signals using a receiver with a transconductance amplifier is presented. The apparatus comprises a transconductance amplifier to receive input voltage derived from an input signal, a clocked current comparator to receive output current from the transconductance amplifier, and a storage element to receive a binary value from the clocked current comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Zuoguo Wu, Feng Chen
  • Patent number: 7663399
    Abstract: An output driver for use in a semiconductor memory device includes a pull-up metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor for pulling-up a voltage loaded on an output node in response to a pull-up control signal; a pull-up linear element connected between the pull-up MOS transistor and the output node for increasing a linearity of an output current; a pull-down MOS transistor for pulling-down the voltage loaded on the output node in response to a pull-down control signal; and a pull-down linear element connected between the pull-down MOS transistor and the output node for increasing the linearity of the output current, wherein the pull-up MOS transistor and the pull-up linear element are different typed MOS transistors and the pull-down MOS transistor and the pull-down linear element are different typed MOS transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Kwang-Myoung Rho
  • Patent number: 7663408
    Abstract: A dynamic circuit latch, having the functionality of a domino circuit and a transparent latch, without the delay associated with the inclusion of a separate series latch element. Embodiments include a fast scannable footed Domino dyanmic latch. Also described is a fast scannable delay reset Domino dynamic latch. A fast scannable compound Domino dynamic latch is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Paul Masleid, Jose Sousa, Venkata Kottapalli