Patents Examined by Tuan T. Lam
  • Patent number: 11955976
    Abstract: A quadrant alternate switching phase interpolator includes first and second multiplexer circuits, a phase interpolator circuitry, and a controller circuitry. The first multiplexer circuit outputs one of first and second clock signals to be a first signal in response to first and third bits in a quadrant control code. The second multiplexer circuit outputs one of third and fourth clock signals to be a second signal in response to second and fourth bits in the quadrant control code, and the first, the third, the second, and fourth clock signals are sequentially different in phase by 90 degrees. The phase interpolator circuitry generates an output clock signal in response to the first and the second signals and phase control bits. The controller circuitry performs a bit-shift operation on the phase control bits to adjust a phase of the output clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: REALTEK SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yao-Chia Liu, Yuan-Sheng Lee
  • Patent number: 11948776
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus adapted to reduce non-uniformity of plasma distribution in a process chamber and to adjust the plasma distribution to “centrally high density”, “circumferentially high density”, or “uniform density” in accordance with a desired etching process, a process chamber; a radio frequency power source; a rectangular waveguide; and a circular waveguide connected to the rectangular waveguide, in which the rectangular waveguide includes an upper rectangular waveguide and a lower rectangular waveguide formed by vertically dividing the rectangular waveguide; and a cutoff section which cuts off the microwave frequency power and which has a dielectric body. The circular waveguide includes an inner waveguide connected to the upper rectangular waveguide and formed inside; and an outer waveguide connected to the lower rectangular waveguide and formed on an outer side of the inner waveguide. The cutoff section has a width narrower than those of the rectangular waveguides except the cutoff section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chen Pin Hsu, Hitoshi Tamura
  • Patent number: 11942170
    Abstract: An object is to provide a pulse signal output circuit capable of operating stably and a shift register including the pulse signal output circuit. A pulse signal output circuit according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention includes first to tenth transistors. The ratio W/L of the channel width W to the channel length L of the first transistor and W/L of the third transistor are each larger than W/L of the sixth transistor. W/L of the fifth transistor is larger than W/L of the sixth transistor. W/L of the fifth transistor is equal to W/L of the seventh transistor. W/L of the third transistor is larger than W/L of the fourth transistor. With such a structure, a pulse signal output circuit capable of operating stably and a shift register including the pulse signal output circuit can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiko Amano, Kouhei Toyotaka, Hiroyuki Miyake, Aya Miyazaki, Hideaki Shishido, Koji Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 11935899
    Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of stable operation with low power consumption is provided. A logic circuit having a circuit configuration using a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region is included. The logic circuit is a two-input/two-output two-wire logic circuit. Transistors included in the logic circuit each include a gate and a back gate. An input terminal is electrically connected to one of a gate and a back gate of a transistor electrically connected to a wiring for supplying a high power supply potential. An output terminal is connected to the other of the gate and the back gate of the transistor electrically connected to the wiring for supplying a high power supply potential. An output terminal is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of a transistor electrically connected to a wiring for supplying a low power supply potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiko Ishizu, Seiichi Yoneda
  • Patent number: 11936383
    Abstract: An electronic circuit, integrated circuit, and method for a bias-less Miller clamp protection circuit, electrically coupled to an output of a driver circuit and to an input gate of a semiconductor switch device, for dynamically protecting the semiconductor switch device from turning from an off state to an on state in response to a parasitic Miller turn-on signal at the gate, regardless of the bias-less Miller clamp protection circuit having, or lacking, a power supply that provides electrical power to the bias-less Miller clamp protection circuit. The semiconductor switch device can include one or more GaN switch devices. The bias-less Miller clamp protection circuit does not consume any current during normal operation of the electronic circuit and also does not cause any interference to the normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Tagore Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Manish Shah, Procheta Chatterjee, Syed Asif Eqbal
  • Patent number: 11929129
    Abstract: In one implementation, a circuit includes: a comparator; a shift register chain coupled to the comparator; and one or more converters coupled to respective shift registers of the shift register chain, wherein the one or more converters are configured to convert a source of current from a first voltage to a second voltage, and wherein the circuit is configured to selectively transmit an output signal to the one or more converters. In one implementation, the circuit is configured to selectively control modulation for the one or more converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Arm Limited
    Inventor: David Victor Pietromonaco
  • Patent number: 11927635
    Abstract: A charge pump test configuration and corresponding method of operation are disclosed for determining charge pump efficiency without needing to obtain direct current measurements. A first number of clock edges (CEs) of a clock signal supplied to a first charge pump is determined over a period of time for a predetermined output current. The first charge pump is then connected with a charge pump under test (PUT) in a cascaded manner such that an output current of the first charge pump is supplied to the PUT as an input current. A second number of CEs of a clock signal supplied to the first charge pump is determined over the same period of time for the same predetermined output current from the PUT. The efficiency of the PUT can then be determined as the ratio of the first number of CEs to the second number of CEs, or vice versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Keyur Payak, Naveen Thomas
  • Patent number: 11923835
    Abstract: A driving module including a voltage mode driver and a current mode driver is provided. The voltage mode driver converts a positive input signal to a positive output signal at a positive output terminal, and converts a negative input signal to a negative output signal at a negative output terminal. The current mode driver includes a first current source, a second current source, and a third current source. The first current source provides a first current to one of the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal. The second current source provides a second current to one of the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal. The third current source provides a third current to one of the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: KEY ASIC INC.
    Inventor: Shahbaz Abbasi
  • Patent number: 11923849
    Abstract: A frequency divider is provided that includes a plurality of latches for dividing an input clock according to an integer frequency divisor N of three or greater. Each latch is coupled to a corresponding pair of logic gates. For each latch, one of the logic gates in the corresponding pair controls a setting of the latch whereas a remaining one of the logic gates in the corresponding pair controls a resetting of the latch. Each latch outputs a pair of overlapping clock signals that are divided in frequency with respect to the input clock and have a 50% duty cycle. Each logic gate processes a pair of the overlapping clock signal and the input clock signal to provide a non-overlapping clock signal of the same frequency of the overlapping clock signals but have a (50/N) % duty cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Nagarjuna Nallam
  • Patent number: 11923850
    Abstract: A motor control system includes a DC motor and a ripple count circuit. The DC motor includes a rotor that rotates in response to a drive current. The rotation of the rotor generates a mechanical force that drives a component. The ripple count circuit includes an active filter circuit and a parasitic pulse cancellation circuit. The active filter circuit is configured to filter the drive current and to generate a pulsed signal. The parasitic pulse cancelation circuit is in signal communication with the ripple count circuit to receive the pulsed signal and generates a ripple count signal that excludes parasitic pulses included in the pulsed signal having a parasitic voltage level that exceeds a voltage level of a voltage threshold. The parasitic pulse cancelation circuit actively adjusts the voltage level of the voltage threshold based at least in part on a rotational direction of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventor: François Breynaert
  • Patent number: 11923855
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an input pad and a Schmitt trigger coupled to the input pad. The Schmitt trigger includes a first inverter and a second inverter. The Schmitt trigger includes a pull-up transistor coupled to an input of the second inverter and configure to supply a high reference voltage to the input of the second inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Saiyid Mohammad Irshad Rizvi
  • Patent number: 11923856
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for time-to-digital conversion. An example apparatus includes a first input; a second input; a delay line coupled to the first input and comprising a plurality of first delay elements coupled in series, each of the plurality of first delay elements having a first delay time; a second delay element having an input coupled to the second input and having the first delay time; a third delay element having an input coupled to the second input and having a second delay time, the second delay time being smaller than the first delay time; a first set of arbiters having first inputs coupled to the delay line and having second inputs coupled to an output of the second delay element; and a second set of arbiters having first inputs coupled to the delay line and having second inputs coupled to an output of the third delay element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Bob W. Verbruggen, Christophe Erdmann
  • Patent number: 11916554
    Abstract: Examples may include techniques for using a sample clock to measure a duty cycle by periodic sampling a target clock signal based on a prime number ratio of a reference clock frequency. The reference clock frequency used to set a measurement cycle time over which the duty cycle is to be measured. A magnitude of a duty cycle error as compared to a programmable target duty cycle is determined based on the measured duty cycle and the duty cycle is adjusted based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the duty cycle error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher P. Mozak, Ralph S. Li, Chin Wah Lim, Mahmoud Elassal, Anant Balakrishnan, Isaac Ali
  • Patent number: 11916547
    Abstract: A semiconductor relay device includes a conversion circuit configured to receive an input signal from outside and pass a first current to a first node based on the input signal. A zener diode has an anode coupled to a second node and a cathode coupled to the first node. A resistor is coupled between the second node and a third node. A number n of diodes are serially coupled. A thyristor has an anode coupled to the first node, a cathode coupled to the second node, and a control terminal coupled to the third node. A transistor has a gate coupled to the first node. An anode of a diode at a first end of the n diodes is coupled to the first node, and a cathode of a diode at a second end of the n diodes is coupled to a third node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventors: Naoya Takai, Yukihiro Takifuji, Keita Saito, Kazuki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11908417
    Abstract: A gate driving circuit including a controller for providing a first carry signal to a control node, a first pull-up portion for outputting a first clock signal as a first gate signal in accordance with a signal provided to the control node, and a second pull-up portion for outputting a second clock signal with a phase that is different from the first clock signal as a second gate signal in accordance with the signal provided to the control node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kang Nam Kim, You Mee Hyun, Beom Jun Kim, Jong Hwan Lee, Sung Hoon Lim, Duc Han Cho
  • Patent number: 11909402
    Abstract: Devices and methods are described herein for a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) driver. In one embodiment, the PAM driver includes a first high-speed buffer configured to output a first voltage, a second high-speed buffer configured to output a second voltage, and a plurality of transistors coupled to the first high-speed buffer and the second high-speed buffer. At least one of the first voltage or the second voltage facilitates selective operation of a transistor of the plurality of transistors to output a third voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul Ranucci, Alan Roth
  • Patent number: 11904756
    Abstract: A method for controlling a headlamp of a motor vehicle, the headlamp comprising a plurality of light sources. A projection symbol to be projected by the headlamp and a position and a size of the projection symbol are determined. A respective first luminous intensity for the light sources for the projection of the projection symbol at the position with the size and a first indicator, which contains an indication of how greatly the individual first luminous intensities differ from one another are determined. The position and/or the size of the projection symbol is changed. A respective second luminous intensity for the light sources for the projection of the projection symbol at the changed position and/or with the changed size and a second indicator, which contains an indication of how greatly the individual second luminous intensities differ from one another are determined. The projection symbol subsequently projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Christian Huester, Boris Kubitza, Martin Pluempe, Udo Venker, Carsten Wilks
  • Patent number: 11909401
    Abstract: An input driven self-clocked dynamic comparator, and associated systems and methods are described herein. In one embodiment, self-clocked dynamic comparator, includes a latch configured to receive an input voltage (VIN), a reference voltage (VREF) and a clocking (CLKsf) signal, and configured to output a first rail-to-rail output (OUT+) signal and a second rail-to-rail output (OUT?) signal. The self-clocked dynamic comparator also includes a pre-amplifier (PRE-AMP) configured to output an enable (TRI) signal based on a comparison between the VIN and an adjusted VREF. The self-clocked dynamic comparator further includes a pre-amplifier (PRE-AMP) configured to output an enable (TRI) signal based on a comparison between the VIN and an adjusted VREF, and a logic gate configured to receive the TRI signal and one of the OUT+ signal and OUT? signal, and configured to output the CLKsf signal. The cycles of the CLKsf signal cause the latch to dissipate energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Samrat Dey, Thomas Lewellen, Jacques Christophe Rudell
  • Patent number: 11901900
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an input pad and a Schmitt trigger coupled to the input pad. The Schmitt trigger includes a main PMOS branch that charges an intermediate node of the Schmitt trigger responsive to voltage transitions at the input node. The Schmitt trigger includes a charging assistance circuit that helps to rapidly charge the intermediate node of the Schmitt trigger. The charging assistance circuit includes a parallel PMOS branch in parallel with the main PMOS branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Kailash Kumar, Manoj Kumar
  • Patent number: 11894849
    Abstract: The present invention provides a Schmitt trigger circuit in which chattering does not occur in the output of the Schmitt trigger circuit even when it is connected to a communication bus without impedance matching and reflected noise is superimposed on the input signal. The Schmitt trigger circuit includes: a first signal detection circuit; a second signal detection circuit; a latch circuit; a selection signal generation circuit; a first input port; and a first output port. The first signal detection circuit is connected to the first input port, the latch circuit and the selection signal generation circuit. The second signal detection circuit is connected to the first input port, the latch circuit and the selection signal generation circuit. The latch circuit is connected to the selection signal generation circuit and the output port. The selection signal generation circuit includes a delay circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: ABLIC Inc.
    Inventors: Junichi Kanno, Yasushi Imai