Abstract: Semiconductor dies are stacked offset from one another so that terminals located along two edges of each die are exposed. The two edges of the dies having terminals may be oriented in the same direction. Electrical connections may connect terminals on one die with terminals on another die, and the stack may be disposed on a wiring substrate to which the terminals of the dies may be electrically connected.

Abstract: A fault detection and protection circuit can include a comparing circuit (e.g., a comparator or a detector) that can be connected to a power line supplying power to an electronic device being tested. The comparing circuit can be configured to detect a fault in which the power line is shorted to ground. For example, the electronic device being tested may have a fault in which its power terminals are shorted to ground. Upon detection of such a fault, the comparing circuit activates one or more switches that shunt capacitors or other energy storage devices on the power line to ground. The comparing circuit may alternatively or in addition activate one or more switches that disconnect the power supply supplying power to the electronic device under test from probes contacting the electronic device.

Abstract: A fault detection and protection circuit can include a comparing circuit (e.g., a comparator or a detector) that can be connected to a power line supplying power to an electronic device being tested. The comparing circuit can be configured to detect a fault in which the power line is shorted to ground. For example, the electronic device being tested may have a fault in which its power terminals are shorted to ground. Upon detection of such a fault, the comparing circuit activates one or more switches that shunt capacitors or other energy storage devices on the power line to ground. The comparing circuit may alternatively or in addition activate one or more switches that disconnect the power supply supplying power to the electronic device under test from probes contacting the electronic device.

Abstract: MOS integrated circuit fabrication processes may be optimized for yield rather than for hot carrier lifetime by compensating for oversize MOS channel lengths with increased V.sub.cc power supply voltage, and by compensating for undersized MOS device channel lengths with decreased V.sub.cc. Where channel lengths are greater than necessary, V.sub.cc is increased to increase switching times, while still operating the integrated circuit in a regime ensuring at least a minimum hot carrier lifetime. A test MOS device is fabricated on the integrated circuit substrate and in a test mode the test device substrate current I.sub.bb is measured. The measured I.sub.bb is then correlated with known I.sub.bb data to ascertain whether the channel length and DC hot carrier lifetime are acceptable, both for the test device and all MOS devices in the integrated circuit. The measured I.sub.bb value may be used with a look-up table to manually adjust the V.sub.

Abstract: A speed-up circuit, which may be used to speed up the sensing of a bit-sense line of an MOS RAM, includes a crosscoupled latch circuit having an output suitable for coupling to an output circuit for the RAM. A plurality of bit-sense lines of the RAM storage array are coupled to load circuitry for one side of the latch circuit. When partial discharging of a bit-sense line by a selected memory cell occurs, the latch circuit switches state and provides feedback internal to the latch circuit and other feedback external to the latch circuit to aid the selected memory storage cell in discharging a bit-sense line much more rapidly than could have been achieved by the action of the selected storage cell alone, and also assures complete discharging of the bit-sense line, which avoids destroying stored data in the selected memory cell during a refresh cycle. The external feedback is coupled to discharge devices connected to the various bit-sense lines serving various sections of the memory array.