Abstract: A self biased differential amplifier has a switching point accurately set according to a reference voltage. DC hysteresis is provided, by a circuit internal to the differential amplifier. The amplifier has an input circuit having first and second series connected transistors, wherein the beta ratio of these first and second transistors is changed by enabling an additional transistor of a hysteresis circuit according to an output state of the differential amplifier. When the output state is "high", the switching point is decreased in order that temporary small drops (due to noise or glitches) in the input signal are ignored. Conversely, when the output state is "low", the switching point is increased in order that temporary small increases in the input signal are ignored.

Abstract: A novel precharge circuit is provided for dynamic CMOS logic circuits which are immune to leakage currents and reduce overall power consumption. The circuit comprises a precharge transistor for precharging a node to a high voltage level indicting a first logic state during a standby mode. Thereafter, during an active mode, the node may or may not be discharged by connected logic circuitry. If the node is discharged, then an additional transistor is provided to inhibit the precharging of the already charged node during a subsequent standby mode. Similarly, if the node is not discharged, a small keeper transistor is provided to keep the node at a fully precharged level.

Abstract: A self-timed tri-state driver circuit for a dual-rail differential input and single-ended output is disclosed. The circuit generates a tri-state mode in response to an Output Enable (OE) input pulsing low. The OE signal input is driven high to place the driver circuit into a ready state. The circuit is maintained in a tri-state mode until data appears at the inputs. Once a data signal is received after the tri-state circuit is in the ready state, the output immediately outputs this signal. Therefore, the output of the driver is self-timed from the arrival of the data.

Abstract: A logic system including a first logic block for providing first differential outputs; a second logic block, identical to the first logic block, for providing second differential outputs; a fault detecting device, coupled to the first logic block, for detecting a fault in the first differential outputs; and a selecting device, coupled to the first and second logic blocks and to the fault detecting device, for selecting an output of one of the first and second logic blocks depending on whether the fault detecting device detects a fault.

Abstract: A system for testing a differential logic network is provided which includes a differential exclusive OR circuit having a plurality of inputs for receiving complementary signals from the differential logic network and first and second output terminals and means, e.g., a conventional exclusive OR circuit, for determining the voltage difference between the first and second output terminals to indicate the presence or absence of a fault or error in the differential logic network under test.

Abstract: A methodology is provided for reducing an arbitrary Boolean logic expression to static CMOS circuits by the use of a general matrix of P channel devices and N channel devices which are interconnected in accordance with the terms of Boolean logic expressions derived from a truth table. More specifically, from a Boolean expression a sum-of-products expression giving the 1 binary data outputs of a truth table having a 0 input is found. This is accomplished by complementing, or barring, the literals which are a binary 1 when the output is 1 and leaving true or unbarred the literals that are a binary 0. Then each input of a given product term is applied to the control gate of a P channel device, which devices are connected in series with one end tied to a source of potential and the other end of the series circuit connected to an output terminal. Each product term is arranged in parallel with other P channel device series circuits to form one half of a complete logic matrix.

Abstract: A differential logic system is provided for a complete logic family which has a first switching circuit that produces a given output signal at a first output node and a second switching circuit that produces a second output signal which is the complement of that of the given output signal at a second output node. First and second clocked devices are connected from the first and second output nodes, respectively, to a voltage source, and first and second inverters are connected to the first and second output nodes, respectively. Additionally, a regenerative circuit may be connected between the first and second output nodes and the voltage source.

Abstract: A dense memory is provided which includes a one device random access memory cell using charge fill and spill techniques wherein a potential well under a storage node is filled with charge and the excess charge above a predetermined level is spilled to a diffusion or drain region connected to a sense line through a channel region controlled by pulses on a word line. One bit or two or more bits of information may be stored in the potential well at any given instant of time. Depending upon the value of the increment of voltage applied to the storage node or electrode, a given analog charge packet is stored in a potential well formed under the storage electrode. Information is read by applying a voltage to the word line to turn on the channel region and then stepping down the voltage on the storage electrode in fractional, preferably one half, increments. Charge from a charge packet spilled from the potential well under the storage electrode is detected by a sensing circuit connected to the sense line.

Abstract: The invention is the structure and process for making a bucket brigade device which comprises the merger of an MOS capacitor with an MOSFET device to form the charge transfer cell. A first thin N-type region is implanted at a first concentration in a portion of the P-type channel region of an FET device adjacent to the drain diffusion. A second region is implanted with N-type dopant at a second concentration less than the first concentration, adjacent to and continuous with the first implanted region. The N-type concentration in the second region is just sufficient to compensate for the P-type background doping in the channel region. This structure increases the charge transfer efficiency for the cell and reduces its sensitivity of the threshold voltage to the source-drain voltage. The gate for the device has a substantial overlap over the drain and a minimal overlap over the source and the gate to drain capacitance per unit area is maximized by maintaining a uniformly thin oxide layer across the gate region.

Abstract: A calibrated sensing system is provided in accordance with the teachings of this invention for sensing charge in a storage medium, such as a storage capacitor, coupled to an access or bit/sense line which compensates for most sources of variability in the storage medium and in the access line. In the system, the unknown charge stored in the storage medium is transferred to a first capacitor or potential well via the access line. A high charge state of the storage medium is written into the storage medium and known fractional packets of charge are prepared therefrom, transferred selectively to a second capacitor or potential well and compared with the unknown charge in the first potential to determine the relative level of the unknown charge that was stored in the storage medium. By selectively using two or more fractional packets of charge multilevel sensing is performed.

Abstract: An SPS CCD memory system is provided wherein a single tap, preferably a storage node, on an input serial or shift register is connected to the input of a plurality of parallel shift registers through a fan out circuit and the output of the plurality of parallel shift registers is connected to a single tap, preferably a storage node, on an output serial or shift register through a fan in circuit.

Abstract: A method of making a transistor array includes forming a plurality of gate electrodes insulated from a semiconductor substrate having an impurity of a given conductivity, introducing a first impurity having a conductivity opposite to that of the given conductivity into a given region of the substrate which is adjacent to an edge of each of the gate electrodes, introducing a second impurity having the given conductivity into given regions adjacent to selected gate electrodes, the second impurity having a significantly higher diffusivity than that of the first impurity in the semiconductor substrate, and driving the second impurity along the surface of the semiconductor substrate to form in the substrate under each of the selected gate electrodes a region having a concentration of impurity of the given conductivity higher than that of the semiconductor substrate. The transistor array may be used, e.g.

Abstract: A voltage-to-charge transducer utilizing a capacitor circuit is provided to generate whole or fractional charge packets at spaced apart locations in a semi-conductor substrate. Each of a pair of conductive lines connected to opposite sides of the capacitor circuit is selectively precharged to a predetermined voltage value by means of one of a pair of charge transfer devices coupled to the input of first and second charge coupled device (CCD) storage systems. Means are also provided for applying voltages of first and second magnitudes to each of the pair of conductive lines. By precharging one of the pair of conductive lines to the predetermined voltage value and by altering the voltage on the other of the pair of conductive lines from the first magnitude to the second magnitude, a first charge packet is formed in a well of the first CCD storage system.

Abstract: Storage systems are provided with memory cells made of devices having different voltage thresholds for storing information permanently or semipermanently. The devices are arranged adjacent to each other and communicating with a diffusion region in a semiconductor substrate. Information is sensed by detecting the charge transferred from a selected cell to the diffusion region. In an embodiment of the invention, a P-type substrate has an N+ diffusion region formed therein with a plurality of adjacent and parallelly arranged word lines insulated from the substrate and disposed adjacent to the N+ diffusion region. A P+ region, preferably implanted into the substrate, is disposed under selected segments of the word lines to provide devices having a first or high threshold voltage magnitude. The remaining devices which are not associated with a P-30 region have a second or low threshold voltage magnitude.

Abstract: A bucket brigade circuit is described for generating a sequence of packets of charge carriers of the form Q.sub.R /2, Q.sub.R /4, Q.sub.R /8....Q.sub.R /2.sup.N where N is an integer. The charge packets thus generated can be employed in combinations in either digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters. The charge generation circuit requires two equal capacitors which are used for charge redistribution. To obtain accurate quantities of charge in the generated charge packets the capacitors employed should be large, however the use of large capacitors results in low operating speed because of the large charge transfer time constants involved. The described circuit provides a scheme to reduce charge transfer time constants and therefore obtain greater speed while still permitting the use of large capacitors for high accuracy.

Abstract: Analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converter circuits are provided using charge redistribution. The analog-to-digital converter circuit also employs successive approximation binary search techniques wherein the number of search voltages generated is a minimum. The analog-to-digital circuit includes a digital-to-analog converter circuit, a comparator circuit and a logic control means. The digital-to-analog circuit, under control of the logic means, accepts a reference voltage input and produces a sequence of search voltages which are compared with an unknown analog input voltage at the comparator. The resultant outputs from the comparator are applied to the control logic to determine the search voltage sequence. The digital-to-analog converter for the aforesaid circuit is provided in one embodiment employing charge-coupled-device technology.