Abstract: The present invention relates to a multiplexer comprising at least a first input and a second input and one output connected to the first input via a first pass gate and to the second input via a second pass gate, wherein the first pass gate comprises at least a first double-gate transistor, and the second pass gate comprises at least a second double-gate transistor, and each of the first and second double-gate transistors has a first gate controlled based on a first control signal and a second gate controlled based on a second control signal. The invention further relates to a look-up table and a and an FPGA based on the multiplexer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a look-up table comprising a plurality of register signals (r0-r3); a plurality of inputs signals (A, A?, B, B?); and at least one output signal (Y); and a plurality of pass gates, wherein at least a first pass gate of the plurality of pass gates is controlled by at least a first input signal of the plurality of input signals, and by at least a first register signal, of the plurality of register signals, such that the register signal has priority over the input signal on the operation of the first pass gate.

Abstract: a circuit for sensing a difference in voltage on a pair of dual signal lines comprising a first signal line and a second signal line complementary to the first signal line, comprising: a pair of cross-coupled inverters arranged between the first and the second signal lines, each inverter having a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor, the sources of the pull-up transistors or of the pull-down transistors being respectively connected to a first and a second pull voltage signals, decode transistor having source and drain terminals respectively coupled to one of the first and second signal lines and a gate controlled by a decoding control signal, whereby when the decode transistor is turned on by the decoding control signal, a short circuit is established between the first and the second signal lines through which current flows from one of the first and second pull voltage signals, thereby generating a disturb in between the first and the second pull voltage signals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tristate gate (1000, 2000) comprising an output port (1400) and at least two transistors (1200, 1300; 2200, 2300), each having at least a first and a second gate, configured such that a high-impedance value (Z) on the output port is set by controlling the threshold voltage of at least one of the transistors.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sense amplifier for sensing and amplifying data stored in a memory cell, the sense amplifier being connected between a bit line (BL) and a reference bit line complementary (/BL) to the first bit line and comprising: a sense circuit (SC) capable of providing an output indicative of the data stored in the memory cell; and a precharge and decode circuit (PDC) comprising a pair of dual gate transistors (T5, T6) for precharging the first and second bit lines during a precharge operation and for transferring the output provided by the sense circuit to a data line (LIO,/LIO) during a read operation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a a circuit including a transistor of a first type of channel in series with a transistor of a second type of channel between first and second terminals for applying a power supply potential, each of the transistors being a multiple gate transistor having at least a first (G1P, G1N) and a second (G2P, G2N) independent control gates, characterized in that at least one of the transistors is configured for operating in a depletion mode under the action of a second gate signal applied to its second control gate (G2p, G2N).

Abstract: The invention relates to a flash memory cell having a FET transistor with a floating gate on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate composed of a thin film of semiconductor material separated from a base substrate by an insulating buried oxide (BOX) layer, The transistor has in the thin film, a channel, with two control gates, a front control gate located above the floating gate and separated from it by an inter-gate dielectric, and a back control gate located within the base substrate directly under the insulating (BOX) layer and separated from the channel by only the insulating (BOX) layer. The two control gates are designed to be used in combination to perform a cell programming operation. The invention also relates to a memory array made up of a plurality of memory cells according to the first aspect of the invention, which can be in an array of rows and columns, and a method of fabricating such memory cells and memory arrays.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for providing a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) stack that includes a substrate layer, a first oxide layer on the substrate layer and a silicon layer on the first oxide layer (BOX layer). The method includes providing at least one first region of the SOI stack wherein the silicon layer is thinned by thermally oxidizing a part of the silicon layer and providing at least one second region of the SOI stack wherein the first oxide layer (BOX layer) is thinned by annealing.

Abstract: A circuit made on a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate. The circuit includes a first transistor having a first channel, a second transistor having a second channel, with the transistors provided in serial association between first and second terminals for applying a power supply potential, each of the transistors comprising a drain region and a source region in the thin layer, a channel extending between the source region and the drain region, and a front control gate located above the channel. Each transistor has a back control gate formed in the base substrate below the channel of the transistor and capable of being biased in order to modulate the threshold voltage of the transistor. At least one of the transistors is configured for operating in a depletion mode under the action of a back gate signal which will sufficiently modulate its threshold voltage.

Abstract: A sense amplifier for a series of cells of a memory, including a writing stage comprising a CMOS inverter, the input of which is directly or indirectly connected to an input terminal of the sense amplifier, and the output of which is connected to an output terminal of the sense amplifier intended to be connected to a local bitline addressing the cells of the series, and a reading stage that includes a sense transistor, the gate of which is connected to the output of the inverter and the drain of which is connected to the input of the inverter.

Abstract: An SRAM-type memory cell that includes a semiconductor on insulator substrate having a thin film of semiconductor material separated from a base substrate by an insulating layer; and six transistors such as two access transistors, two conduction transistors and two charge transistors arranged so as to form with the conduction transistors two back-coupled inverters. Each of the transistors has a back control gate formed in the base substrate below the channel and able to be biased in order to modulate the threshold voltage of the transistor, with a first back gate line connecting the back control gates of the access transistors to a first potential and a second back gate line connecting the back control gates of the conduction transistors and charge transistors to a second potential. The first and second potentials can be modulated according to the type of cell control operation.

Abstract: This invention provides a semiconductor device structure formed on a conventional semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate defined by a pattern defining at least one field-effect transistor having: in the thin film of the SeOI substrate, a source region, a drain region, a channel region, and a front control gate region formed above the channel region; and in the base substrate beneath the buried oxide of the SeOI substrate, a back control gate region, arranged under the channel region and configured to shift the threshold voltage of the transistor in response to bias voltages. This invention also provides patterns defining standard-cell-type circuit structures and data-path-cell type circuit structures that include arrays of the FET patterns provided by this invention. Such circuit structures also include back gate lines connecting the back gate control regions. This invention also provides methods of operating and designing such semiconductor device structures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that has a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) structure, which includes a substrate, an insulating layer such as an oxide layer on the substrate and a semiconductor layer on the insulating layer with a field-effect-transistor (FET) formed in the SeOI structure from the substrate and deposited layers, wherein the FET has a channel region in the substrate, a gate dielectric layer that is made from at least a part of the oxide layer of the SeOI structure; and a gate electrode that is formed at least partially from a part of the semiconductor layer of the SeOI structure. The invention further relates to a method of forming one or more field-effect-transistors or metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors from a semiconductor-on-insulator structure that involves patterning and etching the SeOI structure, forming shallow trench isolations, depositing insulating, metal or semiconductor layers, and removing mask and/or pattern layers.

Abstract: The invention provides a data-path cell specifically adapted to its environment for use in an integrated circuit produced on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate. The data-path cell includes an array of field-effect transistors, each transistor having a source region, a drain region and a channel region formed in the thin semiconductor layer of the SeOI substrate, and further having a front gate control region formed above the channel region. In particular, one or more transistors of the data-path cell further includes a back gate control region formed in the bulk substrate beneath the channel region and configured so as to modify the performance characteristics of the transistor in dependence on its state of bias. Also, an integrated circuit including one or more of the data-path cells and methods for designing or driving these data-path cells.

Abstract: This invention provides a semiconductor device structure formed on a conventional semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate and including an array of patterns, each pattern being formed by at least one field-effect transistor, each FET transistor having, in the thin film, a source region, a drain region, a channel region, and a front control gate region formed above the channel region. The provided device further includes at least one FET transistor having a pattern including a back control gate region formed in the base substrate beneath the channel region, the back gate region being capable of being biased in order to shift the threshold voltage of the transistor to simulate a modification in the channel width of the transistor or to force the transistor to remain off or on whatever the voltage applied on its front control gate. This invention also provides methods of operating such semiconductor device structures.

Abstract: A sense amplifier for a series of cells of a memory, including a writing stage comprising a CMOS inverter, the input of which is directly or indirectly connected to an input terminal of the sense amplifier, and the output of which is connected to an output terminal of the sense amplifier intended to be connected to a local bitline addressing the cells of the series, and a reading stage that includes a sense transistor, the gate of which is connected to the output of the inverter and the drain of which is connected to the input of the inverter.

Abstract: The invention provides a content-addressable memory cell formed by two transistors that are configured so that one of the transistors is for storing a data bit and the other for is storing the complement of the data bit. Each transistor has a back control gate that can be controlled to block the associated transistor. The device also includes a comparison circuit that is configured to operate the first and second transistors in read mode while controlling the back control gate of each of the transistors so as to block the passing transistor if a proposed bit and the stored bit correspond. Then, the presence or absence of current on a source line linked to the source of each of the transistors indicates whether the proposed bit and the stored bit are identical or not. The invention also provides methods for operating the content-addressable memory cells of this invention, as well as content-addressable memories having a plurality of the content-addressable memory cells of this invention.

Abstract: A thermally-assisted MRAM structure which is programmable at a writing mode operating temperature is presented and includes an anti-ferromagnet, an artificial anti-ferromagnet, a barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer. The anti-ferromagnet is composed of a material having a blocking temperature Tb which is lower than the writing mode operating temperature of the magnetic random access memory structure. The artificial anti-ferromagnet is magnetically coupled to the anti-ferromagnet, and includes first and second magnetic layers, and a coupling layer interposed therebetween, the first and second magnetic layers having different Curie point temperatures. The barrier layer is positioned to be between the second magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer.

Abstract: The invention provides various embodiments of a memory cell formed on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate and comprising one or more FET transistors. Each FET transistor has a source region and a drain region at least portions of which are arranged in the thin layer of the SeOI substrate, a channel region in which a trench is made, and a gate region formed in the trench. Specifically, the source, drain and channel regions also have portions which are arranged also beneath the insulating layer of the SeOI substrate; the portion of channel region beneath the insulating layer extends between the portions of the source and drain regions also beneath the insulating layer; and the trench in the channel region extends into the depth of the base substrate beyond the insulating layer. Also, methods for fabricating such memory cells and memory arrays including a plurality of such memory cells.

Abstract: The invention relates to a memory cell having an FET transistor with a source, a drain and a floating body between the source and the drain, and an injector that can be controlled to inject a charge into the floating body of the FET transistor. The injector includes a bipolar transistor having an emitter, a base and a collector formed by the body of the FET transistor. Specifically, in the memory cell, the emitter of the bipolar transistor is arranged so that the source of the FET transistor serves as the base for the bipolar transistor. The invention also includes a memory array comprising a plurality of memory cells according to the first aspect of the invention, and to methods of controlling such memory cells.