Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit configured completely inside one of a power pad and an I/O pad of an electronic circuit, the ESD protection circuit comprising an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit that, when activated, discharges an ESD from a first voltage bus to a second voltage bus. The second voltage bus is at a lower electrical potential than the first voltage bus. An ESD discharge control circuit in electrical connection with the ESD discharge circuit that controls the activation of the ESD discharge circuit and including an NMOS transistor and an electrical node. The NMOS transistor regulating a rate of voltage decay of the electrical node from a predetermined high voltage level to a lower voltage level, the regulation of the rate of voltage decay of the electrical node is non-linear. The activation of the ESD discharge circuit determined by the rate of voltage decay of the electrical node.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting the loss of an input clock signal for a phase-locked loop (PLL). The apparatus includes a time delay circuit, a first frequency divider and a digital logic circuit. The time delay circuit receives the input clock signal and outputs a first time-delayed clock signal. The first frequency divider receives an input signal from an internal clock of the PLL and outputs a clock signal having the same frequency or a lower frequency than that of the time-delayed clock signal. The digital logic circuit that receives the first frequency divider output signal and the first time-delayed clock signal and outputs a signal indicating the loss of the input clock signal if there is no first time-delayed clock signal for a cycle of the first frequency divider output signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of establishing a hard disk physical partition. First of all, it selects a sector in which the head of the hard disk physical partition is located, and establishes a user available partition of the hard disk within the range of the hard disk physical volume from the sector, the other portion of the hard disk becomes a protected partition of the hard disk, finally constitutes one hard disk physical partition. After entering into the hard disk physical partition, only the user available partition can be accessed, the protected partition is invisible to the user. It can establish the different hard disk physical partition in the different position of the hard disk through selecting the sector where the head of the hard disk is located.

Abstract: An image sensor integrated circuit with a pixel cell having photogates wherein each photogate has a number of gaps which allow light to penetrate to the substrate. The gaps are open in the direction of the floating diffusion, in order to minimize the trapping of charges. In a preferred embodiment, the floating gate has a comb structure, with the tines of the comb extending toward the floating gate. Preferably, the tines or fingers are wider than the gaps. In a preferred embodiment, the gaps are no wider than 3 microns.