Abstract:
A code word includes a first group of data bits and includes code bits that represent a second group of data bits. One embodiment of the code word has a minimum probability of bit transitions among its bits. Another embodiment of the code word includes a parity bit. Unlike conventional codes, a code that includes such a code word can have both a high efficiency and small error propagation. Additionally, by including fewer bit transitions, a sequence of such code words causes less read noise, and thus causes fewer read errors as compared to sequences of known code words. Moreover, the code word can include a parity bit to allow improved error detection as compared to known error-detection techniques. Therefore, such a code word can significantly increase the effective write and read speeds of a disk drive.
Abstract:
A data-storage disk includes a disk sector for storing data and a servo wedge located at the beginning of the sector. The servo wedge indentifies the sector in conjunction with both an initial positioning of a read-write head and a data read or write operation. By using a servo wedge to provide both an initial head position on disk spin up and a head position during a read or write operation, one can increase a disk's data-storage capacity by reducing the number of, or altogether eliminating, spin-up wedges.
Abstract:
A method and network device are disclosed using a look-ahead watermark in a FIFO memory. In accordance with the present invention, a watermark interrupt is generated from a FIFO memory when data in the FIFO memory has crossed a watermark threshold. A data burst is transferred through a direct memory access unit to the FIFO memory. A look-ahead watermark flag is checked at the FIFO memory to determine if sufficient memory space exists inside the FIFO memory for an additional data burst, which is transferred through the direct memory access unit to the FIFO memory when the look-ahead watermark flag indicates that sufficient memory space is available.
Abstract:
A ballast compatible with different types of gas discharge lamps includes a power supply and a controller connected to the power supply. The controller includes a memory having a plurality of desired operating parameters stored therein for respective different types of gas discharge lamps. A sensing circuit causes the power supply to supply a current to the gas discharge lamp prior to start-up and senses a voltage based thereon indicative of a type of the gas discharge lamp. A control circuit causes the power supply to provide the desired operating parameters based upon the type of gas discharge lamp. Since the desired operating parameters are applied to the gas discharge lamp, the life of the lamp is increased.
Abstract:
For use in a data processor comprising an instruction execution pipeline comprising N processing stages, a system and method of encoding constant operands is disclosed. The system comprises a constant generator unit that is capable of generating both short constant operands and long constant operands. The constant generator unit extracts the bits of a short constant operand from an instruction syllable and right justifies the bits in an output syllable. For long constant operands, the constant generator unit extracts K low order bits from an instruction syllable and T high order bits from an extension syllable. The right justified K low order bits and the T high order bits are combined to represent the long constant operand in one output syllable. In response to the status of op code bits located within a constant generation instruction, the constant generator unit enables and disables multiplexers to automatically generate the appropriate short or long constant operand.
Abstract:
A radiation hardened memory device having static random access memory cells includes active gate isolation structures to prevent leakage currents between active regions formed adjacent to each other on a substrate. The active gate isolation structure includes a gate oxide and polycrystalline silicon gate layer electrically coupled to a voltage terminal resulting in an active gate isolation structure that prevents a conductive channel extending from adjacent active regions from forming. The gate oxide of the active gate isolation structures is relatively thin compared to the conventional oxide isolation regions and thus, will be less susceptible to any adverse influence from trapped charges caused by radiation exposure.
Abstract:
A scanning fingerprint detection system includes an array of capacitive sensing elements, the array having a first dimension greater than the width of a fingerprint and a second dimension less than the length of a fingerprint. Each of the capacitive sensing elements has first and second conductor plates connected across an inverting amplifier, the conductor plates forming capacitors with the ridges and valleys of a fingerprint of a finger pressed against a protective coating above the array, the inverting amplifier generating a signal indicative of a ridge or valley. Circuitry is provided for scanning the array to capture an image of a portion of fingerprint and for assembling the captured images into a fingerprint image.
Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed to leadless semiconductor packages with improved wettable flanks that encourage the formation of solder fillets when the leadless semiconductor package is mounted to a substrate. The solder fillets are consistently formed and are easily detectable by inspection systems, such as automated optical inspection (AOI) systems.
Abstract:
In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides semiconductor devices, packages, and methods. In one embodiment, a device includes a die pad, a lead that is spaced apart from the die pad, and an encapsulant on the die pad and the lead. A plurality of cavities extends into at least one of the die pad or the lead to a depth from a surface of the at least one of the die pad or the lead. The depth is within a range from 0.5 μm to 5 μm. The encapsulant extends into the plurality of cavities. The cavities facilitate improved adhesion between the die pad or lead and the encapsulant, as the cavities increase a surface area of contact with the encapsulant, and further increase a mechanical interlock with the encapsulant, as the cavities may have a rounded or semi-spherical shape.
Abstract:
A method includes receiving, at a master agent, announcements from candidate consumer agents indicating the presence of the candidate consumer agents. Each announcement includes display parameters for a display of the corresponding candidate consumer agent. The method further includes receiving at the master agent content parameters from a producer agent, the content parameters defining characteristics of content to be provided by the consumer agent. A mosaic screen is configured based on the received announcements and the content parameters. This configuring of the mosaic screen includes selecting ones of the consumer agents for which an announcement was received and generating content distribution parameters based on the content parameters and the display parameters of the selected ones of the consumer agents. The generated content distribution parameters are provided to the consumer agent.