Abstract:
A stacked die semiconductor package includes: a substrate, having a first surface and an opposite surface thereto; a plurality of dice, structured for being stacked one on top of the other on the first surface of the substrate, including at least a first die which is mounted closest to the first surface, a second die mounted thereupon and having a larger footprint area than the first die, and a top die having a smaller footprint area than the underlying die thereof, and each having a plurality of contact pads and a plurality of wires for electrically connecting the dice to the first surface of the substrate; at least one interposer between the plurality of dice; advantageously, said top die is electrically directly connected to one of the underlying dice. A method for the assembly of a stacked die semiconductor package is provided.
Abstract:
A circuit for estimating propagated carries in an adder starting from operands that include actual addition inputs or at least one earlier carry, the circuit performs statistical circuit operations with independent binary traffic for the operands. Preferably, this binary traffic is independent and equiprobable or quasi-equiprobable binary traffic, and the adder is a leading zero anticipatory logic integer adder producing a number having the same number of leading zeroes as the result of the integer addition performed. The carry value may be produced from a logic function (e.g., Karnaugh Map, Quine-McClusky) of the operands, as a logic combination of the operands covering all the 1s in the logic function.
Abstract:
A non-volatile memory device of flash type includes first memory cells for storing data, second memory cells for storing protection information of the first memory cells, and a circuit for updating the protection information that includes a circuit for writing a plurality of versions of the protection information in the second memory cells, and a circuit for identifying a current version of the protection information.
Abstract:
A single-ended or differential single-stage, or multi-stage sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter includes at least one switched-capacitor integrator comprising a switched-capacitor network receiving as input a signal to be sampled, and an amplifier coupled in cascade to the switched-capacitor network. A circuit is coupled to the amplifier for feeding an analog dither signal to a virtual ground of the amplifier.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a circuit for highly efficient driving of piezoelectric loads, comprising a linear driving circuit portion connected to the load through an inductive-resistive connection whereto a voltage waveform is applied. Advantageously, the circuit comprises further respective circuit portions, structurally independent, connected in turn to the inductive-resistive connection through respective inductors to supply a considerable fraction of the overall current required by the load in the transient and steady state respectively.
Abstract:
A manual pointing device for a computer system, the device having at least one key that can be actuated manually by a user, and a click-event detection module coupled to the key for detecting actuation thereof. The click-event detection module is provided with an inertial sensor for detecting mechanical stresses generated by actuation of the key.
Abstract:
A converter is for a differential input signal into a single-ended output signal and may include a differential pair of identical first and second transistors driven by the differential input signal, and a circuit for filtering DC components, connected between the current terminal of the second transistor not in common with the first transistor of the differential pair and an output node of the converter on which the single-ended output signal is generated. The converter generates a single-ended signal without employing a transformer, in lieu thereof the converter may include a current generator biasing the differential pair by of third and fourth output transistors, in a current mirror configuration, connected in series with the first and second transistors, respectively. The converter may also include degeneration resistors of the transistors of the current mirror, dimensioned such that the gains of the converter for each of the two input nodes of the differential signal are equal and of opposite sign.
Abstract:
A vertical-conduction and planar-structure MOS device having a double thickness gate oxide includes a semiconductor substrate including spaced apart active areas in the semiconductor substrate and defining a JFET area therebetween. The JFET area also forms a channel between the spaced apart active areas. A gate oxide is on the semiconductor substrate and includes a first portion having a first thickness on the active areas and at a periphery of the JFET area, and a second portion having a second thickness on a central area of the JFET area. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness. The JFET area also includes an enrichment region under the second portion of the gate oxide.
Abstract:
A multi-phase oscillator is provided. Said multi-phase oscillator includes a plurality of resonator stages series-connected in an ordered closed loop. Each stage is used for providing one or more oscillating voltages corresponding to an oscillating current. The oscillating current includes a natural current that is generated by the stage and one or more injected currents from a previous stage in the closed loop. The oscillating voltages provided by all the stages have substantially the same frequency; on the other hand, the oscillating voltages provided by each stage and the previous oscillating voltages provided by the previous stage have a corresponding phase difference. The oscillator further includes a coupler between each stage and the previous stage; the coupler is used for generating the injected currents according to the previous oscillating voltages. The coupler includes transconductance means for transforming one or more voltages corresponding to the previous oscillating voltages into one or more currents corresponding to the injected currents; the coupler further includes shifting means for shifting the phase of the injected currents according to the corresponding phase difference. The shifting means includes filtering means for filtering the previous oscillating voltages into one or more corresponding filtered oscillating voltages to be supplied to the transconductance means.
Abstract:
A prescaling stage includes bistable circuit in turn including respective master and slave portions inserted between a first and a second voltage reference and feedback connected to each other. Each portion is provided with at least one differential stage supplied by the first voltage reference and connected, by a transistor stage, to the second voltage reference, as well as a differential pair of cross-coupled transistors, supplied by output terminals of the differential stage and connected, by the transistor stage, to the second voltage reference. Advantageously, each master and slave portion includes a degeneration capacitance inserted in correspondence with respective terminals of the transistors of the differential pair.