Systems and methods for capturing noise for pattern recognition processing
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10332543
Example systems and methods capture a first plurality of portions of audio data by periodically capturing the audio data at first intervals. Embodiments detect speech onset in the audio data. Responsive to detection of the speech onset, systems and methods switch from periodically capturing the audio data to continuously capturing the audio data. Embodiments combine at least one captured portion of the first plurality of captured portions of the audio data with the continuously captured…
Memory subsystem with wrapped-to-continuous read
Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number:
10331359
Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for accessing data of a memory. A method embodiment operates by receiving one or more requests for data stored across at least a first memory area and a second memory area of a memory. The method continues with performing, by at least one processor, a wrapped read of data within a first memory area of the memory. The method then performs, by the at least one processor, a continuous read of data within a second…
Combined inductive sensing and capacitive sensing
Granted: June 18, 2019
Patent Number:
10324572
An sense unit for inductive sensing or capacitive sensing is described. The sense unit may include a first terminal coupled to a first node, a first electrode coupled to the first node, and a second terminal. The sense unit may include a second electrode coupled to the second terminal. In a first mode, a first signal is received at the first terminal and a second signal is output on the second terminal, where the second signal may be representative of a capacitance of the sense unit. The…
Current control and protection for universal serial bus type-C (USB-C) connector systems
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10320180
An electronic device includes a power switch configured to receive a voltage on a first terminal. The first terminal is coupled to a voltage regulator. The power switch is also configured to provide the voltage to a second terminal. The second terminal is coupled to a VBUS terminal of a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) connector. The electronic device also includes a protection circuit comprising a comparison component coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. The…
Oxide formation in a plasma process
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10319733
A memory transistor includes a gate electrode and a blocking structure disposed beneath the gate electrode, where the blocking structure is formed by plasma oxidation. The memory transistor includes a multi-layer charge storage layer disposed beneath the blocking structure, wherein the multi-layer charge storage layer includes a trap dense charge storage layer over a substantially trap free charge storage layer, where a thickness of the trap dense charge storage layer is reduced by the…
Dynamic VCONN swapping in dual-powered type-C cable applications
Granted: June 11, 2019
Patent Number:
10317969
A semiconductor device for a USB Type-C cable includes a first terminal to couple to a first VCONN line from a first end of the cable, a second terminal to couple to a second VCONN line from the second end of the cable, a charge pump, and a switch circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. The switch circuit includes a first drain-extended n-type field effect transistor (DENFET) coupled between the first terminal and an internal power supply of the semiconductor…
Memory transistor with multiple charge storing layers and a high work function gate electrode
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10312336
Semiconductor devices including non-volatile memory devices and methods of fabricating the same are provided. Generally, the memory device includes a gate structure, a channel positioned between and electrically connecting a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region, and a tunnel dielectric layer, a multi-layer charge trapping layer, and a blocking dielectric layer disposed between the gate structure and the channel. In one embodiment, the multi-layer charge trapping layer…
Multi-phase self-capacitance scanning of sensors arrays
Granted: June 4, 2019
Patent Number:
10310687
Techniques for multi-phase self-capacitance (MPSC) scanning of a sensor array are described herein. In an example embodiment, a device comprises a sensor logic coupled to a processing logic. The sensor logic is configured to concurrently sense multiple sensor elements of the sensor array in each of multiple scanning operations in order to obtain multiple measurements, where each measurement represents a collective charge of the multiple sensor elements accumulated during a corresponding…
Radical oxidation process for fabricating a nonvolatile charge trap memory device
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10304968
A memory device is described. Generally, the memory device includes a tunnel oxide layer overlying a channel connecting a source and a drain of the memory device formed in a substrate, a multi-layer charge storing layer overlying the tunnel oxide layer and a high-temperature-oxide (HTO) layer overlying the multi-layer charge storing layer. The multi-layer charge storing layer includes an oxygen-rich, first layer comprising a nitride on the tunnel oxide layer in which a composition of the…
Methods, circuits, devices and systems for comparing signals
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10305461
Disclosed is a method of comparing two or more signals which may include: for each of the two or more signals, charging to a fixed voltage a compensation capacitor associated with a sense path of the signal, discharging each of the charged capacitors to a threshold voltage of a transistor in its respective sense path and integrating a discharge current from each capacitor with the signal sensed on the respective sense path.
Damascene oxygen barrier and hydrogen barrier for ferroelectric random-access memory
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10304731
Disclosed herein is an apparatus that includes a ferroelectric capacitor disposed on a damascene barrier film, and fabrication methods thereof. The damascene barrier film includes a hydrogen barrier region and an oxygen barrier region, with the oxygen barrier being in contact with a bottom surface of the ferroelectric capacitor. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.
Methods, circuits, devices, and systems for sensing an NVM cell
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10304545
Disclosed is a non-volatile memory (NVM) device including an array of NVM cells segmented into at least a first sector and a second sector and at least one sensing circuit to sense a state of a target NVM cell in the first sector using a reference current of the second sector received from at least a dynamic reference cell.
Fingerprint sensor pattern
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10303914
An example system drives one or more transmit signals on first electrodes disposed in a first layer and propagating electrodes disposed in a second layer. The system measures a capacitance of sensors through a of second electrodes. Each second electrode crosses each first electrode to provide a plurality of discrete sensor areas, each discrete sensor area associated with a difference crossing and including a portion of at least one propagating electrode. Each second electrode is…
Variable read latency on a serial memory bus
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10303625
Systems and/or methods are provided that facilitate employing a variable read latency on a serial memory bus. In an aspect, a memory can utilize an undefined amount of time to obtain data from a memory array and prepare the data for transfer on the serial memory bus. The serial memory bus can be driven to a defined state. When data is ready for transfer, the memory can assert a start bit on the serial memory bus to notify a host prior to initiating the data transfer.
Low-power touch button sensing system
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10303236
A method for operating a sensing system includes receiving, from a processing device, control information for configuring a capacitance sensing circuit, configuring the capacitance sensing circuit with the control information in response to receiving the control information, and controlling power consumption of the processing device based on the control information and based on a capacitance measured by the capacitance sensing circuit.
Detect and differentiate touches from different size conductive objects on a capacitive button
Granted: May 28, 2019
Patent Number:
10302683
Apparatuses and methods of distinguishing between a finger and stylus proximate to a touch surface are described. One apparatus includes a first circuit to obtain capacitance measurements of sense elements when a conductive object is proximate to a touch surface. The apparatus also includes a second circuit coupled to the first circuit. The second circuit is operable to detect whether the conductive object activates the first sense element, second sense element, or both, in view of the…
Gate fringing effect based channel formation for semiconductor device
Granted: May 21, 2019
Patent Number:
10297606
A memory device is described. Generally, the device includes a string of memory transistors, a source select transistor coupled to a first end of the string of memory transistor and a drain select transistor coupled to a second end of the string of memory transistor. Each memory transistor includes a gate electrode formed adjacent to a charge trapping layer and there is neither a source nor a drain junction between adjacent pairs of memory transistors or between the memory transistors…
Asset location using direction finding features
Granted: May 21, 2019
Patent Number:
10295647
Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for enabling a mobile device with limited RF capability to obtain accurate directions for finding an object or asset via a multiple-antenna locator device. The mobile device generates a request to the locator device to obtain directions to find the asset. A request can also be made to obtain the mobile device's own location from the multiple-antenna locator device which has an antenna array and is in a fixed location that has good RF…
Sensor-compatible overlay
Granted: May 7, 2019
Patent Number:
10282585
A fingerprint sensor-compatible overlay material which uses anisotropic conductive material to enable accurate imaging of a fingerprint through an overlay is disclosed. The anisotropic conductive material has increased conductivity in a direction orthogonal to the fingerprint sensor, increasing the capacitive coupling of the fingerprint to the sensor surface, allowing the fingerprint sensor to accurately image the fingerprint through the overlay. Methods for forming a fingerprint…
Radical oxidation process for fabricating a nonvolatile charge trap memory device
Granted: April 23, 2019
Patent Number:
10269985
A memory device is described. Generally, the memory device includes a tunnel oxide layer overlying a channel connecting a source and a drain of the memory device formed in a substrate, a multi-layer charge storing layer overlying the tunnel oxide layer and a high-temperature-oxide (HTO) layer overlying the multi-layer charge storing layer. The multi-layer charge storing layer includes an oxygen-rich, first layer comprising a nitride on the tunnel oxide layer in which a composition of the…
