Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9293441
The present invention provides a semiconductor device that includes: stacked semiconductor chips, each semiconductor chip including a semiconductor substrate and a first insulating layer that is provided on side faces of the semiconductor substrate and has concavities formed on side faces thereof; first metal layers that are provided in center portions of inner side faces of the concavities; and second metal layers that are provided in the concavities and are connected to the first metal…
Electronic device having a molding compound including a composite material
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9293420
An electronic device includes a packaged integrated circuit having an integrated circuit die having an active surface, and a molding compound overlaying the active surface of the integrated circuit die. In a particular embodiment, the packaged integrated circuit includes at least approximately five weight percent (5 wt %) zinc relative to the molding compound. In another embodiment, the packaged integrated circuit includes approximately 0.3 ?mol/cm2 of zinc in an area parallel to the…
Finger position sensing for handheld sports equipment
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9293063
A training device that includes a receiving surface on its handle, multiple capacitive sensor elements disposed within multiple grip areas on the receiving surface, a sense circuit configured to compare the capacitance measurements with threshold capacitance values and generate a signal when the capacitance measurements indicate a touch on the grip area and an indicator.
Calibration of a touch-sensor device
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9292122
An apparatus having a processing device for calibrating a touch-sensor device with calibration capacitors is described. Methods of calibrating the touch-sensor device using the same are also described. Processing device and multiple calibration capacitors are disposed on an integrated circuit (IC) die substrate. The processing device includes a measurement circuit to be coupled to a touch-sensor device and a switching circuit to selectively couple the calibration capacitors to the…
Feedback mechanism for user detection of reference location on a sensing device
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9292091
An apparatus and method for providing an active feedback of a position of a conductive object, manipulated by a user on a sensing device, to allow detection of a reference location on the sensing device by the user. The apparatus may include a sensing device to detect a presence of a conductive object, manipulated by a user on the sensing device, a processing device coupled to the sensing device, the processing device to determine a position of the conductive object on the sensing…
Microcontroller programmable system on a chip with programmable interconnect
Granted: March 15, 2016
Patent Number:
9286254
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a microcontroller device having a microprocessor, programmable memory components, and programmable analog and digital blocks. The programmable analog and digital blocks are configurable based on programming information stored in the memory components. Programmable interconnect logic, also programmable from the memory components, is used to couple the programmable analog and digital blocks as needed. The advanced microcontroller design…
Ultraviolet blocking structure and method for semiconductor device
Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9281384
Structures and methods for blocking ultraviolet rays during a film depositing process for semiconductor device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) film formed on a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed on the ONO film, a lower layer insulation film formed on the ONO film and the gate electrode, and a ultraviolet (UV) blocking layer based on a plurality of granular particles scattered in at least one insulation film…
Error correction for flash memory
Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9280421
Providing for single and multi-bit error correction of electronic memory is described herein. As an example, error correction can be accomplished by establishing a suspect region between bit level distributions of a set of analyzed memory cells. The suspect region can define potential error bits for the distributions. If a bit error is detected for the distributions, error correction can first be applied to the potential error bits in the suspect region. By identifying suspected error…
Method and system for automated generation of masks for spacer formation from a desired final wafer pattern
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274410
Methods and systems for generating masks for spacer formation are disclosed. As a part of a disclosed method, a predefined final wafer pattern is accessed, areas related to features in the predefined final wafer pattern are identified and a template mask is formed based on the identified areas for forming spacers on a wafer. Subsequently, a mask is formed for use in the removal of portions of the spacers to form an on wafer pattern that corresponds to the predefined final wafer pattern.
System and method for manufacturing self-aligned STI with single poly
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9276007
A method for fabricating a memory device with a self-aligned trap layer and rounded active region corners is disclosed. In the present invention, an STI process is performed before any of the charge-trapping and top-level layers are formed. Immediately after the STI process, the sharp corners of the active regions are exposed. Because these sharp corners are exposed at this time, they are available to be rounded through any number of known rounding techniques. Rounding the corners…
Lateral charge storage region formation for semiconductor wordline
Granted: February 23, 2016
Patent Number:
9269828
Devices and methods for forming charge storage regions are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor layer having a trench, charge storage layers formed at both side surfaces of the trench, a wordline buried in the trench in contact with the charge storage layers, and source-drain regions formed in the semiconductor layer at both sides of the trench.
Crystal oscillation circuit
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9263988
A crystal oscillation circuit is provided with a crystal oscillator, an inverter unit coupled in parallel with the crystal oscillator and including a plurality of inverters, a current supply unit that supplies current to at least a first inverter of the plurality of inverters, a signal converter that supplies current to at least a last inverter of the plurality of inverters and outputs a voltage to an external circuit, and a current controller that makes the current supply unit provide…
Semiconductor packaging identifier
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9263398
Described is a semiconductor package frame including a material comprising wire openings a die-mounting surface area with a die-mounting surface and identification markings included within the die-mounting surface. The identification markings uniquely identify the semiconductor package frame from among other semiconductor package frames comprising different identification markings.
Method and apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor device
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9263249
The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device including step S22 to form an insulating film on a front surface of a semiconductor wafer that is a surface on which a semiconductor element is to be formed and on a back surface that is a surface opposing the front surface, step S26 to remove the insulating film formed on the back surface by selectively providing a first chemical on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer, and…
Privileged mode methods and circuits for processor systems
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9262340
A system can include a processor coupled to a bus; a first memory coupled to the bus, configured to limit access to a privileged portion according to at least protection values; a second memory coupled to the bus and having a privileged supervisory portion configured to be section erasable, access to the second memory being limited according to at least the protection values; and a boot sequence stored in the privileged portion that configures the processor to decode values stored in the…
Semiconductor integrated circuit, operating method of semiconductor integrated circuit, and debug system
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9255961
A current measurement unit measuring power supply currents each consumed in a plurality of circuit blocks of which at least one of the circuit blocks includes a processor, and outputting the measurement result as the power supply current values. A selection unit selecting at least one of the power supply current values according to selection information. A trace buffer sequentially holding the power supply current values being selected by the selection unit together with execution…
Universal industrial analog input interface
Granted: February 2, 2016
Patent Number:
9250299
A sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors configured to produce an output based on at least one condition and isolated from a measurement circuit is described. The isolation circuit may be configurable to output an analog signal within the measurement range of a measurement signal.
Buried trench isolation in integrated circuits
Granted: February 2, 2016
Patent Number:
9252026
A system and method for providing electrical isolation between closely spaced devices in a high density integrated circuit (IC) are disclosed herein. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising a substrate, a first device, a second device, and a buried trench in the substrate and a method of fabricating the same are also discussed. The buried trench is positioned between first and second devices and may be filled with dielectric material. Alternatively, the buried trench contains air. A method…
Test control circuit, semiconductor memory device and method for testing the same
Granted: February 2, 2016
Patent Number:
9251914
Disclosed herein are test control circuit, semiconductor memory device, and testing method embodiments for suppressing variations in test time while reducing the influence of a failed cell. An embodiment operates by performing a first verify of a cell selected in a predetermined order; storing an address of the cell when the first verify is a fail until the number of addresses is a predetermined number; applying a predetermined voltage to a plurality of cells of an erase unit when a next…
Reconfigurable circuit with suspension control circuit
Granted: February 2, 2016
Patent Number:
9251117
A reconfigurable circuit includes a reconfigurable arithmetic execution unit array including a plurality of arithmetic execution units and a network circuit to provide reconfigurable connections between the arithmetic execution units, a suspension control circuit configured to control suspension and resumption of operation of the reconfigurable arithmetic execution unit array, and a buffer circuit configured to temporarily store data supplied from an external source upon suspension of…
