SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING CAPACITOR INTEGRATED THEREIN
Granted: July 11, 2013
Application Number:
20130175666
Semiconductor devices are described that include a capacitor integrated therein. In an implementation, the semiconductor devices include a substrate including a dopant material of a first conductivity type. A plurality of trenches are formed within the substrate. The semiconductor devices also include a diffusion region having dopant material of a second conductivity type formed proximate to the trenches. A capacitor is formed within the trenches and at least partially over the…
COMMUNICATIONS CONTROL SYSTEM WITH A SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE AND A PARALLEL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130173840
A communications control system is disclosed that includes a serial communications interface and a parallel communications interface for coupling a plurality of input/output modules with a control module. The serial communications interface is configured for connecting the plurality of input/output modules to the control module in parallel to transmit information between the plurality of input/output modules and the control module, and the parallel communications interface is configured…
SWITCH FABRIC HAVING A SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE AND A PARALLEL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130173832
A switch fabric is disclosed that includes a serial communications interface and a parallel communications interface. The serial communications interface is configured for connecting a plurality of slave devices to a master device in parallel to transmit information between the plurality of slave devices and the master device, and the parallel communications interface is configured for separately connecting the plurality of slave devices to the master device to transmit information…
ELECTROMAGNETIC CONNECTOR
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130170258
An electromagnetic connector is disclosed that is configured to form a first magnetic circuit portion comprising a first core member and a first coil disposed of the first core member. The electromagnetic connector is configured to mate with a second electromagnetic connector, where the second electromagnetic connector is configured to form a second magnetic circuit portion comprising a second core member and a second coil disposed of the second core member. The first core member and the…
SELF-CALIBRATED RINGING COMPENSATION FOR AN AUTOFOCUS ACTUATOR IN A CAMERA MODULE
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130169857
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to an actuator driver in a camera module, and more particularly to methods, systems and devices of employing self-calibrated ringing compensation to improve the autofocus rate of the camera module that is driven by an actuator. Oscillation characteristics of the actuator are calibrated to control a sink current that drives the actuator during an autofocus. The actuator driver comprises a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a filter, a…
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING A THROUGH-SUBSTRATE VIA
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130168850
Semiconductor devices are described that include a via that extends only partially through the substrate. Through-substrate vias (TSV) furnish electrical interconnectivity to electronic components formed in the substrates. In implementations, the semiconductor devices are fabricated by first bonding a semiconductor wafer to a carrier wafer with an adhesive material. The semiconductor wafer includes an etch stop disposed within the wafer (e.g., between a first surface a second surface of…
MEMS ACCELERATION SENSOR
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130167641
The present invention relates to a MEMS acceleration sensor comprising a substrate and a sensor mass that is disposed parallel to the substrate in an X-Y plane. The sensor mass is rotatable about a rotary axis, and includes a plurality of holes. The weight of the sensor mass is different on the two sides of the rotary axis. The sensor further includes sensor elements for detecting a rotary motion of the sensor mass about the rotary axis. To change the weight of the sensor mass on one…
MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130167637
A microelectromechanical system for detecting accelerations about or along an X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis, having a substrate and having a driving mass and a detection mass (1) disposed parallel to the substrate in an X-Y plane and mounted displaceably relative to the substrate. At least one slit (5) is disposed in the driving and/or detection mass (1) for compensating for distortions due to residual material stresses in the driving and/or detection mass (1).
MICRO RATE OF ROTATION SENSOR AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A MICRO RATE OF ROTATION SENSOR
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130167636
The present invention relates to a method for operating a rotation sensor for detecting a plurality of rates of rotation about orthogonal axes (x,y,z). The rotation sensor comprises a substrate, driving masses, X-Y sensor masses, and Z sensor masses. The driving masses are driven by drive elements to oscillate in the X-direction. The X-Y sensor masses are coupled to the driving masses, and driven to oscillate in the X-Y direction radially to a center. When a rate of rotation of the…
CAPACITIVE TOUCH SENSE ARCHITECTURE
Granted: June 27, 2013
Application Number:
20130162586
An analog front end circuit utilizes coherent detection within a capacitance measurement application. The analog front end circuit uses coherent detection to measure capacitance of a touch screen display. An analog excitation signal is modulated by a capacitor to be measured. The modulated signal is synchronously demodulated using a correlator, which includes a discrete mixer and a discrete integrator. The excitation signal is also input to the mixer such that the modulated signal is…
GESTURE DETECTION AND COMPACT REPRESENTATION THEREOF
Granted: June 27, 2013
Application Number:
20130162520
Techniques are described that may be implemented with an electronic device to detect a gesture within a field of view of a sensor and generate a compact data representation of the detected gesture. In implementations, a sensor is configured to detect a gesture and provide a signal in response thereto. An estimator, which is in communication with the sensor, is configured to generate an elliptical representation of the gesture. Multiple coefficients for the compact representation of the…
TECHNIQUES FOR WAFER-LEVEL PROCESSING OF QFN PACKAGES
Granted: June 27, 2013
Application Number:
20130161817
Semiconductor package device, such as wafer-level package semiconductor devices, are described that have pillars for providing electrical interconnectivity. In an implementation, the wafer-level package devices include an integrated circuit chip having at least one pillar formed over the integrated circuit chip. The pillar is configured to provide electrical interconnectivity with the integrated circuit chip. The wafer-level package device also includes an encapsulation structure…
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING TRENCH CAPACITOR STRUCTURE INTEGRATED THEREIN
Granted: June 27, 2013
Application Number:
20130161792
Semiconductor devices are described that include a capacitor integrated therein. In an implementation, the semiconductor devices include a substrate. The substrate includes multiple capacitor regions, such as a first capacitor region and a second capacitor region that are adjacent to one another. Each capacitor region includes trenches that are formed within the substrate. A metal-insulator-metal capacitor is formed within the trenches and at least partially over the substrate. The…
MICRO-GYROSCOPE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A MICRO-GYROSCOPE
Granted: June 27, 2013
Application Number:
20130160545
A micro-gyroscope for determining a rate of rotation about a Z-axis includes a substrate and two sensor devices each of which comprises at least one drive mass, at least one anchor, drive elements, at least one sensor mass and sensor elements. The drive mass is mounted linearly displaceably in the direction of an X-axis, and can be driven in an oscillatory manner with respect to the X-axis. The sensor mass is coupled to the drive mass by means of springs. The sensor mass is displaceable…
Fully Capacitive Coupled Input Choppers
Granted: June 20, 2013
Application Number:
20130154718
A method of differential signal transfer from a differential input Vinp and Vinn having a common mode input voltage that can be higher than the power supply voltage by providing an input chopper having Vinp and Vinn as a differential input, providing an output chopper, capacitively coupling a differential output Voutp and Voutn of the input chopper to a differential input of the output chopper, capacitively coupling a clock to the input chopper and coupling the clock to the output…
MAINTAIN POWER SIGNATURE (MPS) POWERED DEVICE (PD)
Granted: June 20, 2013
Application Number:
20130154603
A Maintain Power Signature (MPS) Powered Device (PD) is described. In one or more implementations, the MPS device comprises a current sensor configured to sense current flowing from Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) to the PD. The current sense based MPS device also comprises a current generator configured to sink electrical current to prevent the PSE from removing power to the PD. Thus, the electrical current comprises a current amplitude characteristic selected based upon MPS requirements…
ADAPTIVE DEAD-TIME CONTROL
Granted: June 13, 2013
Application Number:
20130147458
A DC-to-DC converter includes first and second transistors that are connected in series between a supply voltage and ground and that are driven by PWM pulses. A junction of the transistors is connected to an inductance that is connected in series to a load. A first timing module determines a first time difference between a first edge of a first signal at the junction and a first edge of a second signal at a control terminal of the first transistor. A second timing module determines a…
LIGHT SENSING DEVICE HAVING A LENS
Granted: May 30, 2013
Application Number:
20130134303
Light sensing devices are described that have a lens to focus light. In one or more implementations, the light sensing devices include a substrate having a photodetector formed thereon. The photodetector is capable of detecting light and providing a signal in response thereto. The devices also include a display screen that allows light to at least substantially pass through the display screen. An optical baffle extends above a surface of the substrate to display screen and is configured…
Offset Cancellation for Sampled-Data Circuits
Granted: May 23, 2013
Application Number:
20130127516
A comparator based circuit with effective offset cancellation includes first and second amplifiers and an offset capacitor operatively connected to the first and second amplifiers. An offset voltage source generates an offset voltage. A first switch connects the offset voltage source to ground during a first time period. The first amplifier generates an output voltage in response to the first switch connecting the offset voltage source to ground during the first time period. A second…
LED Current Control In A Dimmable LED Illumination System
Granted: May 9, 2013
Application Number:
20130113386
The invention relates to a light emitting diode (“LED”) illumination system, and more particularly, to systems, devices and methods of driving a LED module by a current generator that is powered and controlled by a regulated dc voltage associated with a brightness level. Such a dimmable LED illumination system is compatible with both a high-voltage ac signal coupled from any wall outlet and a low-voltage ac signal provided by an electronic transformer. A diode bridge rectifies the ac…
