CHANNEL SELECTION IN MULTI-CHANNEL SWITCHING NETWORK
Granted: July 20, 2017
Application Number:
20170207998
Methods and systems are disclosed for selecting channels for routing signals in a multi-channel switching network. In an example implementation, pairs of the signals that can be routed together over one channel in the multi-channel switching network are determined. A model graph is generated that has a respective vertex for each of the signals. The model graph also includes respective edges for the determined pairs connecting vertices corresponding to signals of the pair. A subset of the…
HARDWARE POWER-ON INITIALIZATION OF AN SOC THROUGH A DEDICATED PROCESSOR
Granted: June 15, 2017
Application Number:
20170168841
In an example, a system-on-chip (SoC) includes a hardware power-on-reset (POR) sequencer circuit coupled to a POR pin. The SoC further includes a platform management unit (PMU) circuit, coupled to the hardware POR sequencer circuit, the PMU including one or more central processing units (CPUs) and a read only memory (ROM). The SoC further includes one or more processing units configured to execute a boot process. The hardware POR sequencer circuit is configured to initialize the PMU. The…
FOLDING DUPLICATE INSTANCES OF MODULES IN A CIRCUIT DESIGN
Granted: June 8, 2017
Application Number:
20170161419
Disclosed approaches for processing a circuit design include identifying duplicate instances of a module in a representation of the circuit design. A processor circuit performs folding operations for at least one pair of the duplicate instances of the module. One instance of the duplicates is removed from the circuit design, and a multiplexer is inserted. The multiplexer receives and selects one of the input signals to the duplicate instances and provides the selected input signal to the…
METHOD FOR INCREASING ACTIVE INDUCTOR OPERATING RANGE AND PEAKING GAIN
Granted: May 11, 2017
Application Number:
20170134009
Methods and apparatus are described for a differential active inductor load for inductive peaking in which cross-coupled capacitive elements are used to cancel out, or at least reduce, the limiting effect of the gate-to-drain capacitance (Cgd) of transistors in the active inductor load. The cross-coupled capacitive elements extend the range over which the active inductor load behaves inductively and increase the quality factor (Q) of each active inductor. Therefore, the achievable…
MULTISTAGE BOOT IMAGE LOADING BY CONFIGURATION OF A BUS INTERFACE
Granted: May 4, 2017
Application Number:
20170123815
An integrated circuit (IC) that includes a processor circuit can be booted by receiving, using a storage interface circuit of the IC, a first boot image from a nonvolatile memory chip. The first boot image is executed on a processor circuit of the IC to configure a bus interface module that is designed to communicate with a host device over a communication bus that links multiple devices and the IC. Using the bus interface module, a second boot image is received from the memory of the…
METHODS AND CIRCUITS FOR DEBUGGING CIRCUIT DESIGNS
Granted: April 27, 2017
Application Number:
20170115348
Various example implementations are directed to circuits and methods for debugging circuit designs. According to an example implementation, waveform data is captured, for a set of signals produced by a circuit design during operation. Data structures are generated for the set of signals and waveform data for the signals is stored in the data structures. Communication channels associated with the set of signals are identified. Waveform data stored in the data structures is analyzed to…
INTERPOSER-LESS STACK DIE INTERCONNECT
Granted: April 20, 2017
Application Number:
20170110407
Techniques for providing a semiconductor assembly having an interconnect die for die-to-die interconnection, an IC package, a method for manufacturing, and a method for routing signals in an IC package are described. In one implementation, a semiconductor assembly is provided that includes a first interconnect die coupled to a first integrated circuit (IC) die and a second IC die by inter-die connections. The first interconnect die includes solid state circuitry that provides a signal…
INTERACTIVE MULTI-STEP PHYSICAL SYNTHESIS
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170098024
A processor-implemented method is provided for placing and routing a circuit design. A first netlist is generated for the circuit design. Placement is performed for the first netlist on a target programmable integrated circuit (IC) to produce a first placed design. A set of optimizations are performed on the first placed design. The set of optimizations are recorded in an optimization history file. One or more optimizations specified in the optimization history file are performed on the…
DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS FOR PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICE CONFIGURATION
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170097910
Using a storage interface circuit of a programmable IC, a first set of configuration data can be communicated between a storage circuit and the programmable IC. Using the first set of configuration data, the programmable IC can be programmed to include: a bus interface module that is designed to interface with a host device over a communication bus that links multiple devices, and an internal configuration access interface that is designed to interface between the bus interface module…
STACKED SILICON PACKAGE ASSEMBLY HAVING AN ENHANCED LID
Granted: March 30, 2017
Application Number:
20170092619
A method and apparatus are provided which improve heat transfer between a lid and an IC die of an IC (chip) package. In one embodiment, a chip package is provided that includes a first IC die, a package substrate, a lid and a stiffener. The first IC die is coupled to the package substrate. The stiffener is coupled to the package substrate and circumscribes the first IC die. The lid has a first surface and a second surface. The second surface faces away from the first surface and towards…
TRANSMITTER CIRCUIT FOR AND METHODS OF GENERATING A MODULATED SIGNAL IN A TRANSMITTER
Granted: March 2, 2017
Application Number:
20170063580
A transmitter circuit for generating a modulated signal in a transmitter of an integrated circuit is described. The transmitter circuit comprises a multiplexing stage having a multiplexing circuit configured to receive a differential input signal and to generate a differential output signal at a first output node of a first current path and at a second output node of a second current path, the multiplexing stage having a gain circuit configured to increase the swing of the differential…
OFFSET INSENSITIVE QUADRATURE CLOCK ERROR CORRECTION AND DUTY CYCLE CALIBRATION FOR HIGH-SPEED CLOCKING
Granted: February 2, 2017
Application Number:
20170033774
Techniques for correcting clock distortion. The techniques include use of circuitry for detecting and correcting duty cycle distortion and quadrature clock phase distortion. For phase detection, detection circuitry is made simpler and more accurate through the use of a sampling operation in which device mismatch within detection circuitry is accounted for by sampling charge associated with an ideal clock signal across sampling capacitors. When phase detection is performed with the…
CIRCUITS FOR AND METHODS OF GENERATING A MODULATED SIGNAL IN A TRANSMITTER
Granted: January 19, 2017
Application Number:
20170019278
A circuit for generating a modulated signal in a transmitter of an integrated circuit is disclosed. The circuit comprises a transmitter driver circuit having a first current path for receiving a first input signal of a pair of differential input signals and a second current path for receiving a second input signal of the pair of differential input signals, the transmitter driver circuit comprising a tail current path coupled to each of the first current path and the second current path;…
VARIABLE BANDWIDTH FILTERING
Granted: January 12, 2017
Application Number:
20170012598
An apparatus, and related method, relates generally to viable bandwidth filtering. In such an apparatus, an analysis filter bank has path filters associated with different bandwidths and is configured for filtering and transforming an input signal having a first bandwidth into a first interleaved output. A mask is coupled to the analysis filter bank and configured for masking at least one narrowband time signal of the first interleaved output. A synthesis filter bank is coupled to the…
M-PATH FILTER WITH OUTER AND INNER CHANNELIZERS FOR PASSBAND BANDWIDTH ADJUSTMENT
Granted: January 12, 2017
Application Number:
20170012596
Disclosed is apparatus and method to filter a signal. In such an apparatus, an outer polyphase filter is configured for receiving an input signal and for channelizing the input signal into outer filtered samples. An outer Inverse Fourier Transform block is coupled to the outer polyphase filter and configured for transforming the outer filtered samples into a coarse multi-path output. An inner polyphase filter is coupled to a path of the coarse multi-path output for receiving information…
METHOD AND DESIGN OF LOW SHEET RESISTANCE MEOL RESISTORS
Granted: January 12, 2017
Application Number:
20170012041
An integrated circuit structure includes: a semiconductor substrate; a shallow trench isolation (STI) region in the semiconductor substrate; one or more active devices formed on the semiconductor substrate; and a resistor array having a plurality of resistors disposed above the STI region; wherein the resistor array comprises a portion of one or more interconnect contact layers that are for interconnection to the one or more active devices.
MOVING MEAN AND MAGNITUDE DUAL PATH DIGITAL PREDISTORTION
Granted: January 5, 2017
Application Number:
20170005627
An apparatus relates generally to preconditioning an input signal. In this apparatus, a first digital predistortion module and a second digital predistortion module are for receiving the input signal for respectively providing a first predistorted signal and a second predistorted signal. A combiner is for combining the first predistorted signal and the second predistorted signal for providing an output signal. The first digital predistortion module includes a moving mean block for…
VARIABLE CODE RATE SOLID-STATE DRIVE
Granted: January 5, 2017
Application Number:
20170004031
An apparatus, as well as a method therefor, relates generally to managing reliability of a solid state storage. In such an apparatus, there is a memory controller for providing a code rate. An encoder is for receiving input data and the code rate for providing encoded data. The solid-state storage is for receiving and storing the encoded data. A decoder is for accessing the encoded data stored in the solid-state storage and for receiving the code rate for providing decoded data of the…
CHANNEL ADAPTIVE ADC-BASED RECEIVER
Granted: December 1, 2016
Application Number:
20160352557
A receiver relates generally to channel adaptation. In this receiver, a first signal processing block is coupled to a communications channel. The first signal processing block includes: an AGC block and a CTLE block for receiving a modulated signal for providing an analog signal; an ADC for converting the analog signal to digital samples; and an FFE block for equalizing the digital samples to provide equalized samples. A second signal processing block includes: a DFE block for receiving…
TRANSMITTER CONFIGURED FOR TEST SIGNAL INJECTION TO TEST AC-COUPLED INTERCONNECT
Granted: November 24, 2016
Application Number:
20160341780
In one example, a driver circuit includes a differential transistor pair configured to be biased by a current source and including a differential input and a differential output. The driver circuit further includes a resistor pair coupled between a node pair and the differential output, a transistor pair coupled between a voltage supply and the node pair, and a bridge transistor coupled between the node pair. The driver circuit further includes a pair of three-state circuit elements…
