Abstract:
The invention concerns a method of controlling the charging of a bootstrap capacitance (C BOOT ) incorporated into a switching regulator (2) of a power transistor (M1). The method consists of carrying out, at each switching cycle, a comparison between the voltage value (V CBOOT ) at the bootstrap capacitance (C BOOT ) and a predetermined threshold voltage (Vs), to change the mode of operation of the regulator following said comparison. More particularly, the control on the transistor (M1) is taken off the regulator (2) when the voltage (V CBOOT ) at the bootstrap capacitance (C BOOT ) is lower than the threshold voltage (Vs), while the transistor (M1) is forced into the "on" state through a full cycle. In this way, the minimum current (I MIN ) to operate the regulator (2) can be minimised.
Abstract:
The acceleration sensor is formed in a monocrystalline silicon wafer (4) forming part of a dedicated SOI substrate (50) presenting a first (1) and second (4) monocrystalline silicon wafer separated by an insulating layer (2) having an air gap (3). A well (15) is formed in the second wafer (4), over the air gap (3), and is subsequently trenched up to the air gap to release the monocrystalline silicon mass (23) forming the movable mass (24) of the sensor; the movable mass (24) has two numbers of movable electrodes (28a, 28b) facing respective pluralities of fixed electrodes (29a, 29b). In the idle condition, each movable electrode (28) is separated by different distances from the two fixed electrodes (29) facing the movable electrode.
Abstract:
The electronic interface circuit can perform ratiometric processing and driving of a signal (Rj) generated by a fuel-level detector (GAL) of a vehicle. The circuit uses a current mirror (S) configured so as to send one half (Ij) of the output current (IL) to the input resistance (Rj) and one half of the output current (IL) to earth. The current mirror (S) is controlled by a voltage (Vj) taken from the input resistance (Rj) and by a voltage taken from a resistive divider (Ra1, Ra2), the latter voltage having been filtered by a low-pass filter (FIL), so as to achieve ratiometric processing of the input signal (Rj).
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an output stage for an electronic memory device and for low supply-voltage applications and is the type comprising a final stage (10) of the pull-up/pull-down type made up of a complementary pair of transistors (Mu,Md) inserted between a primary reference supply voltage (Vcc) and a secondary reference voltage (GND) and a voltage regulator (11) for the control terminals (O1,O2) of said transistors. The regulator (11) is a voltage booster using at least one bootstrap capacitor to increase the current flowing in the final stage (10) by boosting the voltage applied to said control terminals (O1,O2).
Abstract:
The video memory requisite of an MPEG decoder effecting a decompression of the I, P and optionally also of the B picture according to the MPEG compression algorithm and requiring the storing in respective buffers organized in said video memory of the respective MPEG- decompressed data, may be dynamically reduced by subsampling and recompressing according to a ADPCM algorithm at least the data pertaining to the I and P pictures before coding and storing them in the respective buffers. Subsequently, the stored data are decoded, decompressed and upsampled for reconstructing blocks of pels to be sent to a macroblock-to-raster scan conversion circuit.
Abstract:
A process for the manufacturing of integrated circuits provides for forming contacts between a conductive material layer (5) and first doped regions (4) of a semiconductor substrate (2) in a self-aligned manner to edges of an insulating material layer (1) which defines active areas (3) of the integrated circuit wherein the doped regions (4) are formed, and second doped regions (8) of the same conductivity type as the first doped regions (4) under the first doped regions (4), the second doped regions (8) extending partially under the edges of the insulating material layer (1) to prevent short-circuits between the conductive material layer (5) and the semiconductor substrate (2). The second doped regions (8) are formed by means of implantation of dopants along directions slanted with respect to an orthogonal direction to a surface of the semiconductor substrate (2) at angles and with an energy sufficiently high to make the dopants penetrate in the semiconductor material deeper than the first doped regions (4) and under the edges of the insulating material layer (1).