Abstract:
A current sensing amplifier has two crosscoupled input p-channel transistors, two load transistors connected respectively to the input transistors and a switch element. Output voltages are developed across the load transistors. The amplifier senses differences in currents supplied to the input transistors and drives the output voltages in opposite directions in a sense dependent on the sense of the difference of the currents.
Abstract:
A memory circuit comprises a memory array (1) having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of column select circuits (CS₀-CS₇) for enabling access to columns in said array, each column select circuit being associated with a respective group of said columns and being arranged to access a selected one of the columns in the respective group; at least one spare memory column (14); a plurality of read/write circuits (R/W₀-R/W₇) associated respectively with the said groups, and with said spare column, for reading or writing data bits between the data bus and the columns selected by the column select circuits; and routing circuitry (8) connected between the read/write circuits and the data bus and being programmable with information identifying at least one faulty column, the routing circuitry being operable in response to an attempted access to said faulty column to disconnect from the data bus the read/write circuit associated with the group containing the faulty column and to connect to the data bus the read/write circuit associated with the spare column thereby to transfer data between said spare column and the data bus.
Abstract:
In a semi-conductor memory cell components are formed in regions separated from each other by one or more insulation layers (40) and first and second load resistors (20,22) and gate regions (70,72) of first and second cross-coupled driver field effect transistors (16,18) are formed in a first conductive layer (64) and the word line (36) and gate regions (66,68) of first and second transfer transistors (28,30) are formed in a second conductive layer (60).
Abstract:
A method of fabricating an electrical contact in a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of:-
(a) providing on an underlying silicon substrate (2) a reflowable interlevel dielectric material (14) having a contact opening exposing a contact region of the silicon substrate; (b) heating the silicon substrate and the interlevel dielectric material by a rapid thermal anneal in an oxygen-containing atmosphere thereby to grow an oxide control layer (20) in the contact region and to reflow the dielectric material; (c) depositing a layer of transition metal (28) over the reflowed dielectric material and the control layer; and (d) converting at least part of the transition metal layer into a metallurgic barrier.
Abstract:
A cache system is provided which includes a cache memory and a cache refill mechanism which allocates one or more of a set of cache partitions in the cache memory to an item in dependence on the address of the item in main memory. This is achieved in one of the described embodiments by including with the address of an item a set of partition selector bits which allow a partition mask to be generated to identify into which cache partition the item may be loaded.
Abstract:
An oscillator is constructed of NOR gates (61-64) in the manner of a non-linear circuit which is inherently unstable and which cycles sequentially through four distinct states at a rate determined by the constitution of the NOR gates.
Abstract:
A communication interface for interconnecting a computer with at least one other device has a link output circuit and a link input circuit. A link output on one device is connected to a link input on another device by a data line 25 and a parallel strobe line 26. Data is transmitted on the data line 25 in serial bit strings forming a succession of tokens of predetermined lengths. Signal transitions are provided on the parallel strobe line 26 where no signal transition occurs on the data line 25. Each token includes a bit indicating the length of the token and a parity bit providing a check on bits in a preceding token.