S3 Incorporated, Inc.

Henry Yang

Nalini Ranjan

Yi-Hen Wei

Gregg Bardel

The present invention provides improved output buffers for use on IC Chips. These output buffers incorporate a compensation circuit for compensating the performance characteristics of transistors included in the output buffers. The compensation circuit determines whether the output buffer is operating at a desired slew-rate. In response to this determination, the compensation circuit supplies a compensation voltage or voltages. The compensation voltages control a variable quantity of power delivered by a voltage controlled power source (VCPS). By increasing or reducing this power, the slew-rate of the output buffers are respectively increased or reduced. The compensation voltages maintain this slew-rate within narrow tolerances. This allows the improved output buffers of the present invention to meet very narrow input tolerances of circuitry coupled to receive signals from the IC Chip. The compensation circuit of the present invention is also beneficial for compensating various circuitry on an IC Chip, such as amplifier designs using constant current or power sources.

Output buffer circuit and method that compensate for operating

Improved conductive pads and conductive lines for use on integrated circuit chips include one or more conductive layers having a wider width than convention conductive lines for improved current and power carrying capacity. A layer of insulating and shock resistant is included over said layers of wider width, and additional pads can be formed on said layer of insulating and shock resistant material. Additional improved conductive pads are formed on the integrated circuit chip over a region containing a conductive line. The improved pads and conductive lines provide high power and current carrying capacity, and simultaneously allow for high pad density on an integrated circuit chip. Said pads and conductive lines can include a layer of metal which is electrically insulated using upper and lower layers of insulating material, with this layer of metal providing shock resistance particularly to such lower layer of insulating material.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Henry Yang