Faraday Technology Corporation

Other

Jeng-Huang Wu

Sheng-Hua Chen

Hung-Yi Chang

Yu-Wen Tsai

Chi-Sheng Liao

Chih-Fu Chien

Meng-Jer Wey

Chun Ming Huang

Shang-Chih Hsieh

Tin-Hao Lin

Yi-Hwa Chang

Chiung-Yu Feng

Tang-Long Chang

Chien-Chih Huang

Huang-Shiang Su

Guo-Wei Li

An input output circuit and a self-biased circuit are provided. The self-biased circuit includes a tracking circuit, a biasing control circuit and first to fourth transistors. The tracking circuit receives a first power voltage, and generates a bias voltage according to variation of the first power voltage. The biasing control circuit generates a first control signal, a second control signal and a third control signal according to the first power voltage and a voltage on a pad. The first transistor is coupled to the pad and controlled by the first control signal. The second transistor is controlled by the second control signal to provide a bias voltage. The third transistor is coupled to the pad and controlled by the third control signal and generates a fourth control signal according to the voltage on the pad. The fourth transistor is controlled by the fourth control signal to generate the bias voltage.

Input and output circuit and self-biased circuit thereof

A core power detection circuit and an associated input/output (I/O) control system are provided, where the core power detection circuit is utilized for performing power detection in the I/O control system to generate a core power detection signal to control the I/O control system, and the I/O control system operates according to a plurality of supply voltages with respect to a first reference voltage. The core power detection circuit includes: a reference power bias circuit arranged for generating a second reference voltage according to a first supply voltage of the plurality of supply voltages; and a comparison circuit, coupled to the reference power bias circuit, arranged for performing a comparison operation according to the second reference voltage and a second supply voltage of the plurality of supply voltages, to generate a third reference voltage.

Core power detection circuit and associated input/output control system

An IO cell with multiple IO ports and related techniques are provided. The IO cell has a plurality of IO ports for transmitting signal of a same IO pin, and each IO port corresponds to a predetermined region for containing an IO pad, wherein at least one of the plural predetermined regions of the plural IO ports partially overlaps with active circuit layout region of the IO cell. In a chip, if a given IO cell has a predetermined region of an IO port overlapping an IO pad location of another adjacent IO cell, then a predetermined region of another IO port is selected for implementing an IO pad of the given IO cell, such that the IO cells can be arranged more compactly for chip layout area saving.

IO cell with multiple IO ports and related techniques for layout area saving

A Schmitt trigger includes A first PMOS transistors having the drains and sources thereof serially connected and coupled between a voltage source and an output end, and having gates thereof coupled to an input end; B first NMOS transistors having the drains and sources thereof serially connected and coupled between the output end and ground, and having gates thereof coupled to the input end; C second PMOS transistors, each being coupled between ground and a node between the drain and the source of the first PMOS transistors and having the gate thereof coupled to the output end; and D second NMOS transistors, each being coupled between the voltage source and a node between the drain and the source of the first NMOS transistors and having the gate thereof coupled to the output end. A is greater than 2 and C, and B is greater than 2 and D.

Schmitt-trigger-based level detection circuit

A layout architecture having high-performance and high-density design used in a standard cell integrated circuit is provided. The layout architecture includes a substrate, a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a first device region, a second device region, a third device region and a forth device region. The first device region is arranged adjacent to the first conductor on the substrate. The second device region is arranged adjacent to the first device region on the substrate and is arranged beneath the second conductor. The third device region is arranged adjacent to the second device region on the substrate and is arranged beneath the third conductor. The fourth device region is arranged between the third device region and the fourth conductor on the substrate.

Layout architecture having high-performance and high-density design

A semiconductor layout includes a p substrate, a first semiconductor cell formed over the p substrate, and a second semiconductor cell formed over the p substrate adjacent to the first semiconductor cell. A total height of the first semiconductor cell and the second semiconductor cell is twice a height of a standard semiconductor cell, and the height of the second semiconductor cell is adjusted according to the height of the first semiconductor cell.

Common pass gate layout of a D flip flop

A power gating circuit of a signal processing system includes a low dropout linear regulator, a control circuit, and an output circuit. The low dropout linear regulator includes a first transistor, an operational amplifier, a first resistor, a second resistor, and an output end. The output circuit includes a fourth transistor and a step-down circuit. The control circuit controls output voltage of the output circuit according to a control signal.

Power gating circuit of a signal processing system

A CMOS Pierce crystal oscillator. A clock generator with activation control, for generating a clock signal. The clock generator comprises an amplifier, a shaping circuit and a diagnostic circuit. The amplifier is capable of being coupled to an external oscillation source through an input pad and an output pad to generate an oscillating signal, the shaping circuit is capable of being coupled to the output pad, for shaping the oscillating signal to generate a clock signal, and the diagnostic circuit is capable of being coupled to the output pad, for asserting a ready signal when amplitude of the oscillating signal exceeds a predetermined portion of a full swing voltage.

Crystal oscillator circuit with activation control

An input/output buffer protection circuit, which comprises an I/O pad, an I/O buffer, an n-well control circuit, a gate control circuit, and a protection component. The I/O buffer includes a PMOS transistor and a NMOS transistor. The n-well control circuit is coupled to an n-well of the PMOS transistor. When an input voltage higher than a source voltage is applied, voltage at the n-well of the PMOS is increased by the n-well control circuit to the input voltage level. The gate control circuit is coupled to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor and the input/output pad. When an input voltage higher than a source voltage is applied, voltage at the gate terminal of the PMOS is increased by the gate control circuit to the source voltage level. Wherein the gate control circuit comprises a transistor and the transistor transfers a high potential control voltage to the gate of the PMOS transistor in output mode. The protection component is coupled between the gate of the transistor and the I/O pad to generate a voltage drop down path and block the I/O pad signal from flowing back to the gate of the transistor.

Input/output buffer protection circuit

An input/output buffer. An input/output circuit has a transmission terminal coupled to an I/O pad, and a floating N-well region. A P-gate control circuit conveys the second gate control signal to the gate of the first PMOS transistor. A feedback detection device is coupled between the transmission terminal and an N-well control circuit to output a feedback signal according to an input voltage at the I/O pad. The N-well control circuit adjusts the voltage level at the N-well region of the first PMOS transistor according to the feedback signal output from the feedback detection device.

Input/output buffer

An input/output buffer. An input/output circuit is composed of a first PMOS transistor and a first NMOS transistor, has an I/O port coupled to an I/O pad, and a N-well region. An N-well control circuit controls the voltage level at the N-well region of the first PMOS transistor according to input signals at the I/O pad. A P-gate control circuit receives a second gate control signal and outputs to the gate of the first PMOS transistor. The P-gate control circuit is composed of a transmission gate and a third PMOS transistor. The transmission gate and the third PMOS transistor do not have to follow the design rule for ESD, and the wafer area required for the P-gate control circuit can be decreased because the P-gate control circuit is not directly connected to the I/O pad.

A high-speed output transconductance amplifier (OTA) capable of operating at different voltage levels. The high-speed output transconductance amplifier configures a cross-coupled circuit with programmable switches to offer a high-speed receiver capable of operating at lower voltage and normal voltage, for example, a receiver can be operated in both for SSTL-3 (3.3V system) and SSTL-2 (2.5V system).

High-speed output transconductance amplifier capable of operating at different voltage levels

A clock gate buffering circuit is having a functional circuit without a latch that receives a clock and an enable signal. A logic voltage of an enable signal sends a corresponding clock gate signal to provide the other circuit when the clock of the functional circuit is in a rising edge. Also, the logical voltage of the enable signal sends a corresponding clock gate signal to provide the other circuit when this functional circuit is also in falling edge.

Clock gate buffering circuit

A universal crystal-oscillator input/output (I/O) circuit is provided for use with an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) device, and which can help enhance the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection on the ASIC device in Charge Device Mode (CDM). This universal crystal-oscillator I/O circuit can help reduce the total number of I/O components in the ASIC library used to construct the IC device, allowing the design and management of ASIC library to be more simplified and convenient, making ASIC more cost-effective to implement. Moreover, this universal crystal-oscillator I/O circuit can help improve the performance of the oscillator circuit, allowing ASIC designers to have more convenience and flexibility in ASIC design. It can be fast in starting oscillation and low in power consumption. In CDM ESD test, the ESD current flowing into the universal crystal-oscillator I/O circuit would be drained away through the third PMOS transistor or the third NMOS transistor, thus preventing the internal circuitry of the ASIC device from being damaged by the ESD current. This universal crystal-oscillator I/O circuit is therefore able to remove electrostatic electricity accumulated on the IC substrate in CDM ESD test, allowing the ASIC device to easily pass the CDM ESD test.

Universal crystal-oscillator input/output circuit for

An input/output (I/O) device with programmable I/O characteristics is provided for use on an integrated circuit to serve as a communication interface whose input/output characteristics can be set through programmable means to be matched to the external circuitry to which the IC chip is connected for use. This allows the IC chip on which the I/O device is provided to be matched for use with various kinds of external systems. Further, the I/O device can also be provided with a self-control feature that can detect whether the I/O characteristics of the I/O device are matched to the external circuitry and, if not, automatically set the I/O device to the required I/O characteristic. The I/O device can prevent an IC chip from being discarded due to a mismatch in the I/O characteristics with the external circuitry to which the IC chip is connected for use.

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

Jeng-Huang Wu