Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

John Kizziar

Eric N Mann

Fredrick B Jenne

Hans Klein

Hans Van Antwerpen

Carl Liepold

Apparatuses and methods of mutual-capacitance sensing with a capacitance-sensing circuit, such as a self-capacitance sensing device (CSD). One apparatus includes an input node coupled to a capacitance sense pin to couple to a first electrode of a sense array, a transmit (TX) signal generation circuit to generate a TX signal to drive a second electrode of the sense array, logic circuitry coupled to the TX signal generation circuit and the input node. The logic circuitry is configured to selectively couple a first capacitor to the input node and a second capacitor to the input node timed with the TX signal. The apparatus further includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to receive a receive (RX) signal from the input node and to convert the RX signal into a digital value, the digital value representing a mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Mutual capacitance sensing using a self-capacitance sensing device

A voltage-controlled oscillator is provided that avoids use of any crystal resonator, or any resonator that is external to and not integrated upon the voltage-controlled oscillator monolithic substrate. The present oscillator can receive two or more parameters that would likely have an affect on the oscillator frequency, yet the oscillator includes compensating transfer functions that will remove, or correct for, that effect. Transfer functions involve electronic subsystems implemented in hardware or software that receive the input parameter that has changed from a nominal value, and will note the drift in output frequency, yet will compensate for that drift so that the output frequency remains near the nominal value. The voltage-controlled oscillator preferably is an LCVCO, and the transfer function outputs can be summed to take into account multiple parameter changes. In addition, the output frequency can be placed into a wider band spread spectrum output using a modulating, spread spectrum circuitry if desired.

Voltage controlled oscillator

In one embodiment, an antifuse cell includes a select transistor, a blocking transistor, and an antifuse. The select transistor allows for selection of the antifuse cell among an array of antifuse cells, while the blocking transistor limits the amount of voltage that may be directly applied to the select transistor. The antifuse may comprise a capacitor. In another embodiment, current used to program an antifuse cell is controlled using a programming current regulator. The programming current regulator may include components that form a current mirror with components of the antifuse cell to tightly control programming current through the antifuse. In yet another embodiment, dynamic current flowing through a substrate of an antifuse cell is limited using a current limiting resistor directly in series with an antifuse of the antifuse cell. The current limiting resistor minimizes or prevents excessive programming current.

Antifuse circuit with current regulator for controlling programming current

An apparatus comprising a latch circuit, a non-volatile storage circuit, and a switching circuit. The latch circuit may be configured to be dynamically programmable. The non-volatile storage circuit may be configured to be re-programmable. The switching circuit may be configured to transfer data from (i) the non-volatile memory element into the latch circuit in response to a first control signal and (ii) the latch circuit into the non-volatile memory circuit in response to a second control signal.

SONOS latch and application

An apparatus comprising a digitally controlled oscillator and a frequency tuning array. The digitally controlled oscillator may be configured to finely tune an output signal having a frequency in response to a digital signal. The frequency tuning array may be configured to generate the digital signal.

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Spokane, WA, United States of America

John Kizziar