Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Kuang-Kai Yen

Chewn-Pu Jou

Huan-Neng Chen

Feng Wei Kuo

Tsung-Hsiung Lee

Robert Bogdan Staszewski

Hsien-Yuan Liao

Lee Tsung Hsiung

Fu-Lung Hsueh

Hung-Chih Lin

Hao Chen

Ching-Nen Peng

Min-Jer Wang

Ming-Chieh Liu

Feng-Wei Kuo

Hsieh-Hung Hsieh

Wei-Li Chen

Yi-Hsuan Liu

Fan-ming Kuo

Tsung-Hsiung Li

Shi-Hung Wang

Yung-Hsu Chuang

Shih-Hung Lan

Lan-Chou Cho

Jinn-Yeh Chien

An integrated circuit (IC) includes a first circuit layer that includes a first wireless power transfer (WPT) device, a first chip electrically connected to the first circuit layer, and a first tracking circuit disposed in the first chip. The first WPT device may be configured to extract energy from an electromagnetic signal and provide an output voltage. The first tracking circuit may be powered by the output voltage of the first WPT device and may output tracking data in response to an instruction extracted from the electromagnetic signal.

Composite integrated circuits and methods for wireless interactions therewith

A semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of dies and at least one test probe. Each of the plurality of dies includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit. The at least one test probe includes a plurality of probe pads. The plurality of probe pads is configured to transmit power signals and data to each of the plurality of dies, and to receive test results from each of the plurality of dies. The data are transmitted to each of the plurality of dies in a serial manner. The test results of each of the plurality of dies are also transmitted to the plurality of probe pads in a serial manner.

Method and apparatus for RFID tag testing

A calibration procedure that uses direct measurement of digital phase error performance for low cost calibration of all-digital phase locked loop (ADPLL)/digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) is described. Direct measurement of digital phase error, or difference in digital phase error, is used to adjust the operating point of the DCO and thereby determine the operating point that provides the optimal phase noise of the output signal. Calibration may be performed at any time so that changes in external factors such as process, voltage and temperature (PVT) may be incorporated into the setting of the operating point of the DCO.

DCO phase noise with PVT-insensitive calibration circuit in ADPLL applications

A composite integrated circuit (IC) includes a first circuit layer, a second circuit layer having a first chip and a second chip, and a first wireless power transfer (WPT) device in the first chip or the first circuit layer. The first WPT device generates a power supply voltage by extracting energy from an electromagnetic signal. A first tracking circuit in the second chip or the first circuit layer is powered by the power supply voltage from the first WPT device and stores or outputs tracking data in response to an instruction extracted from the electromagnetic signal.

A circuit and a method are disclosed herein. The circuit includes a digitally controlled oscillator and a detector. The digitally controlled oscillator is configured to generate an oscillator signal according to an oscillator tuning word. The detector is configured to output one of a first control word and a second control word that is derived from the first control word as the oscillator tuning word.

All digital phase-locked loop

A phase-locked loop (PLL) is provided. The PLL comprises a clock adjuster configured to receive an initial clock signal having an initial frequency and a mode control signal. The clock adjuster is configured to modify the initial clock signal into a modified clock signal based on the mode control signal. The PLL is configured such that a loop bandwidth is equal to a specified bandwidth. When the modified clock signal is changed, a loop gain of a loop filter is adjusted such that the loop bandwidth is substantially equal to the specified bandwidth. When the modified clock signal is changed, an oscillator tuning word (OTW) signal is modified into a normalized OTW signal such that the loop bandwidth is substantially equal to the specified bandwidth.

Phase-locked loop (PLL)

The present disclosure relates to a device and method to reduce the dynamic/static power consumption of an MCML logic device. In order to retain register contents during power off mode, an MCML retention latch and flip-flop are disclosed. Retention Latch circuits in MCML architecture are used to retain critical register contents during power off mode, wherein combination logic including clock buffers on the clock tree paths are powered off to reduce dynamic/static power consumption. The MCML retention flip-flop comprises a master latch and a slave latch, wherein a power switch is added to the master latch to power the master latch off during power off mode. The slave latch includes pull-down circuits that remain active to enable the slave latch to retain data at a proper voltage level during power off mode. Other devices and methods are also disclosed.

MCML retention flip-flop/latch for low power applications

A phase-locked loop (PLL) is provided. The PLL comprises a dithering circuit that is configured to receive a second tuning signal, and dither the second tuning signal to generate a dither signal to decrease a magnitude of a spur of the PLL. The dither signal is used by a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) to generate an output signal of the PLL. Operation of the dithering circuit is controlled using a spur-cancel control circuit. The spur-cancel control circuit receives a frequency command word (FCW) signal and determines a value of an enable signal based on the FCW signal. In some embodiments, the dithering circuit dithers the second tuning signal based on the enable signal.

A phase-locked loop circuit, a phase converter module thereof and a phase-locked controlling method are disclosed herein. The phase converter module is suitable for a phase-locked loop circuit including a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) for generating an oscillator output signal and a divider for converting the oscillator output signal into N-phased oscillator output signals. The phase converter module includes a period extender, a phase finder and a time-to-digital converter. The period extender is configured for extending the N-phased oscillator output signals into M*N-phased oscillator output signals corresponding to M oscillation period of the digitally-controlled oscillator. The phase finder is configured for sampling the oscillator output signal with the M*N-phased oscillator output signals to calculate an estimated value of the fractional phase part. The time-to-digital converter is configured to calculate a precise value of the fractional phase part within one sub-period.

Phase-locked loop circuit

A semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of dies. Each of the plurality of dies includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit and a coil. The RFID tag circuit includes a tag core, an RF front-end circuit, an ID decoder, a comparator and conductive line for a unique ID. The RF front-end circuit is configured to receive electromagnetic signals through the coil in each of the plurality of dies and to convert the received electromagnetic signals into commands. The ID decoder is configured to receive the commands and to generate an expect ID. The comparator is configured to compare the unique ID with the expect ID to generate a comparison result. The comparison result is arranged to decide if the tag core is configured to receive commands.

Method and apparatus of RFID tag contactless testing

One or more techniques or systems for locking a phase locked loop (PLL) are provided herein. In some embodiments, a multi-phase time-to-digital converter (TDC) includes a first phase finder, a phase predictor, a second phase finder, and a phase switch. For example, the first phase finder is configured to generate a first fractional phase signal based on a multi-phase variable clock (CKV) signal. For example, the phase predictor is configured to generate a phase select (QSEL) signal or a multi-phase CKV select (CKVSEL) signal based on a frequency command word (FCW) signal or the multi-phase CKV signal. For example, the second phase finder is configured to generate a second fractional phase signal based on the CKVSEL signal or the QSEL signal. For example, the phase switch is configured to select the first or second fractional phase signal based on a phase error (PHE) signal.

Phase locked loop (PLL) with multi-phase time-to-digital converter (TDC)

A phase-locked loop circuit, a phase converter module thereof and a phase-locked controlling method are disclosed herein. The phase converter module is suitable for a phase-locked loop circuit including a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) for generating an oscillator output signal and a divider for converting the oscillator output signal into N-phased oscillator output signals. The phase converter module includes a phase finder and a time-to-digital converter. The phase finder is configured for sampling the oscillator output signal with the N-phased oscillator output signals to calculate an estimated value of a fractional phase part. One oscillation period of the digitally-controlled oscillator is divided into N sub-periods. The time-to-digital converter is configured for sampling one of the N-phased oscillator output signals with a reference-frequency signal to calculate a precise value of the fractional phase part within one sub-period.

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Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Kuang-Kai Yen