Microchip Technology Inc.

Intel Corporation

Neil F Deutscher

Bryan Kris

Robert P Ma

Lawrence T Clark

Roger D St Amand

Thomas S Spohrer

Jinhui Chen

Eric J Hoffman

Donald S Gerber

James S Bartling

Marquis Jones

Jim Bartling

An analog to digital converter (ADC) includes voltage inputs, a transconductor configured to convert the voltage inputs into currents, current-controlled oscillators, a counter, and digital logic. The current-controlled oscillators propagate respect currents from the transconductor. The counter is configured to count repeated traversal of one or more oscillators. The digital logic is configured to, based upon results from the counter, provide a code configured to indicate a value of associated voltage input.

Time-based, current-controlled paired oscillator analog-to-digital converter with selectable resolution

A differential digital delay line analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes differential digital delay lines, a circuit including a set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines, and another circuit including another set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines. The first circuit is configured to generate data representing an analog to digital conversion of an input. The second circuit is configured to calibrate a source to the differential digital delay lines.

Time-based delay line analog to digital converter

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a differential digital delay line analog-to-digital converter (ADC), comprising differential digital delay lines including series coupled delay cells, wherein a delay time of a first delay line is controlled by a first input of the ADC and a delay time of a second delay line is controlled by a second input of the ADC. The ADC includes a pair of bypass multiplexers coupled at a predefined node location in the series coupled delay cells, latches each coupled with the series coupled delay cells, a converter circuit coupled with the plurality of latches configured to convert data from the latches into an output value of the ADC, and logic circuits configured to select data from the series coupled delay cells to the latches depending on a selected resolution of the differential digital delay line analog-to-digital converter.

Time-based delay line analog-to-digital converter with variable resolution

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a microcontroller with a processor, memory, and peripheral devices including a differential digital delay line analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC includes differential digital delay lines, a circuit including a set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines, and another circuit including another set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines. The first circuit is configured to generate data representing an analog to digital conversion of an input. The second circuit is configured to calibrate a source to the differential digital delay lines.

Microcontroller with digital delay line analog-to-digital converter

Embodiments of the present disclosure include voltage comparators. The voltage comparators may include a first input configured to receive a first analog voltage, a second input configured to receive a second analog voltage, a first digital delay line configured to propagate the first analog voltage through a first delay circuit and the second analog voltage through a second circuit, and an output circuit configured to provide a comparator output based upon whether values representing the first analog voltage or the second analog voltage propagated faster through the first digital delay line. The comparator output may be configured to identify whether the first analog voltage or the second analog voltage is greater.

Time-based delay line analog comparator

An analog-to-digital converter includes differential digital delay lines, a circuit including a set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines, and another circuit including another set of delay elements included in the differential digital delay lines. The first circuit is configured to generate data representing an analog to digital conversion of an input. The second circuit is configured to calibrate a source to the differential digital delay lines.

An integrated circuit boost regulator design providing selection of either a low power on-chip power component boost regulator circuit or a high power off-chip power component boost regulator circuit using the same integrated circuit device.

Dual mode boost regulator

A conditional level shifter circuit is used to substantially eliminate sneak current from occurring in an integrated circuit device having two or more logic circuit modules in different voltage domains. Sneak current is caused when a signal between the two or more logic circuit modules in different voltage domains is at logic '0' and one of the logic circuit modules is biased at a voltage level above the true ground, V, of the integrated circuit device. The conditional ground restoration circuit shifts the virtual ground logic '0' to the true ground level. This eliminates sneak current and logic level corruption.

High speed conditional back bias virtual ground restoration circuit

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit has a voltage regulator that is used to provide a power supply potential to a memory circuit while a logic circuit is decoupled from a power supply potential.

Apparatus having a first circuit supplying a power potential to a second circuit under a first operating mode otherwise decoupling the power potential

An integrated circuit having CMOS domino logic arranged in multistages or a tree structure. The multistage cells and addressing structure may have applications in a decoder and reduce the number of cells being precharged and reduce the operating power.

Low power domino tree decoder

A merged two transistor memory cell of an EEPROM, and method of fabricating same, is provided. The memory cell includes a substrate and insulating layer formed on the substrate. It also includes a memory transistor having a floating gate and a control gate, and a select transistor having a gate that is shared with the memory transistor. The memory cell is configured so that the shared gate serves both as the control gate of the memory transistor and the wordline of the select transistor. The memory cell further includes an ONO stack film that is disposed between the floating gate and the shared gate. In fabricating the memory, the ONO stack film is formed adjacent to the top and side surfaces of the floating gate. The ONO stack film is also formed so as not to be interposed between a potion of the shared gate that is adjacent to the substrate and the insulating layer.

Memory cell having an ONO film with an ONO sidewall and method of fabricating same

A method is disclosed for forming narrow thermal silicon dioxide side isolation regions in a semiconductor substrate and MOS or CMOS semiconductor devices fabricated by this method. A thin stress relief layer is used in conjunction with a polysilicon buffering stress relief layer on the surface of a semiconductor substrate prior to the field oxidation process to restrict lateral silicon dioxide expansion thereby permitting the creation of narrow thermal silicon dioxide side isolation regions in the semiconductor substrate. A silicon dioxide layer is also used between an amorphous polysilicon (buffering stress relief) layer and a silicon nitride layer to function as an oxide cap, to avoid undesired pitting of the amorphous polysilicon layer, and to avoid interaction between the silicon nitride and amorphous polysilicon layers in areas of high stress.

Method of forming side dielectrically isolated semiconductor devices and

A method is disclosed for forming narrow thermal silicon dioxide side isolation regions in a semiconductor substrate and MOS or CMOS semiconductor devices fabricated by this method. A thin oxynitride lateral diffusion barrier to oxygen is used in conjunction with a polysilicon buffering stress relief layer on the surface of a semiconductor substrate prior to the field oxidation process to restrict lateral silicon dioxide expansion thereby permitting the creation of narrow thermal silicon dioxide side isolation regions in the semiconductor substrate.

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Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Neil F Deutscher