Sgs-thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.

Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Co.ri.m.me-consorzio Per La Ricera Sulla Microelectronia Nel.

Piero Capocelli

Michele Taliercio

Andrea Baroni

Rajamohan Varambally

Mario Paparo

William A Phillips

Luigi Carro

Giovanni Mastrodomenico

Federico Pio

Raffaele Zambrano

Carlo Riva

Vincenzo Daniele

Marco M Monti

Taliercio Michele

A reduced area delay circuit and method are disclosed. The delay circuit uses a constant current source and a constant current drain to charge and discharge a capacitor and thus control the delay time of the delay circuit. The constant current source and drain can be implemented using current mirrors formed by configuring MOSFET transistors in a common source configuration. The delay circuit method includes the steps of receiving an input signal, delaying the input signal by using a constant current source or drain in combination with a capacitor, and then buffering the voltage on the capacitor using two inverters. A programmable delay circuit is also disclosed by adding additional pairs of current mirrors to the delay circuit and selectively enabling the pairs to adjust the delay time.

Delay circuit and method

A memory device generator for generating memory devices in a CAD environment, the generator composed of a library file containing predefined basic circuit components; memory array generation algorithm interacting with the library file for generating a variable-size memory array representation having a variable number of memory elements, and at least one redundant memory element; memory element selection circuit generation algorithm interacting with the library file for generating a memory element selection circuit to be associated with the memory array for selecting at least one memory element according to memory device address inputs. The memory element selection circuit generation algorithm having a subroutine for generating a variable-size content-addressable memory representation having a plurality of content-addressable memory locations each one associated to a respective memory element or to a redundant memory element, each of the content-addressable memory locations suitable for storing one of a set of values of the memory device address inputs and for selecting the respective memory element or redundant memory element when the memory device address inputs take the one value.

Memory device generator for generating memory devices with redundancy

Inductive structures make highly efficient use of the magnetic flux generd, and are consistent with integrated circuit manufacturing techniques. The structures include electrically conductive layers and interconnecting conductor filled vias to define a helical winding surrounding a closed magnetic core. The magnetic core may also be formed by semiconductor manufacturing techinuqes. A method of making the structures on a semiconductor substrate concurrently with the formation of the integrated circuit itself is also disclosed.

Method for realizing magnetic circuits in an integrated circuit

A single-port RAM generator architecture, for the generation of different RAM structures in a CAD environment, and to test the operation capabilities of the different RAM structure, The architecture includes a Static RAM matrix and a self timed architecture, which includes a control logic, both a dummy row and a dummy column having respectively equivalent load of a word line and of bit column of said matrix. The dummy column is discharged at a faster rate than the corresponding bit column optimizing the timing and reducing power consumption. Different column multiplexer selections provide different RAMs for a selected RAM size, each having slightly different silicon area and timing performance.

High performance single port RAM generator architecture

A single-port RAM generator architecture, for the generation of different RAM structures in a CAD environment, and to test the operation capabilities of the different RAM structure. The architecture includes a Static RAM matrix and a self timed architecture, which includes a control logic, both a dummy row and a dummy column having respectively equivalent load of a word line and of bit column of said matrix. The dummy column is discharged at a faster rate than the corresponding bit column optimizing the timing and reducing power consumption. Different column multiplexer selections provide different RAMs for a selected RAM size, each having slightly different silicon area and timing performance.

An integrated analog circuit having a circuit topology and intrinsic characteristics which may be selected by digital control means is formed by batteries of similar circuit components arranged substantially in parallel or in a matrix array, anyone of which may be isolated or not by means of a dedicated integrated switch and by alternative interconnection paths among the different circuit components and/or batteries of circuit components, which may be also be selected by closing a relative integrated switch. A dedicated nonvolatile memory, integrated on the same chip may be permanently programmed and determine a certain configuration of all the integrated switches thus selected a particlar component or more components of each of said batteries of functionally similar components, and/or selecting a certain interconnection path among the different circuit components in order to form a functional integrated circuit having the desired topology and intrinsic characteristics. The integrated nonvolatile memory is programmed by means of a software program which may take as input data the desired values of the different parameters which determine the intrinsic characteristics of the functional analog circuit and the type of functional analog circuit itself.

Growing community of inventors

Milan, Italy

Piero Capocelli