STMicroelectronics

About: STMicroelectronics is a company organization based out in Geneva, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Signal & Transistor. The organization has 17172 authors who have published 29543 publications receiving 300766 citations. The organization is also known as: SGS-Thomson & STM.

A memetic algorithm to solve an unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem with auxiliary resources in semiconductor manufacturing

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a metaheuristic for solving an original scheduling problem with auxiliary resources in a photolithography workshop of a semiconductor plant. The photolithography workshop is often a bottleneck, and improving scheduling decisions in this workshop can help to improve indicators of the whole plant. Two optimization criteria are separately considered: the weighted flow time (to minimize) and the number of products that are processed (to maximize). After stating the problem and giving some properties on the solution space, we show how these properties help us to efficiently solve the problem with the proposed memetic algorithm, which has been implemented and tested on large generated instances. Numerical experiments show that good solutions are obtained within a reasonable computational time.

Colour image sensor with hexagonal shaped pixels

Abstract: A colour image sensor has an image array (10) in which a pixel of a given colour (R,G,B) is surrounded by pixels of other colours in a quasi-hexagonal manner. Colour values for a given pixel are derived from the actual value of that pixel's colour and average values of the neighbouring pixels of other colours. These values are derived by reading pixel values from three adjacent lines into three channels (12,14,16) each comprising delay lines (20,22,34,36) as temporary storage means, the averaging being performed by summing (24,28) the relevant data from the channels (12,14,16). Bayer-type patterns and four colour patterns of pixels are also described.

UTBB FDSOI transistors with dual STI for a multi-V t strategy at 20nm node and below

Abstract: We introduce an innovative dual-depth shallow trench isolation (dual STI) scheme for Ultra Thin Body and BOX (UTBB) FDSOI architecture. Since in the dual STI configuration wells are isolated from one another by the deepest trenches, this architecture enables a full use of the back bias while staying compatible with both standard bulk design and conventional SOI substrates. We demonstrate in 20nm ground rules that we are able to tune V t by more than 400mV, that transistor performance can be boosted by up to 30% and that I off can be controlled over 3 decades by allowing more than V DD /2 to be applied on the back gate.

Voltage regulator for semiconductor non-volatile electrically programmable memory devices

Abstract: A voltage regulator for electrically programmable non-volatile memory cells includes a gain stage which is supplied a voltage from a voltage booster connected to a supply voltage reference, having an input terminal connected to an output of a voltage divider and an output terminal connected to a pull-up transistor of a pull-up and pull-down differential pair to output the regulated voltage for programming at least one column or bit line of the memory cells. The voltage regulator also includes a second gain stage having an input terminal connected to a second output of the voltage divider. The second stage has an output connected to turn on the pull-down transistor in the complementary pair upon the regulated voltage exceeding a predetermined value.

Simultaneous sensing and data transmission

Abstract: In order to satisfy the conflicting requirements for spectrum sensing and QoS of data transmission, it is highly desirable for a cognitive radio system, e.g. IEEE 802.22 WRAN, to perform spectrum sensing and data transmission simultaneously. Embodiments of the invention address critical issues of self-interference generated from a transmission unit to the co-located sensing unit when the simultaneous sensing and data transmission technique is applied. A number of interference mitigation techniques are described and analyses are given.