Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080226100 | Microphone Amplification Arrangement and Integrated Circuit Therefor - A microphone amplifier arrangement comprises at least one microphone input connected to a dual output microphone pre-amplifier having an input resistance comprising a first resistance and a second resistance in a first voltage-to-voltage mode of operation, and only the second resistance in a second current-to-voltage mode of operation. A first output is operably coupled to a first feedback path comprising a V2V feedback resistor; and a second output is operably coupled to a second feedback path comprising an I2V feedback resistor. In this manner, the microphone amplifier arrangement is arranged to support both a V2V microphone amplifier and a low-noise I2V microphone amplifier. | 09-18-2008 |
20080303496 | Low Pass Filter Low Drop-out Voltage Regulator - A low dropout voltage regulator is described having a pass device, differential amplifiers, and a feedback loop including a low pass filter. Two differential amplifiers arranged in parallel coupled to the low pass filter in the feedback loop provide a specified and stable DC voltage whose input-to-output voltage difference is low. Improved stability, reduced die area, improved power supply rejection ratio, increased bandwidth, decreased power consumption, and better electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection may result. | 12-11-2008 |
20100029344 | HEADSETS - A detector for detecting the connection of an accessory including a microphone and/or the state of a switch associated with the microphone for a mobile device, wherein the detector comprises a first flag generator for time multiplexing the detection of a signal above a predetermined threshold for each of two comparators, such that for one time period one comparator output is detected and for a second time period the second comparator output is detected to thereby form a first flag; a second flag generator for determining the connection of microphone to thereby generate a second flag; a lookup table for determining the connection of the accessory and/or the state of the microphone switch from the first and second flags. | 02-04-2010 |
20100246858 | AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT - An amplifier circuit comprises differential amplification circuitry comprising an input stage having first and second differential inputs, and an output stage, having respective first and second amplifier components with first and second differential outputs. The first amplifier component of the output stage comprises a first power transistor operably coupled to the first differential output and driven by a first differential output of the input stage, and a third power transistor operably coupled to the first differential output of the amplifier circuit and driven by a second output of the input stage. The second amplifier component comprises a second power transistor operably coupled to the second differential output and driven by a second output of the input stage, and a fourth power transistor operably coupled to the second differential output and driven by the first output of the input stage. Each of the first and second power transistors of the first and second amplifier components is driven in a current mirror arrangement by the respective first and second output of the input stage. | 09-30-2010 |
20130200944 | VOLTAGE SWITCHING CIRCUITRY, INTEGRATED DEVICE AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, AND METHOD OF VOLTAGE SWITCHING - A voltage switching circuitry comprises a switching arrangement with a given number N of switches in series between a first terminal receiving a first voltage and a second terminal receiving a second voltage. The first voltage level is higher than the second voltage level, and N is at least equal to 2. A voltage-by-N divider, having N−1 output taps, is arranged to divide the first voltage by N to a scaled down version of the first voltage having a voltage level below voltage max ratings of the switches. The N−1 output taps of the divider are arranged to respectively output N−1 third voltages having respective levels staged below the first voltage level. N−1 max voltage generators generate N−1 fourth voltages, respectively equal to the maximum of the second voltage and of each of the N−1 third voltages. A switch control unit generates N control signals using the N−1 fourth voltages. These N control signals have respective voltage levels staged between the first voltage level and the second voltage level. In addition, each of the N control signals controls one of the switches of the switching arrangement, respectively. | 08-08-2013 |
20150206598 | SAMPLE-AND-HOLD CIRCUIT, CAPACITIVE SENSING DEVICE, AND METHOD OF OPERATING A SAMPLE-AND-HOLD CIRCUIT - A sample-and-hold circuit is provided. The sample-and-hold circuit includes an input one or more dedicated capacitive elements, one or more parasitic capacitive elements connected to said one or more dedicated capacitive elements, an output, a group of switches, and a control unit. The control unit controls said switches so as to interconnect said input, said one or more dedicated capacitive elements, and said output in a cyclic manner in accordance with a sample-and-hold cycle. | 07-23-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100041175 | METHOD OF PURIFYING A CRYSTALLINE SILICON SUBSTRATE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL - The invention relates to a method of purifying a crystalline silicon substrate and to a process for producing a photovoltaic cell. The method of purifying a crystalline silicon substrate according to the invention is of the type that includes a step of extracting impurities by external gettering and which includes, before said step of extracting the impurities by external gettering, at least one step of rapidly annealing the substrate at a temperature of between 750° C. and 1000° C. inclusive for a time of between 1 second and 10 minutes inclusive. The invention is particularly applicable in the photovoltaic cell field. | 02-18-2010 |
20120329194 | METHOD FOR TREATING A SILICON SUBSTRATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS, AND PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL PRODUCTION METHOD - The invention relates to a method for treating a silicon substrate for the production of photovoltaic cells against reduction in yield during the illumination of said photovoltaic cells. The invention also relates to a method for producing photovoltaic cells from the treated substrate. To said end, the invention relates to a method for treating a silicon substrate for the production of photovoltaic cells, said method including the following steps: a) providing a silicon substrate obtained from a metallurgically purified load, and b) annealing said substrate by heating the substrate to a temperature between 880° C. and 930° C. for a duration of between one and four hours, preferably at a temperature of 900° C., give or take 10° C., for two hours, give or take 10 minutes. | 12-27-2012 |
20130158889 | METHOD FOR MAPPING OXYGEN CONCENTRATION - A method for determining the oxygen concentration of a sample made of a semiconductor material includes a heat treatment step of the sample to form thermal donors, the measurement of the resistivity in an area of the sample, the determination of the thermal donor concentration from a relation expressing the charge carrier mobility according to an ionized dopant impurity concentration, by adding to the dopant impurity concentration four times the thermal donor concentration, and from the measured resistivity value. The method finally includes determining the oxygen concentration from the thermal donor concentration. | 06-20-2013 |
20140033797 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING INTERSTITIAL OXYGEN CONCENTRATION - A method for determining the interstitial oxygen concentration of a sample made from a p-doped semiconductor material includes a step of heat treatment of the sample in order to form thermal donors, determining the duration of the heat treatment required to obtain a compensated semiconductor material, determining the thermal donors concentration in the sample of compensated semiconductor material, from the charge carriers concentration, and determining the oxygen concentration from the thermal donors of and the duration of the heat treatment. | 02-06-2014 |
20140163913 | DETERMINING THE DOPANT CONTENT OF A COMPENSATED SILICON SAMPLE - The method for determining the concentrations of dopant impurities in a silicon sample includes provision of a silicon ingot including donor-type dopant impurities and acceptor-type dopant impurities, a step for determining the position of a first area of the ingot in which a transition takes place between a first conductivity type and a second opposite conductivity type, a step for measuring the concentration of free charge carriers in the second area of the ingot, distinct from the first area, by Hall effect, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy or a method using the lifetime of the charge carriers, and a step for determining the concentrations of dopant impurities in the sample from the position of the first area and the concentration of free charge carriers in the second area of the ingot. | 06-12-2014 |
20140167731 | DETERMINING THE DOPANT CONTENT OF A COMPENSATED SILICON SAMPLE - Method for determining dopant impurities concentrations in a silicon sample involves provision of a silicon ingot including donor type dopant impurities and acceptor type dopant impurities, a step for determining the position of a first area of the ingot in which a transition takes place between a first conductivity and a second opposite conductivity types, by subjecting ingot portions to chemical treatment based on hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid and acetic acid, enabling defects to be revealed on one of the portions corresponding to the transition between the first conductivity and the second conductivity types, a step of measuring the concentration of free charge carriers in a second area of the ingot, different from the first area, and a step for determining concentrations of dopant impurities in the sample from the position of the first area and the concentration of free charge carriers in the second area of the ingot. | 06-19-2014 |
20150055677 | DETERMINATION OF THE INTERSTITIAL OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN A SEMICONDUCTOR SAMPLE - A method for determining the oxygen concentration of a sample made from p-type semiconductor material includes a thermal treatment step to form the thermal donors, a measuring step of the charge carrier concentration of the sample at a temperature between 0 K and 100 K, a step of determining the thermal donor concentration of the sample from the charge carrier concentration and the temperature of the sample, and a step of determining the interstitial oxygen concentration from the thermal donor concentration. | 02-26-2015 |
20150236190 | Device and method for restoring silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells - A restoration device of at least one silicon-based photovoltaic solar cell is provided with a support of the cell and a charge carriers generator configured to generate charge carriers in the photovoltaic solar cell. The device is further provided with a tank designed to be filled by a liquid, and the support is configured to place the photovoltaic solar cell in the liquid. | 08-20-2015 |
20150263216 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RESTORING SILICON-BASED SOLAR CELLS USING AN ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER - The restoration device of least one silicon-based photovoltaic solar cell includes a support of the cell, a heat source configured to heat the photovoltaic solar cell, and unit for generating charge carriers in the cell. To better accelerate the restoration kinetics of the solar cell, the device includes an ultrasonic transducer designed to generate ultrasonic waves propagating in the photovoltaic solar cell. | 09-17-2015 |
20150284875 | METHOD FOR FORMING A DOPED SILICON INGOT OF UNIFORM RESISTIVITY - A method for forming a silicon ingot includes the following steps: providing a silicon ingot of variable electrical resistivity and containing interstitial oxygen, determining the interstitial oxygen concentration in different areas of the silicon ingot, calculating the concentration of thermal donors to be created in the different areas to reach a target value of the electrical resistivity, and subjecting the different areas of the silicon ingot to annealing so as to form the thermal donors. The annealing temperature in each area is determined from the thermal donor and interstitial oxygen concentrations of the area and from a predefined annealing time. | 10-08-2015 |