Mihai C Manolescu

6359425, Mar 19, 2002

Dec 13, 1999

09/460442

Mihai C. Manolescu - San Jose CA

Zilog, Inc. - Campbell CA

G05F 1573

323277, 323315, 327539

A circuit for regulating a current provided by a power supply to drive a load in response to an input signal, is provided. The circuit contains a current source that has a specified current value and is coupled to the power supply. In addition, the circuit also comprises a controller that generates a reference voltage and is coupled to the current source. Furthermore, the circuit also includes a comparator that compares the reference voltage and a voltage at a node. To this node, controller is coupled. In addition, the load is coupled between the node and the power supply. In response to the input signal, the controller regulates the current to drive the load. This current has a first current-value that is proportional to the specified current value of the current source when the voltage at the node is greater than the reference voltage and a second current value that is based on the power supply when the voltage at the node is less than the reference voltage. Alternatively, this circuit may be modified so as to detect when [1] the power supply is low, [2] the load has been dislodged or [3] both.

61540862, Nov 28, 2000

Aug 13, 1999

9/374376

Mihai C. Manolescu - San Jose CA

Zilog, Inc. - Campbell CA

H03K 1756

327419

An apparatus having a power supply terminal, a capacitor terminal, and a load terminal for distributing power from the power supply terminal to the capacitor terminal. The apparatus has a driver which supplies load current to the load terminal in response to a control signal, a controller which generates the control signal, and is coupled to the capacitor terminal, and a switching device. The switching device couples the power supply terminal to the controller and the capacitor terminal when the driver does not supply the load current to the load terminal, and decouples the power supply terminal from the controller and the capacitor terminal when the driver supplies the load current to the load terminal. As a result, the controller is effectively isolated from the noisy power supply.

62192795, Apr 17, 2001

Oct 29, 1999

9/430474

Mihai Manolescu - San Jose CA
Gianpaolo Spadini - Mesa AZ

Zilog, Inc. - Campbell CA

G11C 1606

36518521

A method and circuits, in a non-volatile memory system such as EPROM, for limiting bit line current during programming that includes biasing a driving transistor to mirror a maximum desired current into the driving transistor from a mirroring transistor connected to a controlled current source. This technique is useful, for example, during hot electron programming of a floating gate memory cell to limit bit line current caused by snap back of the cell through which a relatively high current is passed. In a preferred embodiment, the state of a cell is monitored while being programmed by comparing the voltage of the bit line with a reference voltage that is developed in a circuit containing a replica of the driving transistor. Since characteristics of the driving and reference transistors are the same from wafer to wafer, or batch to batch, the reference voltage varies to compensate for variations in characteristics of the driving transistor among integrated circuit chips from different wafers and manufacturing batches.