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US 6,788,587 B2Granted
Small anti-fuse circuit to facilitate parallel fuse blowing
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorScott Van De Graaff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and associated method are provided to improve the programming of anti-fuse devices in an integrated circuit. A programming circuit capable of programming a plurality of anti-fuse devices in parallel permits a state-changing voltage to be applied to multiple anti-fuses substantially simultaneously using a common control signal.
Claims24
A processor system, comprising:
- a processor;
- at least one memory device coupled to said processor and including at least one programming circuit, said programming circuit comprising:
- a plurality of programmable elements;
- a plurality of element programming circuits each associated with a programmable element and each including:
- a latch circuit for receiving and holding a desired programming state of an associated programmable element, said plurality of element programming circuits setting the state of said associated programmable elements in accordance with a desired programming state held in an associated latch in response to a common control signal;
- a latch-programming circuit for temporarily applying a programming signal to an input of a respective latch circuit, said latch circuit latching a state of said programming signal, said latch-programming circuit comprising:
- a latch isolation transistor coupled between said programmable element and said latch circuit, and
- a latch-programming transistor having a gate controlled by a first latch-programming signal, a first source/drain coupled to a second latch-programming signal, and a second source/drain coupled to said input of said latch circuit through said latch isolation transistor.
5 more elements
A processor system, comprising:
- a processor;
- at least one memory device coupled to said processor and including at least one programming circuit, said programming circuit comprising:
- at least one latch circuit;
- at least one latch-programming circuit for temporarily applying a programming signal to an input of a respective latch circuit, said latch circuit latching a state of said programming signal;
- a signal line applying a voltage sufficient to change the state of said programmable element;
- at least one latch isolation transistor coupled between said programmable element and said latch circuit;
- at least one state control transistor coupled between said programmable element and a first reference voltage and having a gate controlled by an output of said latch circuit;
- wherein said at least one latch-programming circuit further comprises:
- at least one latch-programming transistor having a gate controlled by a first latch-programming signal;
- a first source/drain coupled to a second latch-programming signal;
- and
- a second source/drain coupled to said input of said latch circuit through one of said at least one latch isolation transistor;
- and
- wherein during a programming phase, said latch circuit is configured to latch said programming signal, and during a common control phase, said latch isolation transistor is configured to decouple said programmable element from said latch circuit and said signal line is configured to apply said state-changing voltage to said programmable element if said output of said latch circuit turns on said state control transistor.
11 more elements
A method of programming a plurality of programmable elements, comprising:
- soft-programming a plurality of latches to a desired state, each latch associated with a respective programmable element;
- hard-programming said plurality of programmable elements with said state of an associated latch using a common control signal;
- providing a plurality of state control transistors each coupled between a respective programmable element and a first reference voltage;
- during a programming phase, applying a programming signal to an input of said latches, and latching said programming signal in each said latch circuit;
- and
- during a common control phase, decoupling said programmable element from said latch circuit using a latch isolation transistor and applying a voltage sufficient to change a state of said programmable element if an output of said latch circuit activates said state control transistor;
- wherein said applying of said programming signal includes controlling a gate of a latch programming transistor using a first latch programming signal line and coupling a second latch programming signal line to said input of said latch circuit through said latch programming transistor.
4 more elements
A method of programming a programmable element, comprising:
- providing a state control transistor coupled between said programmable element and a first reference voltage;
- providing a latch circuit having an input coupled to said programmable element through a latch isolation transistor and an output coupled to control a gate of said state control transistor;
- during a programming phase, applying a programming signal to said input of said latch circuit, and latching said programming signal in said latch circuit;
- and
- during a common control phase, applying a voltage sufficient to change a state of said programmable element if an output of said latch circuit activates said state control transistor, and decoupling said programmable element from said latch circuit using said latch isolation transistor;
- wherein said applying of said programming signal includes controlling a gate of a latch programming transistor using a first latch programming signal line and coupling a second latch programming signal line to said input of said latch circuit through said latch programming transistor.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.