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US 7,679,426 B2Granted
Transistor antifuse device
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDonald W. Schulte, Terry McMahon, David Douglas Hall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a method provides a bipolar junction transistor that is coupled to a first power supply. A second power supply is utilized to turn on the bipolar junction transistor. And, the bipolar junction transistor is overdriven.
Claims51
A method comprising:
- providing a bipolar junction transistor coupled to a first power supply;
- utilizing a second power supply to turn on the bipolar junction transistor;
- overdriving the bipolar junction transistor, wherein overdriving of the bipolar junction transistor generates a filamentary short defect in the bipolar junction transistor, and wherein the filamentary short defect provides an antifuse device;
- and
- coupling the second power supply to the bipolar junction transistor via a plurality of invertors.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a bipolar junction transistor coupled to a first power supply and a second power supply,
- wherein, to write the bipolar junction transistor, the bipolar junction transistor is overdriven while the bipolar junction transistor is turned on and wherein a filamentary short defect is formed in the bipolar junction transistor after the bipolar junction transistor is overdriven, wherein the filamentary short defect provides an antifuse device, and wherein the second power supply is coupled to the bipolar junction transistor via a plurality of invertors.
An apparatus comprising:
- a bipolar junction transistor coupled to a first power supply and a second power supply;
- and
- a plurality of field-effect transistors coupled to the bipolar junction transistor to isolate the bipolar junction transistor from circuit elements driven by the second power supply,
- wherein the bipolar junction transistor is overdriven while the bipolar junction transistor is turned on to burn a filamentary short defect in the bipolar junction transistor, and wherein the bipolar junction transistor is turned on by coupling the second power supply to a base of the bipolar junction via a plurality of invertors.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- a first transistor coupled to low-voltage and high-voltage circuitry, the first transistor isolating the low and high voltage circuitry from each other;
- a bipolar junction transistor;
- and
- wherein the first transistor is utilized as a diode in a first bias condition and as a field-effect transistor in a second bias condition and wherein the bipolar junction transistor is overdriven while the bipolar junction transistor is turned on to create a programmed antifuse device, and wherein a plurality of invertors are coupled to a base of the bipolar junction transistor via the first transistor.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- means for coupling a bipolar junction transistor to a first power supply;
- means for utilizing a second power supply, coupled to the first power supply via a plurality of signal inverting means, to turn on the bipolar junction transistor;
- and
- means for overdriving the bipolar junction transistor using the first power supply while the bipolar junction transistor is turned on by the means for utilizing a second power supply, wherein overdriving of the bipolar junction transistor generates a programmed antifuse device.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.