# US 9,520,866 B2 · Delay adjusting apparatus and operating apparatus including the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,866 B2 - Document ID: US9520866B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/637,075 - Filed: 2015-03-03 - Published: 2016-04-28 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-28 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Sun Suk Yang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520866B2 ## CPC - H03K 5/134: with field-effect transistors - H03K 2005/00071: {by adding capacitance as a load} - H03K 2005/00215: {where the conduction path of multiple FET's is in parallel or in series, all having the same gate control} - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A delay adjusting apparatus may include at least one selective delay element electrically coupled to an electrical path between an input terminal and an output terminal of the electrical path, and the at least one selective delay element configured to add a delay factor to the electrical path in response to an enable signal. The delay adjusting apparatus may include at least one fuse circuit configured to control electrical coupling of an e-fuse, in response to a program signal, and program the enable signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A delay adjusting apparatus comprising: at least one selective delay element electrically coupled to an electrical path between an input terminal and an output terminal of the electrical path, and the at least one selective delay element configured to control electrical coupling of an electrical delay element to the electrical path in response to a logic state of an enable signal; and at least one fuse circuit configured to control electrical coupling of an e-fuse, in response to a program signal, and program the enable signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program signal is received from exteriorly from the delay adjusting apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selective delay element is configured to control electrical coupling of a capacitor component to the electrical path in response to the enable signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fuse circuit comprises: a path control unit electrically coupled between a programming unit and a latch unit and configured to control electrical coupling of a path between the programming unit and the latch unit, based on a path signal; and the programming unit configured to apply a first voltage and a second voltage to both terminals of the e-fuse in response to a rupture enable signal, and rupture the e-fuse, wherein the path signal and the rupture enable signal is included in the program signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the latch unit is configured to receive an electric signal through the path control unit from the programming unit, and to provide the enable signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the programming unit comprises: a switching element configured to provide the first voltage to a terminal of the e-fuse in response to the rupture enable signal; and the e-fuse electrically coupled with the second voltage through another terminal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the switching element includes a PMOS transistor coupled between the first voltage and the terminal of the e-fuse and including a gate configured for receiving the rupture enable signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the path control unit electrically couples the terminal of the e-fuse and the latch unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The delay adjusting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the programming unit programs the e-fuse according to an electric field based on the first voltage and the second voltage, in response to the rupture enable signal. ### Claim 10 An operating apparatus comprising: at least one delay adjusting apparatus configured to control electrical coupling of an e-fuse, based on a program signal, and program an enable signal, and adjust a delay time of an input signal in response to the programmed enable signal and output an output signal; and a program control circuit configured to generate the program signal to adjust the delay time, wherein the delay adjusting apparatus comprises: at least one selective delay element electrically coupled to an electrical path electrically coupled between the input signal and the output signal of the at least one delay adjusting apparatus, and configured to control electrical coupling of an electrical delay element to the electrical path in response to a logic state of the enable signal; and at least one fuse circuit configured to control electrical coupling of the e-fuse, in response to the program signal, and program the enable signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one delay adjusting apparatus is realized on one die. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The operating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the fuse circuit comprises: a path control unit electrically coupled between a programming unit and a latch unit and configured to control electrical coupling of a path between the programming unit and the latch unit, based on a path signal; the programming unit configured to apply a first voltage and a second voltage to both terminals of the e-fuse in response to a rupture enable signal; and the latch unit configured to receive an electric signal through the path control unit from the programming unit, and to provide the enable signal, and wherein the path signal and the rupture enable signal is included in the program signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The operating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the program control circuit provides the first voltage and the second voltage by increasing a difference between the first voltage and the second voltage, after electrically coupling and then decoupling the path between the programming unit and the latch unit, based on the path signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The operating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the program control circuit is configured to generate the path signal such that the path control unit electrically couples the path between the programming unit and the latch unit, and disables the rupture enable signal, during a normal operation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The operating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the programming unit comprises: a switching element configured to provide the first voltage to a terminal of the e-fuse in response to the rupture enable signal; and the e-fuse electrically coupled with the second voltage through another terminal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The operating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the operating apparatus includes a plurality of delay adjusting apparatuses realized in a plurality of dies, the plurality of delay adjusting apparatuses packaged into one package, and the program control circuit configured to operate to program the enable signal according to a characteristic of the package.