Thin film transistor redundancy structure
First Claim
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1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- designator circuitry that selectively provides a designation signal having a particular condition;
microcircuit components;
a state device that changes from a first state to a second state when subjected to a programming voltage differential; and
control circuitry that subjects the state device to the programming voltage differential when the designator circuitry provides the designation signal having the particular condition to the control circuitry, the control circuitry isolating the microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage differential that are incompatible with the microcircuit components, and the control circuitry providing a signal to the microcircuit components that is indicative of the state of the state device.
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Abstract
In a microcircuit device such as a memory chip, where a bank of state devices such as fuses and anti-fuses determine the enabling and disabling of redundant circuitry, a scheme for blowing one or more state devices by applying a programing voltage through a switching circuit comprising thin film transistors (TFTs) which are not damaged by the device blowing, programming voltage. The TFTs can be activated by a low voltage enable signal provided by a state device designator logic module.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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designator circuitry that selectively provides a designation signal having a particular condition; microcircuit components; a state device that changes from a first state to a second state when subjected to a programming voltage differential; and control circuitry that subjects the state device to the programming voltage differential when the designator circuitry provides the designation signal having the particular condition to the control circuitry, the control circuitry isolating the microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage differential that are incompatible with the microcircuit components, and the control circuitry providing a signal to the microcircuit components that is indicative of the state of the state device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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designator circuitry that selectively provides a plurality of designation signals; a plurality of microcircuit components; a plurality of state device modules each including; a state device that changes from a first state to a second state when subjected to a programing voltage differential; and control circuitry that subjects the state device to the programming voltage differential if the designation signal having a particular condition is provided by the designator circuitry to the control circuitry, the control circuitry isolating one of the plurality of microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage that are incompatible with the microcircuit components, and the control circuitry providing a signal that is responsive to the state of the state device to one of the microcircuit components. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for controlling and providing an indication of a state of a state device that changes from a first state to a second state when subjected to a programming voltage differential, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a designation signal having a particular condition when it is desired to change the state of the state device; subjecting the state device to the programming voltage differential when the designation signal having the particular condition is provided; isolating microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage that are incompatible with the microcircuit components; and providing a signal to the microcircuit components that is indicative of the state of the state device. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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Specification