Thin film transistor redundancy structure

• US 5,663,679 A
• Filed: 06/17/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Manning, Monte
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Viet Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/664,829
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 327/567, 327/518, 327/520, 327/525, 327/526, 327/581, 365/96, 365/102, 365/104, 365/154
• US Class Current: 327/567
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/18 Auxiliary circuits, e.g. for writing into memory
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/789 using non-volatile cells or latches

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.

Claims

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.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry includes thin film transistors that withstand voltages associated with the programming voltage differential that are incompatible with the microcircuit components.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the state device is formed with the microcircuit components.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the state device is a fuse.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the state device is an antifuse.

6. The device of claim 1, whereto the control circuitry includes an isolating transistor a gate of which receives an element status interrogating signal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the designator circuitry selectively provides additional designation signals at least one of which has the particular condition, and further comprising additional microcircuit components, state devices, and control circuitry, and wherein the additional control circuitry subjects the additional state devices to the programming voltage differential upon receipt of the additional designation signals having the particular conditions, and the additional control circuitry isolates respective ones of the additional microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage that are incompatible with the additional microcircuit components, and the additional control circuitry provides signals to the additional microcircuit components that are indicative of the respective states of the additional state devices.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein dependent the conditions of the designation signals, some of the state devices may be changed from a first to a second state while others of the state devices are not changed.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein creation of the programming voltage differentials for each control circuit is caused in part through a single low voltage signal.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the control circuitry and the additional control circuitry each share a common node and creation of the programming voltage differentials is caused in part through a low voltage signal at the common node.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the particular condition is a first condition and the designator circuitry also selectively provides the designation signal having a second condition, and wherein if the designator circuitry provides the designation signal having the second condition, the control circuitry does not subject the state device to the programming voltage differential.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein if the designation signal does not have the particular condition, the control circuitry does not subject the state device to the programming voltage differential.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the particular condition is a logic high voltage.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry controls the state of at least one additional state device.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the microcircuit components are dynamic memory.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is on a wafer.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising packaging and a lead frame.

18. A semiconductor device, comprising:

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.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the particular condition is a high voltage.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the particular condition is the same for each control circuit.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry of each of the plurality of state device modules shares a common node and wherein creation of the programming voltage is caused in part by a low voltage at the common node.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry of each of the plurality of state device modules includes thin film transistors that withstand voltages associated with the programming voltage differential that are incompatible with the microcircuit components.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry of each of the plurality of state device modules includes an isolating transistor a gate of which receives an element status interrogating signal.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein the particular condition is a first condition and the designator circuitry also selectively provides the designation signal having a second condition, and wherein if the designator circuitry provides the designation signal having the second condition, each of the control circuitry do not subject the state device to the programming signal.

25. The device of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry of each of the plurality of state devices that receives one of the designation signals that does not have the particular condition does not subject a state device to the programming voltage differential.

26. The device of claim 18, wherein the semiconductor device is on a wafer.

27. The device of claim 18, further including packaging and a lead frame.

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:

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.

29. The method of claim 28, further including the steps of:

providing additional designation signals at least one of which has the particular condition;

subjecting additional state devices to the programming voltage differential when an associated designation signal having the particular condition is provided;

isolating additional microcircuit components from voltages associated with the programming voltage that are incompatible with the microcircuit components; and

providing signals to the microcircuit components that are indicative of the states of the additional state devices, respectively.