High voltage switch circuitry

• US 6,744,660 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Douglas D., Buer, Myron, Radieddine, Bassem
• Primary Examiner(s): Yoha, Connie C.
• Application Number:
  US10/418,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20030202398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 365/154, 365/96, 365/225.7, 257/50, 257/530, 257/529
• US Class Current: 365/154
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/16 using electrically-fusible links
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5256 comprising fuses, i.e. connections having their state changed from conductive to non-conductive
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of setting a state of a one-time programmable memory device having at least one memory cell with a thin gate-ox fuse element having an oxide of about 2.5 nm thick or less using a high voltage switch. The method comprises switching in a high programming voltage into the memory cell using such high voltage switch, setting the state of the thin gate-ox fuse element.

Claims

1. A method of setting a state of a memory cell comprising switching a high programming voltage into the memory cell, setting a state of a thin gate-ox fuse element in the memory cell, said thin gate-ox fuse element having an oxide that is about 2.5 nm thick or less.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising setting a state of at least one of two thin gate-ox fuse elements in the memory cell.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising creating about a 5 volt difference across a gate of said thin gate-ox fuse element, rupturing said fuse element.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising switching in said high programming voltage using a voltage switch device coupled to at least said memory cell.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said high programming voltage ranges between about 0 volts and about 5 volts.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising providing controlled pulses of said high programming voltage.

7. A method of setting a state of at least one memory cell in a memory device having a plurality of memory cells comprising:

selecting the at least one memory cell form the plurality of memory cells; and

switching a high programming voltage into at least the selected memory cell setting a state of at least one thin gate-ox fuse element in the memory cell, said thin gate-ox fuse element having an oxide that is about 2.5 nm thick or less.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein selecting the at least one memory cell comprises selecting at least one row in the memory device.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein selecting the at least one memory cell comprises selecting at least one column in the memory device.

10. The method of claim 7 comprising switching said high programming voltage using a voltage switch coupled to at least said memory cell.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said high programming voltage ranges between about 0 volts and about 5 volts.

12. The method of claim 7 comprising providing controlled pulses of said high programming voltage.

13. A method of setting a state of at least one memory cell in a memory device having a plurality of memory cells comprising:

determining if the memory device is in a programming mode;

determining if at least one of a row and a column in the memory device are selected; and

setting a state of at least one thin gate-ox fuse element in the memory cell, said thin gate-ox fuse element having an oxide that is about 2.5 nm thick or less.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising creating about a 5 volt difference across a gate of said thin gate-ox fuse element, rupturing said fuse element.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein setting said state of said thin gate-ox fuse element comprises switching in a high programming voltage into at least the memory cell.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising switching in said high programming voltage using a voltage switch device coupled to at least said fuse element.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said high programming voltage ranges between about 0 volts and about 5 volts.

18. The method of claim 13 comprising selecting a column if a row is selected.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising setting said state of said thin gate-ox fuse element if said column is selected.