RFID tags with electronic fuses for storing component configuration data

• US 7,307,529 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impinj, Inc., Microsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
• Inventors: Oliver, Ronald A., Pesavento, Alberto, Hyde, John D., Gutnik, Vadim, Cooper, Scott Anthony, Dressler, David D., Sundstrom, Kurt Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/016,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 345/721, 34/10, 235/492, 700/215, 365/96, 365/225.7
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/18 Auxiliary circuits, e.g. for writing into memory

Abstract

An RFID tag has a fuse that is adapted to store configuration data in a way that survives loss of power. The fuse can be one time programmable or many times programmable, and be implemented with a non-volatile memory. The configuration data becomes available to an operational component of the tag, such as at power up, controlling its performance.

Claims

1. An RFID tag circuit comprising:

a fuse adapted to store configuration data in a way that survives loss of power, the fuse including a nonvolatile memory (NVM) element for storing the configuration data, the fuse further including a fuse switch;

an operational component adapted to operate based on the configuration data, the operational component including a configurable circuit adapted to exhibit an operative impedance that varies according to the configuration data, in which the configuration data can take such values that the operative impedance is discretely variable, the configurable circuit including an impedance component, in which the fuse switch controls whether the impedance component will be part of the operative impedance; and

a non-volatile memory (NVM) memory array distinct from the fuse and having a plurality of NVM cells that are addressable in terms of a row and a column and are adapted to store data in a way that survives loss of power.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the fuse is part of the operational component.

3. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

another operational component, and

wherein the fuse is part of the other operational component.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the configuration data is first input in the NVM memory array from the fuse, and then it is input in the operational component from the NVM memory array.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the operational component inputs the configuration data responsive to a command signal.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein

the command signal is a reset signal.

7. The circuit of claim 5, wherein

the command signal is a power-on reset signal.

8. The circuit of claim 5, wherein

the command signal is received during testing.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein

the command signal is received while the circuit is formed in a wafer segment comprising a plurality of additional RFID tag circuits.

10. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the operational component is a random number generator.

11. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the operational component is a power-on reset circuit.

12. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the operational component is one of a demodulator, a modulator, an antenna port tuner, a rectifier, a power management unit, an oscillator, and a state machine.

13. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller adapted to sense a performance of the operational component, determine the configuration data so as to adjust the performance, and to program the configuration data in the fuse.

14. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

a value for the configuration data is encoded in an amount of charge stored in a device.

15. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the NVM element includes a first floating gate of a first floating-gate transistor, and

the configuration data is encoded in terms of a variable amount of charge stored on the first floating gate.

16. The circuit of claim 1, wherein

the fuse includes a binary output circuit adapted to output a binary value dependent on the configuration data, and

the tag operational component receives an output of the binary output circuit.

17. The circuit of claim 16, wherein the binary output circuit includes

a master latch, and

a slave latch having a slave-latch input coupled to an output of the master latch.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein

the slave latch further has a slave-latch node configured to receive a slave-latch signal.

19. An RFID tag circuit comprising:

a fuse adapted to store configuration data in a way that survives loss of power, the fuse including a nonvolatile memory (NVM) element for storing the configuration data, the NVM element including a floating gate of a floating-gate transistor which is adapted to be in triode operation;

an operational component adapted to operate based on the configuration data, the operational component including a configurable circuit adapted to exhibit an operative impedance that varies continuously according to the configuration data, wherein the configuration data is first input in the NVM memory array from the fuse, and then it is input in the operational component from the NVM memory array; and

a non-volatile memory (NVM) memory array distinct from the fuse and having a plurality of NVM cells that are addressable in terms of a row and a column and are adapted to store data in a way that survives loss of power.

20. The circuit of claim 19, wherein

the fuse is part of the operational component.

21. The circuit of claim 19, further comprising:

another operational component, and

wherein the fuse is part of the other operational component.

22. The circuit of claim 19, wherein

the operational component inputs the configuration data responsive to a command signal.

23. The circuit of claim 22, wherein

the command signal is a reset signal.

24. The circuit of claim 22, wherein

the command signal is a power-on reset signal.

25. The circuit of claim 22, wherein

the command signal is received during testing.

26. The circuit of claim 25, wherein

the command signal is received while the circuit is formed in a wafer segment comprising a plurality of additional RFID tag circuits.

27. The circuit of claim 19, wherein

the operational component is a random number generator.

28. The circuit of claim 19, wherein

the operational component is a power-on reset circuit.

29. The circuit of claim 19, wherein

the operational component is one of a demodulator, a modulator, an antenna port tuner, a rectifier, a power management unit, an oscillator, and a state machine.

30. An RFID tag circuit comprising:

a fuse adapted to store configuration data in a way that survives loss of power, a value for the configuration data being encoded in an amount of charge stored in a first floating gate;

an operational component adapted to operate based on the configuration data, wherein the configuration data is first input in the NVM memory array from the fuse, and then it is input in the operational component from the NVM memory array; and

a non-volatile memory (NVM) memory array distinct from the fuse and having a plurality of NVM cells that are addressable in terms of a row and a column and are adapted to store data in a way that survives loss of power.

31. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the fuse is one-time programmable.

32. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the fuse is multiple-times programmable.

33. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the fuse is part of the operational component.

34. The circuit of claim 30, further comprising:

another operational component, and wherein the fuse is part of the other operational component.

35. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the operational component inputs the configuration data responsive to a command signal.

36. The circuit of claim 35, wherein

the command signal is a reset signal.

37. The circuit of claim 35, wherein

the command signal is a power-on reset signal.

38. The circuit of claim 35, wherein

the command signal is received during testing.

39. The circuit of claim 38, wherein

the command signal is received while the circuit is formed in a wafer segment comprising a plurality of additional RFID tag circuits.

40. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the operational component is a random number generator.

41. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the operational component is a power-on reset circuit.

42. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the operational component is one of a demodulator, a modulator, an antenna port tuner, a rectifier, a power management unit, an oscillator, and a state machine.

43. The circuit of claim 30, further comprising:

a controller adapted to program the configuration data in the fuse.

44. The circuit of claim 43, wherein

the controller is adapted to determine the configuration data to program in the fuse.

45. The circuit of claim 44, wherein

the controller is adapted to sense a performance of the operational component, and

wherein determining is performed so as to adjust the performance.

46. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the fuse includes a first floating-gate transistor that includes the first floating gate, and a second transistor that operates in a differential mode with the first transistor.

47. The circuit of claim 46, wherein

the first transistor is a transistor selected from the group consisting of:

nFET, pFET, FinFET, and multi-gate FET.

48. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the amount of charge may be changed using one of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, bidirectional Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, hot-electron injection, direct tunneling and hot-hole injection.

49. The circuit of claim 30, wherein

the fuse includes a binary output circuit adapted to output a binary value dependent on the configuration data, and

the tag operational component receives an output of the binary output circuit.

50. The circuit of claim 49, wherein

the binary output circuit is a latch.

51. The circuit of claim 50, wherein

the latch has two cross-coupled inverters.

52. The circuit of claim 49, wherein the binary output circuit includes

a master latch, and

a slave latch having a slave-latch input coupled to an output of the master latch.

53. The circuit of claim 52, wherein

the slave latch further has a slave-latch node configured to receive a slave-latch signal.

54. The circuit of claim 49, wherein

the fuse further includes a second nonvolatile memory element coupled to the binary output circuit.

55. The circuit of claim 49, wherein

the fuse further includes a capacitive element coupled to an output of the binary output circuit.

56. An RFID tag circuit comprising:

a fuse adapted to store configuration data in a way that survives loss of power, a value for the configuration data being encoded in an amount of charge stored in a first floating gate;

an operational component adapted to operate based on the configuration data; and

a non-volatile memory (NVM) memory array distinct from the fuse and having a plurality of NVM cells that are addressable in terms of a row and a column and are adapted to store data in a way that survives loss of power, wherein

the configuration data is first input in the NVM memory array from the fuse, and then it is input in the operational component from the NVM memory array,

the fuse includes a binary output circuit adapted to output a binary value dependent on the configuration data, and

the tag operational component receives an output of the binary output circuit.

57. The circuit of claim 56, wherein

the binary output circuit is a latch.

58. The circuit of claim 57, wherein

the latch has two cross-coupled inverters.

59. The circuit of claim 56, wherein the binary output circuit includes

a master latch, and

a slave latch having a slave-latch input coupled to an output of the master latch.

60. The circuit of claim 59, wherein

the slave latch further has a slave-latch node configured to receive a slave-latch signal.

61. The circuit of claim 56, wherein

the fuse further includes a second nonvolatile memory element coupled to the binary output circuit.

62. The circuit of claim 56, wherein

the fuse further includes a capacitive element coupled to an output of the binary output circuit.