IP Library Granted Patent US 7,436,718
Granted Patent B2
US 7,436,718 · App. 11/397,689 · Granted Oct 14, 2008

Semiconductor memory device including fuse detection circuit to determine successful fuse-cutting rate for optical fuse-cutting conditions

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,436,718
App. No.
11/397,689
Granted
Oct 14, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fuse detection method for reading out a program state of each fuse and generating a killer signal indicating the program state of the fuse; counting the program state indicated by the killer signal to obtain a count value; inputting an expected value for the program state of the fuse; and determining whether the count value coincides with the expected value by comparing the count value with the expected value.

Claims (58)

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a fuse detection circuit including:

a redundancy control block configured to read out a program state of each program element, the program state being one of a written state and an unwritten state, and generate a killer signal indicating one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element; and

a fuse-count determination circuit including:

a counter circuit configured to count one of the written state and unwritten state indicated by the killer signal;

a fuse block including an expected value for one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element; and

a coincidence detection circuit configured to compare the count by the counter circuit with the expected value to determine whether the count coincides with the expected value.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the expected value in the fuse block includes only a part of low-order bits of the expected value.

3. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the counter circuit is incremented in response to a count signal input by a tester.

4. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the killer signal is output every one command cycle.

5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the redundancy control block includes:

a redundancy circuit selection circuit;

a redundancy decoder circuit; and

a decoder killer circuit,

wherein the redundancy decoder circuit outputs a program state of each fuse.

6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 5 , wherein the redundancy decoder circuit includes:

an enable determination circuit configured to output a program state of an enable fuse;

an address determination circuit configured to output a program state of an address fuse; and

a decoder output circuit,

wherein the decoder output circuit receives outputs from the enable determination circuit and the address determination circuit and outputs a program state of each fuse.

7. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a fuse detection circuit for detecting program information stored in fuse elements including:

a redundancy control circuit for controlling addresses of a redundancy memory array included in a semiconductor memory device, the redundancy control circuit generating a killer signal indicating one of a written state and an unwritten state read out from each of the fuse elements; and

a fuse count determination circuit including;

a counter circuit responsive to the killer signal for counting one of the written state and the unwritten state of the fuse elements to producing a count;

storing means for storing data representing an expected value of the fuse elements in one of the written state and the unwritten state;

a coincidence detection circuit configured to compare the count with the data representing the expected value to determine whether the count coincides with the expected value.

8. A fuse detection method comprising the steps:

reading out a program state of each program element, the program state being one of a written state and an unwritten state, and generating a killer signal indicating one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element;

counting one of the written state and unwritten state indicated by the killer signal to obtain a count value;

inputting an expected value for one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element; and

determining whether the count value coincides with the expected value by comparing the count value with the expected value.

9. The fuse detection method according to claim 8 , wherein only a part of low-order bits of the expected value is input.

10. The fuse detection method according to claim 8 , wherein if it is determined that the count value does not coincide with the expected value in the determining step, the count value is incremented and is compared with the expected value.

11. A fuse detection circuit including:

a redundancy control block configured to read out a program state of each program element, the program state being one of a written state and an unwritten state, and generate a killer signal indicating one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element; and

a fuse-count determination circuit including:

a counter circuit configured to count one of the written state and unwritten state indicated by the killer signal;

a fuse block including an expected value for one of the written state and the unwritten state of the program element; and

a coincidence detection circuit configured to compare the count by the counter circuit with the expected value to determine whether the count coincides with the expected value.

12. The fuse detection circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the expected value in the fuse block includes only a part of low-order bits of the expected value.

13. The fuse detection circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the counter circuit is incremented in response to an input from a tester.

14. The fuse detection circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the redundancy control block includes:

a redundancy circuit selection circuit;

a redundancy decoder circuit; and

a decoder killer circuit,

wherein the redundancy decoder circuit outputs a program state of each fuse.

15. The fuse detection circuit according to claim 14 , wherein the redundancy decoder circuit includes:

an enable determination circuit configured to output a program state of an enable fuse;

an address determination circuit configured to output a program state of an address fuse; and

a decoder output circuit,

wherein the decoder output circuit receives outputs from the enable determination circuit and the address determination circuit and outputs a program state of each fuse.

16. A fuse detection circuit for detecting program information stored in fuse elements comprising:

a redundancy control circuit for controlling addresses of a redundancy memory array included in a semiconductor memory device, the redundancy control circuit generating a killer signal indicating one of a written state and an unwritten state read out from each of the fuse elements; and

a fuse count determination circuit including;

a counter circuit responsive to the killer signal for counting one of the written state and the unwritten state of the fuse elements to producing a count;

storing means for storing data representing an expected value of the fuse elements in one of the written state and the unwritten state;

a coincidence detection circuit configured to compare the count with the data representing the expected value to determine whether the count coincides with the expected value.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 12, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
Reel/Frame 051028/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 9, 2019
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 050937/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2018
From: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 047243/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2018
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047540/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REPLACE ERRONEOUSLY FILED PATENT #7358718 WITH THE CORRECT PATENT #7358178 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 038669 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY INTEREST. Recorded Jun 8, 2017
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 043079/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2016
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 038954/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 12, 2016
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 038669/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2014
From: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 032645/0422 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 5, 2006
From: TANAKA, HAJIME; KAWAMATA, YOSUKE
To: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.
Reel/Frame 017762/0755 →