IP Library Granted Patent US 8,289,778
Granted Patent B2
US 8,289,778 · App. 12/230,801 · Granted Oct 16, 2012

Data processing device and method of reading trimming data

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,289,778
App. No.
12/230,801
Granted
Oct 16, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A data processing device according to the present invention comprises a nonvolatile memory and a trimming data read control circuit. The nonvolatile memory has a plurality of memory regions in which the same trimming data is stored. The trimming data read control circuit reads the trimming data from a random one of the plurality of memory regions.

Claims (27)

1. A data processing device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory comprising a plurality of memory regions in which a same trimming data is stored;

a trimming data read control circuit configured to read said trimming data from a random one of said plurality of memory regions; and

a random number generator being configured to output a random number, the random number determining which one of the plurality of memory regions is the random one of the plurality of memory regions read by the trimming data read control circuit.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein said trimming data read control circuit comprises:

a region selection signal generation circuit configured to generate a region selection signal that specifies a random one memory region among said plurality of memory regions; and

a read circuit configured to read said trimming data from said random one memory region in response to said region selection signal.

3. The data processing device according to claim 2 , wherein said region selection signal generation circuit comprises a random number generation circuit configured to generate a random number.

4. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of memory regions are connected to different word lines, respectively.

5. The data processing device according to claim 4 , wherein said plurality of memory regions are connected to different bit lines, respectively.

6. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the trimming data read control circuit comprises a region selection signal generation circuit configured to generate a region selection signal that specifies the random one of the plurality of memory regions among the plurality of memory regions, and to output the region selection signals to a word line connected to the random one of the plurality of memory regions.

7. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the data processing device is powered on, the trimming data read control circuit randomly selects the random one of the plurality of memory regions.

8. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises a memory cell array comprising a predetermined memory region, which comprises the plurality of memory regions in which the same trimming data is stored.

9. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises the trimming data read control circuit.

10. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the trimming data read control circuit is configured to randomly select the random one of the plurality of memory regions from which to read the trimming data.

11. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein each memory region of the plurality of memory regions is equally likely to be read from by the trimming data read control circuit.

12. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises a plurality of word lines each connected to a different memory region of the plurality of memory regions, and

wherein when the trimming data read control circuit reads the trimming data from the random one of the plurality of memory regions, a read word line voltage is applied to a word line connected to the random one of the plurality of memory regions.

13. The data processing device according to claim 12 , wherein when the read word voltage is applied to the word line connected to the random one the plurality of memory regions, the trimming data stored in each memory region of the plurality of memory regions other than the random one of the plurality of memory regions remain unaffected by the read word line voltage.

14. A data processing device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory comprising a plurality of memory regions in which a same trimming data is stored;

a trimming data read control circuit comprising:

a region selection signal generation circuit configured to generate a region selection signal that specifies a random one memory region among said plurality of memory regions; and

a read circuit configured to read said trimming data from said random one memory region in response to said region selection signal,

wherein said region selection signal generation circuit comprises:

a random number generation circuit configured to generate a random number; and

a signal generation circuit configured to generate said region selection signal based on said generated random number.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 28, 2010
From: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025214/0687 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 24, 2008
From: SOMA, YOSHITAKA
To: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021913/0448 →