Patent · US Expired

Programmable integrated-circuit switch

US5452229A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
18References
34Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 18, 1992
Grant dateSep 19, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 18, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K19/1778
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A non-volatile, in-system programmable integrated-circuit switch has horizontal conductive lines and vertical conductive lines. A programmable interconnect cell including a floating gate transistor is provided at each intersection of a horizontal line and a vertical line. Each line is connected to a pin through a programmable I/O cell which includes a floating gate transistor. Each I/O cell can be programmed to configure the corresponding pin as an input pin or as an inverting or non-inverting output pin. The I/O cell can also be programmed to tri-state the pin or to fix the pin at a high or low voltage level. Each input pin can be connected to more than one output pins. A TTL-to-CMOS translator in each I/O cell is provided in the output section of the cell to reduce the translator output load and make the load, and hence the speed and power consumption of the switch, less dependent on the switch programming.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.