Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for implementing integrated circuit memory device component redundancy using dynamic power distribution switching

US5623448A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
2References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 9, 1995
Grant dateApr 22, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/832
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In order to select between normal memory components and redundant memory components in an integrated circuit memory device, a logic signal (ENABLE/DISABLE) indicative of the requirement to access the normal memory components or to access the redundant memory components is generated in response to an applied address signal group. When the logic signal has a first logic state, power from dynamic power distribution unit (35) is applied to the output stages (32) of the column addressing apparatus (11,32) activating the normal column conducting paths and power is withheld from the output stages (37) which would otherwise activate the redundant column conducting paths. When the logic signal (ENABLE/DISABLE) has a second logic state, power is applied to the output stages 37 activating the redundant column conducting paths and withheld from the output stages 32 which would otherwise activate the normal column conducting paths. By directly controlling the power applied to the output stages (32,37), the logical combination of control signal and other parameter-bearing signals is avoided, thereby resulting in a faster response to the changes in the logic signal.

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