Electrically adjustable resistor structure
US5757264A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 18, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 26, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 18, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49099
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A resistor structure which resistance value is electrically adjusted after fabrication by a tester during the test operation so that its equivalent resistance closely approximates a desired nominal value. The resistor structure includes a main resistor and a number of trimming resistors connected in parallel. Each trimming resistor can be connected in parallel to the main resistor independently of one another via a switch, typically a pass-gate NFET device, and serially connected therewith. The switch is enabled via a control line coupled to a binary storage cell. It includes a programmable fuse that can be electrically blown by the tester. Because the resistance value of the main resistor and trimming resistors changes as a result of fabrication process variations, the trimming resistors are designed so that no matter what the equivalent resistance value of the main resistor is, there exists an appropriate combination of trimming resistors to achieve the desired nominal value. This resistor structure is well suited for IC terminator chips.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.