Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for initializing an integrated circuit using compressed data from a remote fusebox

US6577156B2 · kind B2 · utility

64Cited by
11References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 5, 2000
Grant dateJun 10, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 20, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/802
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for initializing an integrated circuit using compressed data from a remote fusebox allows a reduction in the number of fuses required to repair or customize an integrated circuit and allows fuses to be grouped outside of the macros repaired by the fuses. The remote location of fuses allows flexibility in the placement of macros having redundant repair capability, as well as a preferable grouping of fuses for both programming convenience and circuit layout facilitation. The fuses are arranged in rows and columns and represent control words and run-length compressed data to provide a greater quantity of repair points per fuse. The data can be loaded serially into shift registers and shifted to the macro locations to control the selection of redundant circuits to repair integrated circuits having defects or to customize logic.

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