Patent · US Expired

Integrated circuit having a programmable element and method of operating the circuit

US6788129B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by

3References

6Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

Jörg Peter · Meinerzhagen, DE
Jürgen Lindolf · Friedberg, DE
Florian Schamberger · Bad Reichenhall, DE
Helmut Schneider · Hersbruck, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Nov 20, 2002
Grant date	Sep 7, 2004
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Nov 20, 2022

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
WIPO fieldComputer technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An integrated circuit has a programmable element with an electrical interconnect resistance that can be varied by programming. An evaluation circuit for the evaluation of the electrical interconnect resistance is connected to the programmable element. The electrical interconnect resistance of the programmable element is read out and evaluated by the evaluation circuit. With a trimming circuit, connected to the evaluation circuit, an operating point of the evaluation circuit is adjusted in dependence on the electrical interconnect resistance that has been read out by the evaluation circuit. In this way, a state of the programmable element can be read out and evaluated largely independently of technological fluctuations.

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