Active interconnects and control points in integrated circuits
US7242199B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 21, 2005 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 19, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In various embodiments of the present invention, tunable resistors are introduced at the interconnect layer of integrated circuits in order to provide a for adjusting internal voltage and/or current levels within the integrated circuit to repair defective components or to configure the integrated circuit following manufacture. For example, when certain internal components, such as transistors, do not have specified electronic characteristics due to manufacturing defects, adjustment of the variable resistances of the tunable resistors included in the interconnect layer of integrated circuits according to embodiments of the present invention can be used to adjust internal voltage and/or levels in order to ameliorate the defective components. In other cases, the tunable resistors may be used as switches to configure integrated circuit components, including individual transistors and logic gates as well as larger, hierarchically structured functional modules and domains.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.