Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation

Jiunn-Chin Tseng

Howard Clayton Kirsch

Hon Shing Lau

A method and apparatus of an output buffer for controlling the ground bounce and power supply noise during output switching is provided. A CMOS output buffer comprises a P-channel output transistor, a N-channel output transistor and a predrive circuit. During output pull-down transition, the predrive circuit generates a first gate voltage on the pull-down N-channel output transistor for a predetermined time, and further generates a second voltage value which is smaller than the first voltage value, then returns to the first voltage value after the elapse of the predetermined time. The predrive circuit makes the pull-down N-channel output transistor stay in the saturation region longer than the uncontrolled scheme, the steep rising gate voltage on the N-channel output transistor can be avoided with a very little speed degradation but instead of better ground bounce improvement. During output pull-up transition, the predrive circuit generates a first gate voltage on the pull-up P-channel output transistor for a predetermined time, and further generates a second voltage which is higher than the first voltage value, then returns back to the first voltage value after the elapse of the predetermined time.

Method and apparatus of an output buffer for controlling the ground

This invention describes a biasing scheme that reduces burn-in testing time as well as the number of cycles through the burn-in test for a semiconductor memory. The magnitude of a substrate back bias is reduced when a semiconductor memory device is taken into burn-in at a first value of an external applied voltage. When the memory device is brought out of burn-in, the substrate back bias is returned to the original operating level at a second value of the external applied voltage. The reduction of the substrate back bias allows for a higher external voltage to stress the semiconductor memory without forcing breakdown and results in a shorter test time. The burn-in test is entered at a higher magnitude of the external applied voltage than the voltage at which burn-in testing is exited. This helps to reduce the number of cycles through the burn-in test by providing a stronger external bias.

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Tainan, Taiwan

Jiunn-Chin Tseng