Motorola Corporation

United Memories, Inc.

Nippon Steel Semiconductor Corporation

Tim P Egging

Perry H Pelley

The voltage reference generator of the present invention includes a plurality of p-channel transistors configured to act as resistors. Switching transistors, responsive to input signals, are utilized to bypass the resistors when in the 'on' state, and enable the resistor when in the 'off' state. Thus, when enabled, the resistors become part of a total resistance value in a branch of a voltage divider circuit. A minimum amount of space is used on an integrated circuit because the switching transistors are of the same type as the transistors which are configured to act as resistors.

Transistor programmable divider circuit

An integrated circuit with reduced size through improved power supply distribution. A bonding pad supplies V.sub.SS to an integrated circuit memory, which is distributed through a plurality of power supply lines in a first metal layer and a plurality of grid lines in a second metal layer intersecting at right angles. The plurality of grid lines are placed in unused spaced in the second metal layer and are coupled to the power supply lines in the first metal layer. Together the grid lines and the power supply lines provide an improved power supply by lowering the impedance from a point on the integrated circuit to V.sub.SS supplied on the bonding pad. While this technique is ideally suited to memory devices because of the repetitive nature of blocks of memory cells, other types of integrated circuits can also utilize such a power supply distribution technique.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Tim P Egging