The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 07, 1989
Filed:
Aug. 20, 1987
Klaus Helwig, Sindelfingen, DE;
Wolfdieter Lohlein, Herrenberg, DE;
Minh H Tong, Essex Junction, VT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A decoding process and a decoding circuit arrangement for a redundant semiconductor memory is described, wherein the advantages of parallelly selecting non-defective word lines and redundant word lines at a low level are utilized for the writing as well as for the reading current in such a manner that high speed reading and writing is not affected. This is achieved in that the decoder for the redundant word lines consists of a comparator circuit and fuse-controlled switches, and that the input addresses are applied to a conventional address decoder as well as to the comparator circuit. The output of the comparator circuit is directly connected to the input of a first driver circuit for the redundant word line, and furthermore to an OR circuit which is also controlled by a read/write control circuit, and which is connected to the decoder and to a clamp circuit that is directly connected to the input of a second word line driver circuit, and continuously maintains the potential following a deselect signal applied on that level, which requires a minimum of power.