Integrated circuit timer function using natural decay of charge

Details Integrated circuit timer function using natural decay of charge Integrated circuit timer function using natural decay of charge

1996-10-25

1998-06-02

Wambach, Margaret Rose

Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and

Specific identifiable device, circuit, or system

Integrated structure

327 78, 327134, H01L 2500

Patent

active

057606447

ABSTRACT:
A semiconductor integrated circuit to determine a passage of time that may include a time during which no electrical power is supplied to the circuit is disclosed. The circuit has a timing device that includes a memory storage dielectric material for trapping charge carriers and releasing the trapped charge carriers in a known manner over time. The timing device has an electrical parameter that is relatable to an electric field created by the trapped charge carriers. A charge injection circuit is provided for selectively injecting charge carriers into the memory storage dielectric material to create an initialized state, and a time reader circuit determines when the electrical parameter has reached a predetermined value that corresponds to a passage of a predetermined time. Preferably the timing device is an insulated gate field effect transistor in which the memory storage dielectric material is a dielectric material, such as SONOS or SNOS, between the gate and channel overlying at least the channel area.

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Christer Svensson and Ingemark Lundstrom, Trap-assisted Charge Injection in MNOS Structures, Oct. 1973, J. Appl. Phys., vol. 44, No. 10.
K. Ingemark Lundstrom and Christer M. Svensson, Properties of MNOS Structures, Jun. 1972, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. Ed-19, No. 6.
Yoshihiro Takahashi and Kazunori Ohnishi, Estimation of Insulation Layer Conductrance in MNOS StructureNov. 1993, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 40, No. 11.

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