Static information storage and retrieval – Read/write circuit – Signals
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-10
2003-02-04
Tran, Andrew Q. (Department: 2824)
Static information storage and retrieval
Read/write circuit
Signals
C365S191000, C365S228000, C365S226000, C365S189060, C365S189090, C365S185180, C235S380000, C235S492000, C340S010510, C340S010500, C327S535000, C327S536000, C327S537000, C327S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06515919
ABSTRACT:
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention is Radio Frequency Indentification (RFID) and, more specifically a compact, RF-powered voltage pump for providing a programming voltage to an EEPROM in an IC-implemented RFID.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, this invention employs a simple semiconductor circuit on a radio frequency transponder integrated circuit (IC) to power the logic functions and to generate the required EEPROM programming voltage (V
PP
). V
PP
is used to force the tunneling of electrons from an “active region” to a floating-gate region of the EEPROM memory cell transistor, that is, to write to the EEPROM. The inventive semiconductor circuit takes advantage of the fact that a close near field coupling can generate voltages far exceeding 10-20 volts. The inventive circuit may therefore provide the necessary programming voltage of 10-17 volts replacing traditional charge pump voltage-multiplier circuits of the prior art. EEPROMs are usually used as part of a miniaturized, self-contained read/write capable radio frequency transponder IC, where the transponder is implemented as a single semiconductor integrated circuit, and on which a high voltage generator is used to deliver the necessary EEPROM programming voltage to enable the transponder's EEPROM read/write functions.
This invention recognizes the fact that a traditional on chip charge pump voltage-multiplier takes up about 15% of an RFID transponder silicon chip's real estate and is typically used less than 1% of the time. In the case of a voltage generator powered by the near field coupling, also called “RF powered voltage generator”, the same circuit takes less than 2% of the chip's silicon real estate to perform the same functions. This 13% silicon real estate reduction is accomplished by switching from a charge pump voltage-multiplier to an RF powered voltage pump to generate the EEPROM programming voltages.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5053774 (1991-10-01), Schuermann et al.
patent: 5418751 (1995-05-01), Kaiser
patent: 5920472 (1999-07-01), Bijlenga et al.
Applied Wireless Identifications Group, Inc.
Salzman & Levy
Tran Andrew Q.
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