A programming method and system for improving the programming success rate of an E-fuse

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of integrated circuit design, in particular to a burning and writing method and system for improving the burning and writing success rate of E-fuse, wherein the number of E-fuses to be fused is obtained through the calculation of burning and writing information, the positions of the E-fuses to be fused in the burning and writing information are obtained, the burning and writing control information is set according to whether there is an E-fuse to be fused in each bit of the burning and writing information, one E-fuse to be fused exists in each burning and writing control information, then the burning and writing control information is sequentially input into the E-fuse array, the E-fuse corresponding to the E-fuse to be fused is fused, so that the burning and writing of one E-fuse is completed when one burning and writing control information is received, the single burning and writing current is low, the burning and writing current voltage is stable, the burning and writing difficulty is reduced, the burning and writing stability and reliability are improved, the problems of incomplete burning and incomplete fusing are avoided, and the burning and writing success rate is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of integrated circuit design technology, and specifically to a programming method and system for improving the success rate of E-fuse programming. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of integrated circuits, the scale of integrated circuits is also growing rapidly, and the integration level of chips is getting higher and higher. The increase in chip integration level also further increases the configurability requirements of integrated circuits.

[0003] Because of their simple structure, low process requirements, and high reliability, E-fuse is widely used in circuit configuration, repair, and parameter recording. In analog circuit design, process variations can lead to discrepancies between circuit performance and design specifications; therefore, E-fuse can be used to provide trimming parameter settings for chips.

[0004] However, traditional methods rely heavily on the stability of voltage and current. When a large number of E-fuse are being programmed simultaneously, it can easily lead to undesirable situations such as missed programming or incomplete melting, resulting in a lower programming success rate, reduced programming efficiency, and increased actual production costs.

[0005] For example, writing multiple E-fuses simultaneously requires a large current, such as about 10A when writing 100 E-fuses at the same time. This means that the required current cannot be provided during actual writing. At the same time, the excessive current will increase the voltage drop, so the requirement to write multiple E-fuses at the same time cannot be met in actual use, which reduces the success rate of writing and fails to meet the requirements of writing. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a programming method and system that improves the success rate of E-fuse programming, changes the traditional programming concept, and solves the problem that the current programming of E-fuse has problems such as missed programming and incomplete melting, which leads to the low programming success rate of individual E-fuse in the E-fuse array.

[0007] The solution of the present invention to the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0008] S1. Collect the programming information and calculate the number of E-fuse to be blown in the programming information;

[0009] S2. Traverse the programming information to determine the position of each E-fuse to be blown in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be blown.

[0010] S3. Based on the number of E-fuses to be melted in the current programming information and the position information of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information, obtain multiple programming control information containing one E-fuse to be melted. The number of programming control information is equal to the number of E-fuses to be melted in the programming information. The position of each E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information. Pack all programming control information to obtain a programming control set.

[0011] S4. The programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array in sequence to complete the programming of the corresponding E-fuse; the E-fuse array includes multiple E-fuse arranged in sequence.

[0012] Further specifying, step S1 specifically includes:

[0013] Based on the number of E-fuses in the E-fuse array, obtain the same number of information points for the burning information. Add the numbers of each information point in the burning information in sequence to obtain the number of E-fuses to be melted in the burning information. The number of the information points is 1 or 0.

[0014] Further specifying, step S2 specifically includes:

[0015] For each information point in the programming information, check whether there is an E-fuse to be broken. If the number of the information point is 1, then there is an E-fuse to be broken. Record the position information of the current information point and use the position information of the current information point as the position information of the E-fuse to be broken; otherwise, remain silent. After traversing the programming information and checking whether there is an E-fuse to be broken for each information point in the programming information, obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be broken in the programming information.

[0016] Further specifying, step S3 includes the following steps:

[0017] S31. Create the same number of blank information according to the number of E-fuse to be melted. Multiple blank information are arranged in sequence. The number of information points of each blank information is the same as the number of information points of the programming information. The number of information points of each blank information is 0.

[0018] S32. Match multiple sequentially arranged blank information entries with multiple E-fuse entries to be circuit breaker;

[0019] S33. Based on the location information of each E-fuse to be fused, edit the numbers of the corresponding blank information location points to 1 to obtain the writing control information that matches the corresponding E-fuse to be fused, and collect all the writing control information to obtain the writing control information set.

[0020] Further specifying, step S4 specifically includes:

[0021] According to the order of the programming control information in the programming control information set, the first programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. After waiting for the programming interval, the second programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. This process is repeated until all programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array.

[0022] A programming system for improving programming success rate, characterized in that, based on the above-mentioned programming method for improving E-fuse programming success rate, it includes:

[0023] The programming information sending unit is used to send programming information;

[0024] The programming information processing unit is used to receive programming information, calculate the number of E-fuse to be fused in the programming information; traverse the programming information, determine the position of each E-fuse to be fused in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be fused; obtain the programming control information set according to the number of E-fuse to be fused and the position information of each E-fuse to be fused in the current programming information, and output the programming control information in the programming control information set in sequence;

[0025] The programming control information set includes multiple programming control information sets equal to the number of E-fuse to be melted in the current programming information. Each programming control information set contains one E-fuse to be melted, and the position of the E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information set corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information set.

[0026] The E-fuse array unit includes multiple E-fuses arranged in sequence, used to receive programming control information. After receiving the programming control information, each E-fuse is used to either fuse or not fuse according to the number of the corresponding information point in the programming control information, until all programming control information in the programming control information set is received.

[0027] A computer device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor implements the above-described method when executing the computer program.

[0028] A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method.

[0029] A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method.

[0030] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0031] By calculating the programming information, the number of E-fuses to be melted and their positions within the programming information can be obtained. Based on the number and position of each E-fuse, corresponding programming control information is obtained, resulting in a programming control information set. This set is then sequentially input into the E-fuse array. When the E-fuse array receives the programming control information, each E-fuse determines whether to melt based on the corresponding information point in the programming melting information. If melted, the programming of that E-fuse is complete. If the fuse does not blow during programming, programming will not proceed. Upon receiving a programming control message, programming will be performed on one E-fuse at a time until all programming control messages have been received and the required E-fuses have been programmed. This ensures that each programming operation only programs one E-fuse, reducing programming current, avoiding voltage drop, ensuring programming success rate, and reducing workload and cost. At the same time, programming one E-fuse at a time ensures stable programming current and voltage, reduces programming difficulty, improves programming stability and reliability, avoids problems such as missed programming or incomplete fuse blowing, and further improves programming success rate. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the E-fuse array of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the E-fuse main circuit of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a programming method to improve the programming success rate of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a diagram of a programming system for improving the success rate of E-fuse programming according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2In practical use, an n-bit E-fuse array is typically selected first, consisting of n E-fuses where n is a positive integer greater than 1. Then, the programming information `fuse_reg` is written according to the requirements. This programming information is binary content; for example, for a 24-bit E-fuse array, the input programming information consists of 24 data points, each with a value of 0 or 1. For example, `fuse_reg = 24b101010101010101010101010` represents 24 data points, of which 12 are 1, indicating 12 E-fuses to be programmed. These E-fuses are designated as the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th E-fuses in the E-fuse array. The array consists of 7 E-fuses, 9th E-fuses, 11th E-fuses, 13th E-fuses, 15th E-fuses, 17th E-fuses, 19th E-fuses, 21st E-fuses, and 23rd E-fuses. A value of 0 indicates no writing. The remaining E-fuses in the array are not written. Each information point in the writing information corresponds one-to-one with each E-fuse in the array. Whether a corresponding E-fuse needs writing can be determined by whether the information point's value is 0 or 1. The information that needs writing, when the E-fuse array size is met, may require 10 to 1000 bits of E-fuse writing.

[0037] Furthermore, the traditional programming method involves directly sending the programmed information to the E-fuse array. Each E-fuse determines whether it needs to be blown based on whether the corresponding data point in the programming information is 1. If the data is 1, the E-fuse melts in the main circuit, completing the programming process; otherwise, it doesn't melt, meaning the E-fuse doesn't need to be programmed. This completes the programming of the E-fuse array. Since all E-fuses that need programming are programmed simultaneously, each E-fuse... The current required for E-fuse programming is the same. For example, if the resistance of a single E-fuse is 50 ohms, the current required to melt the E-fuse when a voltage of 5V is applied is not less than 100mA. When melting 10 E-fuses, a current of 1A is required. If programming 100 E-fuses, a current of 10A is required. Therefore, when there are many E-fuses, a large current is required, which leads to voltage drop in actual use and current instability. This results in incomplete programming or missed programming of E-fuses, causing a low success rate of E-fuse array programming.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] This embodiment provides a programming method to improve the success rate of E-fuse programming, including the following steps:

[0040] S1. Collect the programming information and calculate the number of E-fuse to be blown in the programming information;

[0041] S2. Traverse the programming information to determine the position of each E-fuse to be blown in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be blown.

[0042] S3. Based on the number of E-fuses to be melted in the current programming information and the position information of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information, obtain multiple programming control information containing one E-fuse to be melted. The number of programming control information is equal to the number of E-fuses to be melted in the programming information. The position of each E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information. Pack all programming control information to obtain a programming control set.

[0043] S4. The programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array in sequence to complete the programming of the corresponding E-fuse; the E-fuse array includes multiple E-fuse arranged in sequence.

[0044] Step S1 is as follows:

[0045] Based on the number of E-fuses in the E-fuse array, obtain the same number of information points for the burning information. Add the numbers of each information point in the burning information in sequence to obtain the number of E-fuses to be melted in the burning information. The number of the information points is 1 or 0.

[0046] refer to Figure 3 According to the existing method, based on the E-fuse array and the programming requirements, programming information is written. Then, the sum of the numbers of each information point in the programming information is calculated. For example, in the programming information fuse_reg = 24'b101010101010101010101010, the sum of the numbers 1 or 0 of each information point is obtained, resulting in a sum of 12 = fuse_num. fuse_num is the number of E-fuses to be melted. Since 1 in the programming information represents E-fuses to be melted, the resulting number 12 means that there are 12 E-fuses to be melted in this programming information. The corresponding E-fuse array contains 12 E-fuses that need to be programmed. The calculation is simple, convenient, and clear.

[0047] The methods for calculating the number of E-fuse to be blown in the programming information include, but are not limited to, the methods described above; after calculating the number of E-fuse to be blown, it is possible to determine how many programming cycles will be needed to complete the programming requirement, thereby improving efficiency.

[0048] Step S2 is as follows:

[0049] For each information point in the programming information, check whether there is an E-fuse to be broken. If the number of the information point is 1, then there is an E-fuse to be broken. Record the position information of the current information point and use the position information of the current information point as the position information of the E-fuse to be broken; otherwise, remain silent. After traversing the programming information and checking whether there is an E-fuse to be broken for each information point in the programming information, obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be broken in the programming information.

[0050] After calculating the number of E-fuses to be melted in the programming information, it is also necessary to determine the position of each E-fuse in the programming information, that is, to determine which E-fuse in the E-fuse array needs to be melted for programming. This can be done by checking whether the number of each information point in the programming information is an E-fuse to be melted. To improve efficiency and accuracy, the numbers of each information point in the programming information are checked sequentially. For example, in the first check, the number of the first information point in the programming information is checked. If the number of the first information point is 0, it is determined to be a non-melting E-fuse, and no record is made; it remains silent, representing that the first information point in the programming information is 0. Then, a second judgment is made, which is to judge the number of the second information point in the burning information. If it is 1, it is judged as the E-fuse to be melted. At this time, the current judgment number is used as the current E-fuse to be melted position information. That is, the current E-fuse to be melted position information is 2, which means that the number of the second information point in the burning information is 1. In this way, the number of judgments is used to judge the number of information points in the burning information to determine whether it is the E-fuse to be melted, and the corresponding E-fuse to be melted position information is determined according to the number of judgments. The number of judgments refers to judging whether the number of information points in the burning information is the E-fuse to be melted, rather than judging whether the number of a single information point is the E-fuse to be melted.

[0051] refer to Figure 3When the programming information is fuse_reg = 24'b1010101010101010101010, the position information of the E-fuse to be blown is respectively: blown_ctrl_pointer = 23, blown_ctrl_pointer = 21, blown_ctrl_pointer = 19, blown_ctrl_pointer = 17, blown_ctrl_pointer = 15, blown_ctrl_pointer = 13, blown_ctrl_pointer = 11, blown_ctrl_pointer = 9, blown_ctrl_pointer = 7, blown_ctrl_pointer = 5, blown_ctrl_pointer = 3 and blown_ctrl_pointer = 1. Among them, Digital Logic Control clk is the synchronous clock of the digital logic circuit, which ensures the normal operation of the circuit.

[0052] This method allows for a simple and quick determination of the location of the E-fuse to be melted in the programming information. At the same time, it can also be used to calculate the number of E-fuse to be melted in the programming information. In this case, step S1 can be skipped and step S2 can be executed directly. Each time the E-fuse to be melted information is obtained, it is recorded once, and the number of E-fuse to be melted in the programming information can be obtained based on the number of records.

[0053] Step S3 includes the following steps:

[0054] S31. Create the same number of blank information according to the number of E-fuse to be melted. Multiple blank information are arranged in sequence. The number of information points of each blank information is the same as the number of information points of the programming information. The number of information points of each blank information is 0.

[0055] S32. Match multiple sequentially arranged blank information entries with multiple E-fuse entries to be circuit breaker;

[0056] S33. Based on the location information of each E-fuse to be fused, edit the numbers of the corresponding blank information location points to 1 to obtain the writing control information that matches the corresponding E-fuse to be fused, and collect all the writing control information to obtain the writing control information set.

[0057] Specifically, after obtaining the number of E-fuses to be blown, 12 blank information is first created based on fuse_num = 12. The number of information points in each blank information is the same as the number of information points in the burned information, that is, each blank information has 24 bits, and the number of each information point in the blank information is 0. Then, the 12 blank information are sorted in sequence, for example, according to the order of creation, or arbitrarily sorted, to obtain 12 blank information arranged in sequence.

[0058] S32 Specifically, according to the location information of the E-fuse to be blown, for example, if blown_ctrl_pointer = 1, then the first blank information is matched with the E-fuse at position 1; if blown_ctrl_pointer = 3, then the second blank information is matched with the E-fuse at position 3. In this way, the location information of each E-fuse to be blown is matched one-to-one with each blank information, so that each blank information corresponds to the location information of an E-fuse to be blown.

[0059] Specifically, according to the position information of each E-fuse to be broken, the numbers on the corresponding blank information points are edited. For example, the number of the first information point in the first blank information is edited to obtain the writing control information fuse_blown_ctrl = 24'h000002, that is, the number 0 in the first information point of the first blank information is edited to 1. Similarly, when editing the second blank information, since the second blank information matches the E-fuse to be broken at position 3, the number 0 in the third information point of the second blank information is changed to 1, to obtain the second writing control information fuse_blown_ctrl = 24'h000008. In this way, each blank information is edited to obtain 12 writing control information. The 12 writing control information are used as a writing control information set for the next step of processing. The sorting of the edited writing control information is preferably arranged according to the position order of the E-fuse to be written in the E-fuse array, but it can also be arranged according to needs or arbitrarily, so that it can be sent sequentially and avoid sending one, two or more writing control information at the same time.

[0060] Step S4 is as follows:

[0061] According to the order of the programming control information in the programming control information set, the first programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. After waiting for the programming interval, the second programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. This process is repeated until all programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array.

[0062] When sending the programming control information, it is sent one at a time, preferably in the order of the 12 programming control information. After each transmission, since the E-fuse fuse needs time to be burned, there needs to be a time interval between the transmission of two adjacent programming control information. The transmission frequency of programming control information is usually controlled by the slow clock clk_blow. For example, if the time to burn a single E-fuse is 2ms, then the slow clock is 500Hz, that is, the transmission interval between two adjacent programming control programs is 2ms.

[0063] In this process, after each programming control message is sent to the E-fuse array, the digital value of each information point in the programming control message is sent to the corresponding E-fuse in the form of an electrical signal. When the digital value is 1, the E-fuse main circuit receives the high level corresponding to the digital value 1, and the E-fuse in the E-fuse main circuit is blown, thus completing the programming of the E-fuse.

[0064] Since each programming control message contains only one 1, meaning there is only one E-fuse to be blown, the remaining E-fuses receive a 0, which is a low level and will not blow. Thus, each received programming control message completes the programming of one E-fuse, until all programming control messages in the set are received. After completing the programming of the last E-fuse, the programming of the entire E-fuse array is finished, ensuring stable and reliable programming of each E-fuse and improving the programming success rate.

[0065] Example 2

[0066] refer to Figure 4 This embodiment provides a programming system for improving the success rate of E-fuse programming, including:

[0067] The programming information sending unit is used to send programming information;

[0068] The programming information processing unit is used to receive programming information, calculate the number of E-fuse to be fused in the programming information; traverse the programming information, determine the position of each E-fuse to be fused in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be fused; obtain the programming control information set according to the number of E-fuse to be fused and the position information of each E-fuse to be fused in the current programming information, and output the programming control information in the programming control information set in sequence;

[0069] The programming control information set includes multiple programming control information sets equal to the number of E-fuse to be melted in the current programming information. Each programming control information set contains one E-fuse to be melted, and the position of the E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information set corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information set.

[0070] The E-fuse array unit includes multiple E-fuses arranged in sequence, used to receive programming control information. After receiving the programming control information, each E-fuse is used to either fuse or not fuse according to the number of the corresponding information point in the programming control information, until all programming control information in the programming control information set is received.

[0071] This embodiment also provides a computer device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method described in Embodiment 1.

[0072] This embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in Embodiment 1.

[0073] This embodiment also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in Embodiment 1.

Claims

1. A programming method to improve the success rate of E-fuse programming, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Collect the programming information and calculate the number of E-fuse to be blown in the programming information; Step S1 specifically involves: Based on the number of E-fuses in the E-fuse array, obtain the same number of information points for the burning information. Add the numbers of each information point in the burning information in sequence to obtain the number of E-fuses to be melted in the burning information. The number of the information point is 1 or 0. S2. Traverse the programming information to determine the position of each E-fuse to be blown in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be blown. Step S2 specifically involves: The system sequentially checks whether each information point in the burned information contains an E-fuse to be broken. If the number of the information point is 1, then an E-fuse to be broken exists. The position information of the current information point is recorded and used as the position information of the E-fuse to be broken; otherwise, it remains silent. After traversing the programming information and determining whether there is an E-fuse to be blown at each information point in the programming information, the location information of each E-fuse to be blown in the programming information is obtained. S3. Based on the number of E-fuses to be melted in the current programming information and the position information of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information, obtain multiple programming control information containing one E-fuse to be melted. The number of programming control information is equal to the number of E-fuses to be melted in the programming information. The position of each E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information. Pack all programming control information to obtain a programming control set. Step S3 includes the following steps: S31. Create the same number of blank information according to the number of E-fuse to be melted. Multiple blank information are arranged in sequence. The number of information points of each blank information is the same as the number of information points of the programming information. The number of information points of each blank information is 0. S32. Match multiple sequentially arranged blank information entries with multiple E-fuse entries to be circuit breaker; S33. Based on the location information of each E-fuse to be fused, edit the numbers of the same information points in the corresponding blank information location information to 1 to obtain the writing control information that matches the corresponding E-fuse to be fused, and collect all the writing control information to obtain the writing control information set. S4. The programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array in sequence to complete the programming of the corresponding E-fuse; the E-fuse array includes multiple E-fuse arranged in sequence.

2. The programming method for improving the success rate of E-fuse programming according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S4 specifically involves: According to the order of the programming control information in the programming control information set, the first programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. After waiting for the programming interval, the second programming control information is sent to the E-fuse array. This process is repeated until all programming control information in the programming control information set is sent to the E-fuse array.

3. A programming system for improving programming success rate, characterized in that, The programming method for improving the success rate of E-fuse programming according to claim 2 includes: The programming information sending unit is used to send programming information; The programming information processing unit is used to receive programming information, calculate the number of E-fuse to be fused in the programming information; traverse the programming information, determine the position of each E-fuse to be fused in the programming information, and obtain the position information of each E-fuse to be fused; obtain the programming control information set according to the number of E-fuse to be fused and the position information of each E-fuse to be fused in the current programming information, and output the programming control information in the programming control information set in sequence; The programming information processing unit specifically includes: obtaining programming information with an equal number of information points based on the number of E-fuses in the E-fuse array; sequentially adding the numbers of each information point in the programming information to obtain the number of E-fuses to be melted in the programming information, where the number of information points is 1 or 0; sequentially determining whether there is an E-fuse to be melted at each information point in the programming information; if the number of the information point is 1, then there is an E-fuse to be melted, the position information of the current information point is recorded, and the position information of the current information point is used as the position information of the E-fuse to be melted; otherwise, remaining silent; traversing the programming information to determine whether there is an E-fuse to be melted at each information point in the programming information. After determining the use, the position information of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information is obtained; the same number of blank information is created according to the number of E-fuses to be melted, and multiple blank information are arranged sequentially. The number of information points of each blank information is the same as the number of information points in the programming information, and the number of each blank information information point is 0; the multiple sequentially arranged blank information are matched one by one with multiple E-fuses to be melted; according to the position information of each E-fuse to be melted, the number of the same information point in the corresponding blank information position information is edited to 1, and programming control information matching the corresponding E-fuse to be melted is obtained. All programming control information is collected to obtain a programming control information set; The programming control information set includes multiple programming control information sets equal to the number of E-fuse to be melted in the current programming information. Each programming control information set contains one E-fuse to be melted, and the position of the E-fuse to be melted in each programming control information set corresponds one-to-one with the position of each E-fuse to be melted in the programming information set. The E-fuse array unit includes multiple E-fuses arranged in sequence, used to receive programming control information. After receiving the programming control information, each E-fuse is used to either fuse or not fuse according to the number of the corresponding information point in the programming control information, until all programming control information in the programming control information set is received.

4. A computer device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 2.

5. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 2.

6. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 2.

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