Skjerven Morrill MacPherson LLP
Charge pumps of antifuse programming circuitry powered from high voltage compatibility terminal
 A programmable device has digital logic elements and a programmable interconnect structure employing antifuses, the antifuses being programmable to connect selected ones of the digital logic elements together. During normal circuit operation, a first power input terminal is used to power the digital logic elements with a first supply voltage received on the first power input terminal. During normal circuit operation, a second power input terminal is used to protect circuitry of the programmable device from high voltage signals that may be driven onto terminals of the programmable device by circuitry external to the programmable device. During antifuse programming, the second power input terminal is used to drive charge pumps of programming drivers and/or programming control drivers. In some embodiments, the second power input terminal receives a voltage higher than the first supply voltage during antifuse programming such that the oscillating signal that drives the charge pumps has a larger amplitude thereby allowing back bias threshold voltages of transistors in the charge pumps to be overcome, facilitating starting of the charge pumps, and/or increasing charge pump efficiency. 
QuickLogic Corporation
H H
H01L H01L
inventional inventional
James M. Richard J. David D.
Apland Wong Eaton