Appeal No. 2005-0826
Application No. 09/989,563
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to differential voltage regulators used in semiconductor
devices. Representative claim 1 is reproduced below.
1. A voltage control circuit which provides a test supply voltage during
manufacturing and testing of a semiconductor device and an operational supply
voltage after certification of the semiconductor device, the operational supply
voltage being lower than the test supply voltage, the voltage control circuit
comprising:
a clamp circuit having a plurality of voltage regulation devices, the voltage
regulation devices controlling a clamping threshold of the clamp circuit;
a voltage regulator electrically coupled to the clamp circuit which
generates a first control signal responsive to the clamping threshold of the clamp
circuit;
a charge pump which receives the control signal from the voltage
regulator, the charge pump generating the test supply voltage; and
at least one bypass device connected to at least one of the plurality of
voltage regulation devices, wherein the at least one bypass device is activated
following the certification of the semiconductor device to bypass the at least one
of the plurality of voltage regulation devices from the clamp circuit to lower the
clamping threshold of the clamp circuit, the voltage regulator generating a
second control signal responsive to the lowered clamping threshold of the clamp
circuit to cause the charge pump to generate the operational supply voltage.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Furumochi 5,473,277 Dec. 5, 1995
Javanifard et al. (Javanifard) 5,483,486 Jan. 9, 1996
Claims 1-16 and 25 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable
over Javanifard and Furumochi.
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