Patent ID: 6903436

Claim:
An electrical fuse apparatus comprising: a programmable MOS device having a first gate width and including an oxide layer that can be broken down when an overvoltage is provided to the programmable MOS device; a reference MOS device having a second gate width that is substantially less than the first gate width; a sense amplifier operable to measure a difference in current provided to the programmable MOS device and to the reference MOS device and generate a logic signal based upon whether the oxide layer in the programmable MOS device has been broken down; a first switch connected to the programmable MOS device, wherein the first switch is operable to connect the programmable MOS device to one of an overvoltage line or a first sense amplifier terminal; and a second switch connected to the reference MOS device, wherein the second switch is operable to connect or disconnect the reference MOS device to a second sense amplifier terminal.