Patent ID: 7269081

Claim:
A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: a storage element configured to store information by electrically irreversibly changing element characteristics; a program circuit configured to program the storage element by electrically irreversibly changing the element characteristics thereof, the program circuit comprising a high-voltage generator which irreversibly changes the element characteristics of the storage element by applying a high voltage thereto, and a current source which supplies an electric current to the storage element having element characteristics changed by the high-voltage generator, thereby stabilizing the element characteristics; and a sensing circuit configured to sense the irreversibly changed element characteristics of the storage element in distinction from an unchanged state; wherein the current source comprises a switching circuit configured to supply an electric current from the current source to the storage element having the changed element characteristics when an output voltage from the high-voltage generator lowers, said switching circuit comprising a first MOS transistor and second MOS transistor having current paths connect in series between an input terminal and output terminal of the high-voltage generator, wherein ON/OFF of the first MOS transistor is controlled on the basis of the output voltage from the high-voltage generator being lowered, and a voltage intermediate between a power supply voltage and the output voltage of the high-voltage generator is applied to a gate of the second MOS transistor.