Semiconductor apparatus transmitting fuse information and repair method thereof

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0009808, filed on Jan. 31, 2011, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth in full.

1. Technical Field

Various embodiments of the present invention relates to a semiconductor memory apparatuses and related methods. In particular, certain embodiments relate to a three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor apparatus in which a plurality of chips are stacked.

2. Related Art

In order to elevate the degree of integration of a semiconductor apparatus, a three-dimensional semiconductor apparatus has been developed in which a plurality of chips are stacked and packaged. Since two or more chips are vertically stacked, the 3D semiconductor apparatus can achieve a maximum degree of integration in the same space.

Various schemes exist to realize the three-dimensional semiconductor apparatus. In one scheme, a plurality of chips with the same structure are stacked and the stacked chips are coupled to one another using wires, such as metal lines, so that they operate as a single semiconductor apparatus.

Also, recently, a through-silicon via (TSV) type semiconductor apparatus has been disclosed in the art, in which silicon vias are formed through a plurality of stacked chips so that all the chips are electrically connected to one another. In the TSV type semiconductor apparatus, since the chips are electrically connected to one another through the silicon vias vertically passing through the chips, it is possible to efficiently reduce the area of the package, as compared with a semiconductor apparatus in which respective chips are electrically connected to one another through bonding wirings bonded adjacent to the edges of the chips.

The number of TSVs for connecting the plurality of chips gradually increases. Therefore, in step with the increase in the number of TSVs, a technology for replacing defective TSVs with normal TSVs is needed. This can be accomplished using fuse information, such as a fuse circuit for storing information as to whether TSVs are normal or defective. In the case where the fuse circuit is disposed in each of the stacked chips, while the problem of replacing defective TSVs can be solved, an inefficiency may result in terms of the chip area.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved semiconductor apparatus which is capable of transmitting fuse information to a plurality of chips constituting a single semiconductor apparatus.

To attain the advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, one exemplary aspect of the present invention may provide a semiconductor apparatus, in which first and second chips are stacked, that includes: a signal transmission block disposed in the first chip and configured to transmit fuse information in synchronization with transmission control signals; and signal reception blocks disposed in the first and second chips, and configured to receive the fuse information in synchronization with reception control signals, wherein the transmission control signals and the reception control signals have substantially the same phases.

In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor apparatus may include: a signal transmission block configured to transmit fuse information in response to transmission control signals; a master chip signal reception block disposed in a master chip and configured to receive the fuse information in response to reception control signals and generate TSV selection signals; a slave chip signal reception block disposed in a slave chip and configured to receive the fuse information in response to the reception control signals and generate the TSV selection signals; and a repair circuit configured to set paths of signals to be transmitted from the master chip to the slave chip, in response to the TSV selection signals.

In still another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method for repairing a semiconductor apparatus may include: receiving a clock signal and generating transmission control signals and reception control signals; transmitting fuse information from a master chip in response to the transmission control signals; receiving the fuse information in response to the reception control signals in the master chip and a slave chip; and selecting a TSV for transmitting a signal from the master chip to the slave chip, in response to the fuse information.

In still another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method for repairing a semiconductor apparatus may include: receiving a clock signal and generating transmission control signals and reception control signals; generating output enable signals which are enabled with a preset time interval, from the transmission control signals; transmitting fuse information from a master chip in response to the output enable signals; and receiving the fuse information by the master chip and a slave chip in response to the reception control signals.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a semiconductor apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a transmission control signal generation unit shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a shift register section shown in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a fuse signal transmission unit shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a first transmission section shown in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a first predriver shown in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of an output enable signal generation part shown in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of an output driver shown in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a fuse signal reception unit shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a repair circuit in which the fuse information transmitted by the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention may be used;

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram exemplifying a case in which transmission of fuse information fails due to consecutive transmission of fuse information;

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of another exemplary embodiment of a shift register of a semiconductor apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of another exemplary embodiment of the output driver of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference characters will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a semiconductor apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 , a semiconductor apparatus 1 is illustrated as including a master chip master and first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 . However, the number of stacked chips is not specifically limited. Since the master chip master and slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 are packaged in a state in which they are stacked upon one another, they constitute a single semiconductor apparatus and are electrically connected with one another through through-silicon vias (TSVs).

In FIG. 1 , the master chip master includes a signal transmission block 10 . Signal transmission block 10 is configured to transmit fuse information in response to transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. The fuse information is fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n>, which are generated in fuse circuit 13 , including a plurality of fuse sets depending upon whether or not respective fuses are cut, and may include all information signals that may be used in a semiconductor apparatus. In the embodiment of the present invention, the fuse information is specifically exemplified as having information as to whether or not a defective TSV exists and as to the defective TSV. The signal transmission block 10 outputs the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> in synchronization with the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >.

The signal transmission block 10 includes a transmission control signal generation unit 11 and a fuse signal transmission unit 12 . The transmission control signal generation unit 11 is configured to generate the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 > in response to a clock signal CLK. The fuse signal transmission unit 12 is configured to receive the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> and output the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> as fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. The outputted fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > may be transmitted to one or more of the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 by not passing through a first TSV TSV 1 or by passing through the first TSV TSV 1 .

The master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 include signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 , respectively. The signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 are configured to receive the fuse information transmitted from the signal transmission block 10 . The signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 receive the fuse information in response to reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. That is to say, the signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. The signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 generate fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> according to the received fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 >.

The signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 include reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 and fuse signal reception units 22 , 32 and 42 . The reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 are configured to generate the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > in response to the clock signal CLK. In the embodiment of the present invention, the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > are signals that have substantially the same phases as the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >. Accordingly, the reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 may be configured in the same manner as the transmission control signal generation unit 11 . The fuse signal reception units 22 , 32 and 42 are configured to receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in response to the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > and generate fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n>. That is to say, the fuse signal reception units 22 , 32 and 42 are configured to generate the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> from the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. As described above, since the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > generated from the transmission control signal generation unit 11 have the same phase as the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > generated from the reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 , the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 may receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > at a timing at which the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > are transmitted from the signal transmission block 10 . In other words, as the signal transmission block 10 outputs the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >, the signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 may receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > and generate the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n>. Accordingly, the fuse information of the fuse circuit 13 may be transmitted to the signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 .

The fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > may be transmitted to the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 through the first TSV TSV 1 . Further, the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > may be transmitted to the signal reception block 20 of the master chip master through a signal line by not passing through the first TSV TSV 1 . The semiconductor apparatus 1 further includes a second TSV TSV 2 for transmitting the clock signal CLK. The second TSV TSV 2 is connected through the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 and may transmit the clock signal CLK to the respective chips. Although the cycle of the clock signal CLK is not specifically limited, the clock signal CLK may have a cycle longer than an external clock signal received by the semiconductor apparatus 1 . The clock signal CLK, which has a longer cycle than the external clock signal, may be generated through a clock divider (not shown), etc. In this way, in the case where the clock signal CLK with the longer cycle than the external clock signal is used, since a sufficient time margin for transmitting and receiving the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> may be secured, more precise and smooth signal transmission is enabled.

In FIG. 1 , the semiconductor apparatus 1 may further include repeaters RPT for respectively buffering the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > and the clock signal CLK transmitted through the first TSV TSV 1 and the second TSV TSV 2 .

In FIG. 1 , the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 of the semiconductor apparatus 1 may further include TSV selection units 23 , 33 and 43 , each for receiving the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> and generating TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m>. The TSV selection units 23 , 33 and 44 are configured to decode the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> and generate the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m>. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the fuse information is exemplified as having defect information of the TSVs. Thus, the TSV selection units 23 , 33 and 43 may be used for repair operations for replacing defective TSVs with normal TSVs.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the transmission control signal generation unit shown in FIG. 1 . In FIG. 2 , the transmission control signal generation unit 11 includes a pulse generation section 110 and a shift register section 120 . The pulse generation section 110 is configured to receive the clock signal CLK and generate a pulse signal CLKT. The pulse generation section 110 generates the pulse signal CLKT from the clock signal CLK when an enable signal EN is enabled. For example, the pulse signal CLKT may be generated by an AND operation of the clock signal CLK and the enable signal EN. The enable signal EN may include any one from among signals generally used in a semiconductor apparatus. A power-up signal of a semiconductor apparatus, an MRS signal generated from a mode register set, and the like may be used as the enable signal EN. Also, the pulse generation section 110 may be initialized when receiving a reset signal RST.

The shift register section 120 is configured to receive the pulse signal CLKT and generate the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. The shift register section 120 may sequentially delay the pulse signal CLKT by a predetermined time in response to the clock signal CLK and generate the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >, which are sequentially enabled from the sequentially delayed signals.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the shift register section shown in FIG. 2 . In FIG. 3 , the shift register section 120 includes a plurality of flip-flops FF and a plurality of buffer parts BUF. The plurality of flip-flops FF receive signals in response to the clock signal CLK, delay the received signals by the predetermined time, for example, one cycle of the clock signal CLK, and output resultant signals. The plurality of flip-flops FF are sequentially connected in series, and in FIG. 3 , twelve flip-flops are shown exemplarily. The shift register section 120 may further include a NAND gate ND. The NAND gate ND receives the pulse signal CLKT and an output Q 11 B of the flip-flop FF, which is connected at the last stage among the flip-flops FF connected in series. In this case, the NAND gate ND and the twelve flip-flops FF define a chain form, and unless the reset signal RST is not inputted, the plurality of transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 > may be consecutively generated with the input of one pulse signal CLKT.

The buffer parts BUF may be provided by the number of flip-flops FF or more. The respective buffer parts BUF receive outputs Q 0 to Q 11 of the plurality of flip-flops FF and inverted signals Q 0 B to Q 11 B of the outputs Q 0 to Q 11 , buffer the received signals Q 0 to Q 11 and Q 0 B to Q 11 B, and generate the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >.

The reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 , which are respectively disposed in the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 , have the same configuration as the transmission control signal generation unit 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . Therefore, the reception control signal generation units 21 , 31 and 41 may generate the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >, which have substantially the same phase as the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the fuse signal transmission unit shown in FIG. 1 . In FIG. 4 , the fuse signal transmission unit 12 includes first to third transmission sections 410 , 420 and 430 . The first to third transmission sections 410 , 420 and 430 commonly receive the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. The first transmission section 410 is configured to receive a portion FUSE< 0 , 3 , 6 , . . . , n−2> from among the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n>, the second transmission section 420 is configured to receive another portion FUSE< 1 , 4 , 7 , . . . , n−1> from among the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n>, and the third transmission section 430 is configured to receive a remaining portion FUSE< 2 , 5 , 8 , . . . , n> from among the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n>. Namely, the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n>, which are received by the respective first to third transmission sections 410 , 420 and 430 , do not overlap with one another. Accordingly, the fuse signal transmission unit 12 may transmit a plurality of fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> in response to one of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. That is to say, if the transmission control signals COUT< 0 > and COUTB< 0 > are enabled, the first transmission section 410 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 0 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 >, the second transmission section 420 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 1 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 >, and the third transmission section 430 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 2 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 >. If the transmission control signals COUT< 1 > and COUTB< 1 > are enabled, the first transmission section 410 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 3 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 >, the second transmission section 420 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 4 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 >, and the third transmission section 430 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 > from the fuse signal FUSE< 5 > and outputs the generated fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 >. Accordingly, the fuse signal transmission unit 12 receives the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> inputted in parallel and outputs the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in series. The fuse signal transmission unit 12 , including the first to third transmission sections 410 , 420 and 430 , can transmit thirty six fuse signals in response to twelve transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and the twelve inverted signals COUTB< 0 : 11 > thereof. However, the number of fuse signals is not limited, and a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the number of fuse signals to be transmitted may be adjusted depending upon the number of transmission sections and the number of transmission control signals.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the first transmission section shown in FIG. 4 . The first transmission section 410 includes first to third predrivers 511 to 513 , an output enable signal generation part 520 , and an output driver 530 . The first to third predrivers 511 to 513 receive assigned fuse signals FUSE< 0 , 3 , 6 , 9 >, FUSE< 12 , 15 , 18 , 21 > and FUSE< 24 , 27 , 30 , 33 >, (when assuming that total numbers of the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> are thirty-six), and receive assigned transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 3 > and COUTB< 0 : 3 >, COUT< 4 : 7 > and COUTB< 4 : 7 >, and COUT< 8 : 11 > and COUTB< 8 : 11 >, respectively. The first to third predrivers 511 to 513 generate first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 > from the assigned fuse signals FUSE< 0 , 3 , 6 , 9 >, FUSE< 12 , 15 , 18 , 21 > and FUSE< 24 , 27 , 30 , 33 > in response to the assigned transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 3 > and COUTB< 0 : 3 >, COUT< 4 : 7 > and COUTB< 4 : 7 >, and COUT< 8 : 11 > and COUTB< 8 : 11 >, and output the generated first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 >. The first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 > are outputted through the output driver 530 . The output enable signal generation part 520 solves the problem where the first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 > generated from the first to third predrivers 511 to 513 collide with one another.

The output enable signal generation part 520 receives the transmission control signals COUTB< 0 : 11 > and generates output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 >. The output enable signal generation part 520 generates first output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 > from the transmission control signals COUTB< 0 : 3 >, generates second output enable signals COUT_SUM< 1 > and COUT_SUMB< 1 > from the transmission control signals COUTB< 4 : 7 >, and generates third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 2 > from the transmission control signals COUTB< 8 : 11 >. The first output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 > are consecutively enabled while the transmission control signals COUTB< 0 : 3 > are enabled, the second output enable signals COUT_SUM< 1 > and COUT_SUMB< 1 > are consecutively enabled while the transmission control signals COUTB< 4 : 7 > are enabled, and the third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 2 > are consecutively enabled while the transmission control signals COUTB< 8 : 11 > are enabled.

The output driver 530 receives the first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 > and generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > in response to the first to third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 >. The output driver 530 generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the first driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 0 > in response to the first output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 >, generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the second driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 1 > in response to the second output enable signals COUT_SUM< 1 > and COUT_SUMB< 1 >, and generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the third driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 2 > in response to the third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 2 >.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the first predriver shown in FIG. 5 . The first predriver 511 includes first to fourth tri-state inverters TIV 1 to TIV 4 and a driving node N 1 . The first tri-state inverter TIV 1 inverts the fuse signal FUSE< 0 > under the control of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 > and COUTB< 0 >, and outputs the resultant signal to the driving node N 1 or interrupts the output of the resultant signal to the driving node N 1 . The second tri-state inverter TIV 2 inverts the fuse signal FUSE< 3 > under the control of the transmission control signals COUT< 1 > and COUTB< 1 >, and outputs the resultant signal to the driving node N 1 or interrupts the output of the resultant signal to the driving node N 1 . Similarly, the third and fourth tri-state inverters TIV 3 and TIV 4 invert the fuse signals FUSE< 6 , 9 > under the control of the transmission control signals COUT< 2 : 3 > and COUTB< 2 : 3 >, and output the resultant signals to the driving node N 1 or interrupt the output of the resultant signals to the driving node N 1 . Accordingly, the first predriver 511 inversely drives the fuse signal FUSE< 0 > when the transmission control signals COUT< 0 > and COUTB< 0 > are enabled, and generates the first driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 0 >. Similarly, the first predriver 511 inversely drives the fuse signals FUSE< 3 , 6 , 9 > when the transmission control signals COUT< 1 : 3 > and COUTB< 1 : 3 > are enabled, and generates the first driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 0 >. Because the second and third predrivers 512 and 513 may be configured in the same manner as the first predriver 511 , additional explanations therefor will be omitted therein.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the output enable signal generation part shown in FIG. 5 . In FIG. 7 , the output enable signal generation part 520 includes first to third AND gates 711 , 712 and 713 . The first AND gate 711 receives the inverted signals COUTB< 0 : 3 > of the transmission control signals and generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 0 > of the first output enable signal. The first AND gate 711 generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 0 > of the first output enable signal, which is consecutively enabled to a low level while the inverted signals COUTB< 0 : 3 > of the transmission control signals are sequentially enabled to a low level. The second AND gate 712 receives the inverted signals COUTB< 4 : 7 > of the transmission control signals and generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 1 > of the second output enable signal. The second AND gate 712 generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 1 > of the second output enable signal, which is consecutively enabled to a low level while the inverted signals COUTB< 4 : 7 > of the transmission control signals are sequentially enabled to a low level. The third AND gate 713 receives the inverted signals COUTB< 8 : 11 > of the transmission control signals and generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 2 > of the third output enable signal. The third AND gate 713 generates the inverted signal COUT_SUMB< 2 > of the third output enable signal, which is consecutively enabled to a low level while the inverted signals COUTB< 8 : 11 > of the transmission control signals are sequentially enabled to a low level. It is apparent that the first to third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > may be generated by inverting the inverted signals COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 > of the first to third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 >. Therefore, the enable periods of the first to third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 > do not overlap with one another.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the output driver shown in FIG. 5 . In FIG. 8 , the output driver 530 includes fifth to seventh tri-state inverters TIV 5 to TIV 7 , a latch LAT, first and second inverters IV 1 , and an NMOS transistor N 1 . The fifth tri-state inverter TIV 5 allows or interrupts the transmission of the first driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 0 > outputted from the first predriver 511 , under the control of the first output enable signal and the inverted signal thereof COUT_SUM< 0 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 >. The sixth tri-state inverter TIV 6 allows or interrupts the transmission of the second driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 1 > outputted from the second predriver 512 , under the control of the second output enable signal and the inverted signal thereof COUT_SUM< 1 > and COUT_SUMB< 1 >. The seventh tri-state inverter TIV 7 allows or interrupts the transmission of the third driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 2 > outputted from the third predriver 513 , under the control of the third output enable signal and the inverted signal thereof COUT_SUM< 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 2 >. The output terminals of the fifth to seventh tri-state inverters TIV 5 to TIV 7 are commonly connected to a node N 2 . The latch LAT latches the voltage level of the node N 2 and outputs a signal generated by inverting the voltage of the node N 2 . Accordingly, the output driver 530 may generate the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the first driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 0 > while the first output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 > are enabled, generate the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the second driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 1 > while the second output enable signals COUT_SUM< 1 > and COUT_SUMB< 1 > are enabled, and generate the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > from the third driving fuse signal PRE_OUT< 2 > while the third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 2 > are enabled. Therefore, the first to third driving fuse signals PRE_OUT< 0 : 2 > may be outputted sequentially through the output driver 530 without colliding with one another.

The first inverter IV 1 inverts the output of the latch LAT and generates the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 >. The second inverter IV 2 receives the reset signal RST. The NMOS transistor N 1 receives the reset signal RST and resets the node N 2 to a ground voltage level. Therefore, the output driver 530 may be initialized in response to the reset signal RST.

As described above, the second and third transmission sections 420 and 430 have the same configuration as the first transmission section 410 described above with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 . Therefore, the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > may be generated by the first to third transmission sections 410 to 430 while the first to third output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 > are enabled. Also, as a matter of course, the output enable signal generation part 520 may in some cases not be provided to each of the first to third transmission sections 410 to 430 but be provided only to one transmission section and the remaining transmission sections may commonly receive and use the output enable signals COUT_SUM< 0 : 2 > and COUT_SUMB< 0 : 2 > generated from the output enable signal generation part 520 .

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the fuse signal reception unit of the signal reception block disposed in the first slave chip slave 1 in FIG. 1 . In FIG. 9 , the fuse signal reception unit 32 includes fourth to sixth AND gates 911 , 912 and 913 , and first to third SR latch sections SR 1 to SR 3 . The fourth AND gate 911 receives the reception control signal ROUT< 0 > and the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 >. The first SR latch section SR 1 enables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 0 > to a high level when the output of the fourth AND gate 911 is enabled to a high level, and disables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 0 > to a low level in response to the reset signal RST. The fifth AND gate 912 receives the reception control signal ROUT< 0 > and the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 >. The second SR latch section SR 2 enables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 1 > to a high level when the output of the fifth AND gate 912 is enabled to a high level, and disables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 1 > to a low level in response to the reset signal RST. The sixth AND gate 913 receives the reception control signal ROUT< 0 > and the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 >. The third SR latch section SR 3 enables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 2 > to a high level when the output of the sixth AND gate 913 is enabled to a high level, and disables the fuse output signal FSOUT< 2 > to a low level in response to the reset signal RST. This configuration of the fuse signal reception unit 32 may be provided by the same number as the number of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. Accordingly, the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> to be outputted in parallel may be generated from the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 >, which are inputted in series from the fuse signal reception unit 32 . The fuse signal reception unit 32 may receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > transmitted from the signal transmission block 10 in synchronization with the enable timings of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >, and may generate the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> from the received fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 >. As a result, the signal transmission block 10 may transmit the thirty-six fuse information exemplified above in synchronization with the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >, and the signal reception block 30 may receive the thirty-six fuse information in synchronization with the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >, which have substantially the same phases as the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >. Thus, the fuse information transmitted from the master chip master may be precisely transferred at the same time to the master chip master and the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 .

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. Operations of the semiconductor apparatus 1 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 . The transmission control signal generation unit 11 receives the clock signal CLK and generates the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >. The reception control signal generation unit 21 of the master chip master also receives the clock signal CLK and generates the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >, which have substantially the same phases as the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >. The reception control signal generation units 31 and 41 of the first and second slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 receive the clock signal CLK transmitted through the second TSV TSV 2 and generate the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. The fuse signal transmission unit 12 generates the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > from the fuse signals FUSE< 0 :n> with the fuse information of fuse circuit 13 according to the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and COUTB< 0 : 11 >, and transmits the generated fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > through the first TSV TSV 1 . In FIG. 10 , the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > generated from the first to third transmission sections 410 , 420 and 430 are outputted in response to the first output enable signal COUT_SUM< 0 >, which is consecutively enabled while the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > are sequentially enabled. The fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 0 > sequentially outputs the fuse information of the fuse signals FUSE< 0 , 3 , 6 , 9 >, the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 1 > sequentially outputs the fuse information of the fuse signals FUSE< 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 >, and the fuse transmission signal FSTSV< 2 > sequentially outputs the fuse information of the fuse signals < 2 , 5 , 8 , 11 >. The fuse signal reception units 22 , 32 and 42 may receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > in synchronization with the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > and generate the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n>.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an exemplary embodiment of a repair circuit 50 in which the fuse information transmitted by the semiconductor apparatus 1 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention may be used. As described above, the TSV selection units 23 , 33 and 43 decode the fuse output signals FSOUT< 0 :n> generated by the signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 and generate the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m>. For the purpose of exemplification, FIG. 11 illustrates a case where one master chip master and one slave chip slave are electrically connected with each other through four TSVs. A first TSV TSV 11 transmits a first signal SIG< 0 > from the master chip master to the slave chip slave. Second to fourth TSVs TSV 12 to TSV 14 transmit second to fourth signals SIG< 1 : 3 > from the master chip master to the slave chip slave. The first to fourth TSVs TSV 11 to TSV 14 are connected to a plurality of transceivers TX 1 to TX 4 and receivers RX 1 to RX 3 . That is to say, the transceivers TX 1 to TX 4 may receive together signals to be transmitted through assigned TSVs and adjacent TSVs, and may select TSVs through which the signals are to be transmitted, according to the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 : 3 >. Similarly, the receivers RX 1 to RX 3 are connected to assigned TSVs and adjacent TSVs, and may receive the signals transmitted from ones of the assigned TSVs and the adjacent TSVs according to the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 : 2 >. Accordingly, TSVs through which the signals are to be transmitted may be selected according to the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m>.

When assuming that the first, third and fourth TSVs TSV 11 , TSV 13 and TSV 14 are normal and the second TSV TSV 12 are defective, in order for precise signal transmission, the second signal SIG< 1 > should not be transmitted through the second TSV TSV 12 and should be transmitted through a normal TSV. Thus, a repair process is required. At this time, such repair information is outputted from the fuse circuit 13 of FIG. 1 as fuse information. The signal reception blocks 20 , 30 and 40 receive the fuse information and generate the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m>. The TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m> generated in the master chip master may be inputted to the transceivers TX 1 to TX 4 of FIG. 11 , and the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m> generated in the slave chip slave may be inputted to the receivers RX 1 to RX 3 of FIG. 11 . The transceiver TX 1 may transmit the first signal SIG< 0 > through the first TSV TSV 11 in response to the TSV selection signal TSVSEL< 0 >, and the receiver RX 1 may receive the first signal SIG< 0 > through the first TSV TSV 11 in response to the TSV selection signal TSVSEL< 0 >. The transceivers TX 2 and TX 3 may transmit the second signal SIG< 1 > not through the second TSV TSV 12 but through the third TSV TSV 13 in response to the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 1 : 2 >, and the receiver RX 2 may receive the second signal SIG< 1 > through the third TSV TSV 13 in response to the TSV selection signal TSVSEL< 1 >. Similarly, the transceivers TX 3 and TX 4 may transmit the third signal SIG< 2 > through the fourth TSV TSV 14 , and the receiver RX 3 may receive the third signal SIG< 2 > through the fourth TSV TSV 14 . Accordingly, the TSV selection signals TSVSEL< 0 :m> are inputted to the repair circuit 50 to detour a transmission path for a signal, which is otherwise to be transmitted through a defective TSV, to a normal TSV, so that normal transmission of the signal can be made possible.

As described above, the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > generated by the shift register section 120 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are signals that are consecutively and sequentially enabled. Accordingly, every time the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > are enabled, the fuse information may be transmitted from the master chip master to the slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 . However, where the fuse information is transmitted by the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >, which are consecutively and sequentially enabled, normal signal transmission may fail. That is to say, generation timings of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > may not precisely match the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > generated in the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 . Because the signal transmission block 10 of the master chip master and the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 of the slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 are disposed at a distance and the clock signal CLK is transmitted from the master chip master through the TSV to the slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 , a skew may occur between the generation timings of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > and the generation timings of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >.

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram exemplifying a case in which transmission of fuse information fails due to consecutive transmission of fuse information. As can be seen from FIG. 12 , due to the fact that the generation timings of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > generated by the signal transmission block 10 of the master chip master and the generation timings of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > generated by the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 of the slave chips slave 1 and slave 2 do not match each other, a case may occur in which fuse information is erroneously transmitted. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the respective bits of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > are sequentially numbered as 0 to 11 , and the respective bits of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > are sequentially numbered as 0 to 11 . The fuse information of the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > transmitted in synchronization with the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > are numbered 0 , 6 , 12 , . . . , 66 . As described above, the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > may be generated by being delayed more than the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >. The signal transmission block 10 transmits the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 0 when the first bit COUT< 0 > of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 > is enabled, and the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 0 when the first bit ROUT< 0 > of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > is enabled. However, as the generation timings of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > are delayed, while the sixth bit ROUT< 5 > of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 > is enabled, the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 initially receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 30 and then receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 36 . Accordingly, although the signal transmission block 10 transmits the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 30 in synchronization with the sixth bit COUT< 5 > of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >, the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 receive the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information of 36 , which is transmitted in synchronization with the seventh bit COUT< 6 > of the transmission control signals COUT< 0 : 11 >. Therefore, the signal reception blocks 30 and 40 may receive erroneous fuse information in synchronization with the sixth bit ROUT< 5 > of the reception control signals ROUT< 0 : 11 >. Thus, another embodiment of the present invention may be provided to solve this problem. Another embodiment of the present invention is configured in such a manner that the fuse information is not consecutively and sequentially transmitted but is sequentially transmitted with a preset time interval. That is to say, another embodiment of the present invention is configured to discretely generate the transmission control signals.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of another exemplary embodiment of a shift register of a semiconductor apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13 , a shift register section 120 - 1 includes an output selection signal generation part 1300 in addition to the configuration of the shift register section 120 shown in FIG. 3 , and the plurality of buffer parts are replaced with control buffer parts. The output selection signal generation part 1300 receives a final output Q 11 of the flip-flops FF and generates an output selection signal SELOUT.

In FIG. 13 , the output selection signal generation part 1300 selectively delays the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF and an inverted signal Q 11 B thereof in response to a detection signal DET, and generates the output selection signal SELOUT from the delayed signal.

In FIG. 13 , the output selection signal generation part 1300 tri-state inverters 1301 and 1302 , a flip-flop 1310 , and a buffer part 1320 . The tri-state inverter 1301 inverts and outputs the inverted signal Q 11 B of the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF under the control of the detection signal DET and an inverted signal DETB thereof. The tri-state inverter 1302 inverts and outputs the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF under the control of the detection signal DET and the inverted signal DETB thereof. The flip-flop 1310 delays the outputs of the tri-state inverters 1301 and 1302 in synchronization with the inverted signal Q 11 B of the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF, and generates the detection signals DET and DETB. The buffer part 1320 buffers the detection signal DET and generates the output selection signal SELOUT. If the detection signal DET is initially set to a low level and the inverted signal Q 11 B of the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF is set to a high level, the output selection signal generation part 1300 receives the inverted signal Q 11 B of the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF and generates the output selection signal SELOUT at a low level. Thereafter, if the flip-flop chain is circulated one turn, as the inverted signal Q 11 B of the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF is received, the output selection signal SELOUT becomes a high level by the tri-state inverter 1301 , which is activated by the detection signal DET of a low level. Thereafter, if the flip-flop chain is circulated another one turn, the output Q 11 of the final flip-flop FF becomes a high level, and the output selection signal SELOUT becomes a low level by the tri-state inverter 1302 , which is activated by the detection signal DET of a high level. In this way, the shift register section 120 - 1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention may generate the output selection signal SELOUT having a logic level alternating between a high level and a low level each time the flip-flop chain is circulated one turn.

In FIG. 13 , the control buffer part 1330 includes first to twenty fourth inverters IV 1 to IV 24 , first to twelfth NOR gates NOR 1 to NOR 12 , and first to twelfth NAND gates ND 1 to ND 12 . The first to twenty fourth inverters IV 1 to IV 24 respectively invert the outputs Q 0 to Q 11 and Q 0 B to Q 11 B of the flip-flops FF. The first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh NOR gates NOR 1 , NOR 3 , NOR 5 , NOR 7 , NOR 9 and NOR 11 respectively receive the outputs of the first, fifth, ninth, thirteenth, seventeenth and twenty first inverters IV 1 , IV 5 , IV 9 , IV 13 , IV 17 and IV 21 , and commonly receive the output selection signal SELOUT. The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth NOR gates NOR 2 , NOR 4 , NOR 6 , NOR 8 , NOR 10 and NOR 12 respectively receive the outputs of the third, seventh, eleventh, fifteenth, nineteenth and twenty third inverters IV 3 , IV 7 , IV 11 , IV 15 , IV 19 and IV 23 , and commonly receive an output selection signal SELOUTB. The first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh NAND gates ND 1 , ND 3 , ND 5 , ND 7 , ND 9 and ND 11 respectively receive the outputs of the second, sixth, tenth, fourteenth, eighteenth and twenty second inverters IV 2 , IV 6 , IV 10 , IV 14 , IV 18 and IV 22 , and commonly receive the output selection signal SELOUTB. The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth NAND gates ND 2 , ND 4 , ND 6 , NDB, ND 10 and ND 12 respectively receive the outputs of the fourth, eighth, twelfth, sixteenth, twentieth and twenty fourth inverters IV 4 , IV 8 , IV 12 , IV 16 , IV 20 and IV 24 , and commonly receive an output selection signal SELOUT. Accordingly, the control buffer part 1330 may provide the transmission control signals COUT< 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 > by buffering the outputs Q 0 , Q 2 , Q 4 , Q 6 , Q 8 and Q 10 of the odd-numbered flip-flops FF when the output selection signal SELOUT has a low level, and may provide the transmission control signals COUT< 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 > by buffering the outputs Q 1 , Q 3 , Q 5 , Q 7 , Q 9 and Q 11 of the even-numbered flip-flops FF when the output selection signal SELOUT has a high level.

FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of another exemplary embodiment of the output driver of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 14 , an output driver 530 - 1 includes a precharge portion 1400 in addition to the configuration of the output driver 530 shown in FIG. 8 . The precharge portion 1400 receives the outputs Q 0 to Q 11 and Q 0 B to Q 11 B of the plurality of flip-flops FF constituting the shift register section 120 - 1 , the output selection signal SELOUT and the reset signal RST, and generates a precharge signal PCG. The precharge signal PCG is inputted to the gate of the NMOS transistor N 1 , which constitute the output driver 530 - 1 . The precharge portion 1400 generates the precharge signal PCG so as to precharge the voltage level of the node N 2 to a predetermined level, for example, the level of a ground voltage VSS between periods during which the driving fuse signals PRE< 0 , 2 > are transmitted by the transmission control signals COUT< 0 , 2 , 6 , 8 , 10 >. Meanwhile, if the reset signal RST is received, the precharge signal PCG is enabled similarly. Therefore, the precharge portion 1400 functions to prevent another driving fuse signal, which is not assigned, from being transmitted when the transmission control signals COUT< 0 , 2 , 6 , 8 , 10 > are inputted.

In FIG. 14 , the precharge portion 1400 includes first to fourth NOR gates 1401 , 1402 , 1407 and 1408 , first to third inverters 1403 , 1404 and 1406 , and a first NAND gate 1405 . The first NOR gate 1401 receives the outputs Q 0 , Q 2 , Q 4 , Q 6 , Q 8 and Q 10 of the odd-numbered flip-flops FF. The second NOR gate 1402 receives the outputs Q 1 , Q 3 , Q 5 , Q 7 , Q 9 and Q 11 of the even-numbered flip-flops FF. The first inverter 1403 inverts the output of the second NOR gate 1402 . The second inverter 1404 inverts the reset signal RST. The first NAND gate 1405 receives the output of the first NOR gate 1401 , the output of the second inverter 1404 and the output selection signal SELOUT. The third NOR gate 1407 receives the output of the first inverter 1403 , the reset signal RST and the output selection signal SELOUT. The third inverter 1406 inverts the output of the first NAND gate 1405 . The fourth NOR gate 1408 receives the outputs of the third inverter 1406 and the third NOR gate 1407 and generates the precharge signal PCG.

FIG. 15 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the semiconductor apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 15 , when the flip-flop chain constituting the shift register section 120 - 1 is circulated one turn, the output selection signal SELOUT has a low level. Accordingly, the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information corresponding to 0 , 12 , 24 , 36 , 48 and 60 may be transmitted by the transmission control signals COUT< 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 >. Thereafter, if the output selection signal SELOUT becomes a high level, the fuse transmission signals FSTSV< 0 : 2 > with the fuse information corresponding to 6 , 18 , 30 , 42 , 54 and 66 may be transmitted by the transmission control signals COUT< 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 >. Accordingly, in another embodiment of the present invention, because the fuse information is not consecutively transmitted but transmitted with the preset time interval, it is possible to prevent erroneous fuse information from being transmitted as in FIG. 12 .

While certain embodiments have been described above, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described are by way of example only. Accordingly, the semiconductor apparatus and the repair method thereof described herein should not be limited based on the described embodiments. Rather, the semiconductor apparatus and the repair method thereof described herein should only be limited in light of the claims that follow when taken in conjunction with the above description and accompanying drawings.