Semiconductor fuses and methods for fabricating and programming the same
OwnerKenneth Marrinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuse for use in semiconductor devices, semiconductor devices including the fuse, methods of fabricating the fuse, and methods of using the fuse. The fuse includes terminals and a programmable region between the terminals. The programmable region may have less mass than the terminals. The programmable region may include metal silicide, which is rendered discontinuous by agglomeration or melting when a programming current is applied to one of the terminals. Construction of the fuse or features over the fuse may prevent programming of the fuse with a laser.
Claims17
A method for programming a fuse, comprising:
- applying a programming current to a terminal of a fuse including:
- a first layer comprising a metal silicide;
- and
- a second layer comprising another conductive material,
- the first and second layers collectively comprising a first quantity of conductive material;
- and
- conveying the programming current from the terminal to a programmable region of the fuse, the programmable region comprising a second quantity of metal silicide, the programming current causing the metal silicide of the programmable region to agglomerate or melt without causing agglomeration or melting of the metal silicide of the terminal.
A fuse, comprising:
- at least two terminal regions located on a dielectric structure, each terminal region including:
- a first layer comprising a metal silicide;
- and
- a second layer comprising another conductive material that remains electrically in-tact when the metal silicide of the first layer becomes discontinuous,
- the first layer of each terminal region comprising a first quantity of metal silicide;
- and
- a programmable region that cannot be programmed with a laser located between the at least two terminal regions and comprising a second quantity of metal silicide, the second quantity being configured to be rendered discontinuous more readily than the first quantity.
A method for fabricating a fuse, comprising:
- forming a layer comprising dielectric material over a semiconductor substrate;
- forming a layer comprising conductive material over the layer comprising dielectric material;
- patterning the layer comprising conductive material to form at least terminals of at least one fuse and a conductive layer of at least one transistor gate;
- removing dielectric material of the layer comprising dielectric material at least from between terminals of the at least one fuse;
- forming another layer comprising conductive material over the layer comprising conductive material and in contact with a structure located beneath the layer comprising dielectric material;
- and
- patterning at least the another layer to form the terminals and a programmable element of the at least one fuse and another conductive layer of the at least one transistor gate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.