Programmable electrical fuse in keep out zone

A method comprising:

• forming a back end of the line (BEOL) wiring portion directly on top of a semiconductor base portion, the BEOL wiring portion comprising a plurality of layers of a metallic material and a dielectric material and excluding a semiconductor material;
• forming a first opening in the BEOL wiring portion;
• forming a second opening in the BEOL wiring portion adjacent to and surrounded by the first opening, the first opening and the second opening being separated by a distance;
• filling the first opening with a material to form a guard ring;
• filling the second opening with the material to form an electronic fuse;
• forming a through-substrate via opening through the BEOL wiring portion and the semiconductor base portion, the through-substrate via opening being surrounded entirely by the guard ring, the through silicon via opening through the semiconductor base portion being free of the guard ring;
• and depositing metallization in the through silicon via opening to form a through silicon via.

A structure comprising:

• a semiconductor base portion comprising a semiconductor material;
• a back end of the line (BEOL) wiring portion directly on top of the semiconductor base portion, the BEOL wiring portion comprising a plurality of layers of a metallic material and a dielectric material and excluding a semiconductor material;
• a through-substrate via extending through the BEOL wiring portion and the semiconductor base portion;
• an electronic fuse in the BEOL wiring portion adjacent to the through-substrate via, the electronic fuse and the through-substrate via are separated by a distance;
• and
• a guard ring in the BEOL wiring portion surrounding both the through-substrate via and the electronic fuse, the through-substrate via in the semiconductor base portion being free from the guard ring.