Interconnection network

A user-programmable interconnect element comprising:

• a lower metal electrode disposed on an insulating substrate material;
• a layer of insulating material disposed over said lower metal electrode, said insulating material including an aperture therethrough communicating with said lower metal electrode;
• a layer of antifuse material disposed in said aperture over said lower metal electrode;
• an upper metal electrode disposed over said layer of insulating material, a first portion of said upper metal electrode disposed in said aperture over said layer of antifuse material and having a first thickness, and a second portion of said upper metal electrode comprising a region having a second thickness less than said first thickness to form a fuse element.

An interconnection matrix integrable on a single piece of substrate material comprising:

• a non-conductive layer on the substrate material;
• a plurality of first interconnection conductors generally oriented in a first direction disposed on said non-conductive layer;
• a plurality of second interconnection conductors generally oriented in a second direction disposed over said non-conductive layer, ones of said second interconnection conductors forming intersections with ones of said first interconnection conductors;
• a plurality of user-programmable interconnection elements, ones of said interconnection elements connected between selected ones of said first interconnection conductors and selected ones of said second interconnection conductors, said user-programmable interconnection elements comprising a normally shorted fuse element connected in series with a normally open antifuse element wherein said fuse element and said antifuse element are formed over said non-conductive layer in a vertical orientation, said antifuse element is programmable to a shorted state at a selected programming voltage at a first current, said fuse element is programmable to an open state at a second current, and said second current has a magnitude larger than the magnitude of said first current.

An interconnection matrix integrable on a single piece of substrate material comprising:

• a non-conductive layer on the substrate material;
• a plurality of first interconnection conductors generally oriented in a first direction disposed on said non-conductive layer, at least one of said first conductors divided into at least two adjacent first segments;
• a plurality of second interconnection conductors generally oriented in a second direction disposed over said non-conductive layer;
• a plurality of user-programmable interconnection elements, first ones of said interconnection elements connected between selected ones of said first conductors and selected ones of said second conductors and second ones of said user-programmable interconnection elements connected between adjacent ones of said at least two first segments, said user-programmable interconnection elements comprising a normally shorted fuse element connected in series with a normally open antifuse element wherein said fuse element and said antifuse element are formed over said non-conductive layer in a vertical orientation, said antifuse element is programmable to a shorted state at a selected programming voltage at a first current, said fuse element is programmable to an open state at a second current, and said second current has a magnitude larger than the magnitude of said first current.