US 6,661,330 B1Granted

Electrical fuse for semiconductor integrated circuits

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorBradley Scott Young

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuse and a method for forming a fuse over a semiconductor substrate. The fuse comprises forming a first contact member and a second contact member over a respective first region and a second region of a patterned, electrically-conductive silicide layer, wherein the first contact member and the second contact member electrically contact the silicide layer, thereby defining a first interface and a second interface, respectively. A first contact area and a second contact area are associated with the respective first contact member and second contact member, wherein the first contact area is larger than the second contact area, thereby defining a fusible link at the second interface. According to one example, the silicide resides over a patterned polysilicon layer, wherein the patterned polysilicon layer generally tapered, and wherein the first region is wider than the second region.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A fuse formed over a semiconductor substrate, the fuse comprising:

a patterned polysilicon layer, wherein a fuse region is defined, the fuse region having a first region and a second region further defined therein;
an electrically-conductive suicide layer residing over the polysilicon layer;
a first contact member, wherein the first contact member electrically contacts the silicide layer in the first region, thereby defining a first interface having a first contact area between the first contact member and the silicide layer;
and
a second contact member, wherein the second contact member electrically contacts the silicide layer in the second region, thereby defining a second interface having a second contact area between the second contact member and the silicide layer, wherein the second contact area is smaller than the first contact area, and
wherein the second interface defines a fusible link, wherein a current density in the second region is greater than a current density in the first region when a programming current is applied to the first contact member, wherein the programming current is operable to melt the fusible link, thereby electrically isolating the first contact member from the second contact member.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.