Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080217658 | ELECTRICAL ANTIFUSE WITH INTEGRATED SENSOR - The present invention provides structures for antifuses that utilize electromigration for programming. By providing a portion of antifuse link with high resistance without conducting material and then by inducing electromigration of the conducting material into the antifuse link, the resistance of the antifuse structure is changed. By providing a terminal on the antifuse link, the change in the electrical properties of the antifuse link is detected and sensed. Also disclosed are an integrated antifuse with a built-in sensing device and a two dimensional array of integrated antifuses that can share programming transistors and sensing circuitry. | 09-11-2008 |
20080217733 | ELECTRICAL FUSE STRUCTURE FOR HIGHER POST-PROGRAMMING RESISTANCE - The present invention provides an electrical fuse structure for achieving a post-programming resistance distribution with higher resistance values and to enhance the reliability of electrical fuse programming. A partly doped electrical fuse structure with undoped semiconductor material in the cathode combined with P-doped semiconductor material in the fuselink and anode is disclosed and the data supporting the superior performance of the disclosed electrical fuse is shown. | 09-11-2008 |
20080217736 | ELECTRICAL ANTIFUSE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND METHOD OF PROGRAMMING - An antifuse having a link including a region of unsilicided semiconductor material may be programmed at reduced voltage and current and with reduced generation of heat by electromigration of metal or silicide from a cathode into the region of unsilicided semiconductor material to form an alloy having reduced bulk resistance. The cathode and anode are preferably shaped to control regions from which and to which material is electrically migrated. After programming, additional electromigration of material can return the antifuse to a high resistance state. The process by which the antifuse is fabricated is completely compatible with fabrication of field effect transistors and the antifuse may be advantageously formed on isolation structures. | 09-11-2008 |
20080218247 | METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING ELECTRICAL FUSE PROGRAMMING VOLTAGE - The present invention provides a circuit for determining the optimal gate voltage for programming transistors. The determination of the optimal voltage compensates for the variations in the programming current due to process variations in manufacturing or due to ambient conditions. By applying the optimal gate voltage thus determined to the programming transistors of electrical fuses, the optimal level of current is passed through the electrical fuses to enable high yielding and reliable electrical fuse programming. | 09-11-2008 |
20080285335 | PROGRAMMABLE FUSE/NON-VOLATILE MEMORY STRUCTURES USING EXTERNALLY HEATED PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL - A programmable phase change material (PCM) structure includes a heater element formed at a transistor gate level of a semiconductor device, the heater element further including a pair of electrodes connected by a thin wire structure with respect to the electrodes, the heater element configured to receive programming current passed therethrough, a layer of phase change material disposed on top of a portion of the thin wire structure, and sensing circuitry configured to sense the resistance of the phase change material. | 11-20-2008 |
20090065761 | PROGRAMMABLE FUSE/NON-VOLATILE MEMORY STRUCTURES IN BEOL REGIONS USING EXTERNALLY HEATED PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL - A programmable phase change material (PCM) structure includes a heater element formed at a BEOL level of a semiconductor device, the BEOL level including a low-K dielectric material therein; a first via in electrical contact with a first end of the heater element and a second via in electrical contact with a second end of the heater element, thereby defining a programming current path which passes through the first via, the heater element, and the second via; a PCM element disposed above the heater element, the PCM element configured to be programmed between a lower resistance crystalline state and a higher resistance amorphous state through the use of programming currents through the heater element; and a third via in electrical contact with the PCM element, thereby defining a sense current path which passes through the third via, the PCM element, the heater element, and the second via. | 03-12-2009 |
20090090993 | SINGLE CRYSTAL FUSE ON AIR IN BULK SILICON - An integrated eFUSE device is formed by forming a silicon “floating beam” on air, whereupon the fusible portion of the eFUSE device resides. This beam extends between two larger, supporting terminal structures. “Undercutting” techniques are employed whereby a structure is formed atop a buried layer, and that buried layer is removed by selective etching. Whereby a “floating” silicide eFUSE conductor is formed on a silicon beam structure. In its initial state, the eFUSE silicide is highly conductive, exhibiting low electrical resistance (the “unblown state of the eFUSE). When a sufficiently large current is passed through the eFUSE conductor, localized heating occurs. This heating causes electromigration of the silicide into the silicon beam (and into surrounding silicon, thereby diffusing the silicide and greatly increasing its electrical resistance. When the current source is removed, the silicide remains permanently in this diffused state, the “blown” state of the eFUSE. | 04-09-2009 |
20090096059 | FUSE STRUCTURE INCLUDING MONOCRYSTALLINE SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL LAYER AND GAP - A fuse structure, a method for fabricating the fuse structure and a method for programming a fuse within the fuse structure each use a fuse material layer that is used as a fuse, and located upon a monocrystalline semiconductor material layer in turn located over a substrate. At least part of the monocrystalline semiconductor material layer is separated from the substrate by a gap. Use of the monocrystalline semiconductor material layer, as well as the gap, provides for enhanced uniformity and reproducibility when programming the fuse. | 04-16-2009 |
20090108400 | ANTI-FUSE STRUCTURE INCLUDING A SENSE PAD CONTACT REGION AND METHODS FOR FABRICATION AND PROGRAMMING THEREOF - An antifuse structure includes a sense pad contact region that is separate from an anode contact region and a cathode contact region. By including the sense pad contact region that is separate from the anode contact region and the cathode contact region, a programming current flow when programming the antifuse structure may travel a different pathway than a sense current flow when sensing the antifuse structure. In particular a sense current flow may avoid a depletion region created within the cathode contact region when programming the antifuse structure. | 04-30-2009 |
20090135640 | ELECTROMIGRATION-PROGRAMMABLE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH BIDIRECTIONAL RESISTANCE CHANGE - An electromigration-programmable semiconductor device may be programmed to increase the resistance or to decrease the resistance by selecting the amount of current passed through the electromigration-programmable semiconductor device. The electromigration-programmable semiconductor device comprises an anode, a cathode, and a link, each having a semiconductor portion and a metal semiconductor alloy portion. The metal semiconductor alloy portion of the link comprises two disjoined sub-portions with a gap therebetween. A low programming current fills the gap by electromigrating a small amount of metal semiconductor alloy from the cathode, A high programming current forms a large metal-semiconductor-alloy-deleted area in the cathode to increase the resistance. A tri-state programming is achieved by selecting the programming current level. | 05-28-2009 |
20090321735 | Electrical Antifuse and Method of Programming - An antifuse having a link including a region of unsilicided semiconductor material may be programmed at reduced voltage and current and with reduced generation of heat by electromigration of metal or silicide from a cathode into the region of unsilicided semiconductor material to form an alloy having reduced bulk resistance. The cathode and anode are preferably shaped to control regions from which and to which material is electrically migrated. After programming, additional electromigration of material can return the antifuse to a high resistance state. The process by which the antifuse is fabricated is completely compatible with fabrication of field effect transistors and the antifuse may be advantageously formed on isolation structures. | 12-31-2009 |
20110101496 | FOUR-TERMINAL ANTIFUSE STRUCTURE HAVING INTEGRATED HEATING ELEMENTS FOR A PROGRAMMABLE CIRCUIT - The present invention provides antifuse structures having an integrated heating element and methods of programming the same, the antifuse structures comprising first and second conductors and a dielectric layer formed between the conductors, where one or both of the conductors functions as both a conventional antifuse conductor and as a heating element for directly heating the antifuse dielectric layer during programming. | 05-05-2011 |
20120129319 | Electrical Antifuse, Method of Manufacture and Method of Programming - An antifuse having a link including a region of unsilicided semiconductor material may be programmed at reduced voltage and current and with reduced generation of heat by electromigration of metal or silicide from a cathode into the region of unsilicided semiconductor material to form an alloy having reduced bulk resistance. The cathode and anode are preferably shaped to control regions from which and to which material is electrically migrated. After programming, additional electromigration of material can return the antifuse to a high resistance state. The process by which the antifuse is fabricated is completely compatible with fabrication of field effect transistors and the antifuse may be advantageously formed on isolation structures. | 05-24-2012 |