Intel Corporation

Zhanping Chen

Kevin X Zhang

Walid M Hafez

Sarvesh H Kulkarni

Gregory F Taylor

Jun He

Zhiyong Ma

Jeffrey Hicks

Kevin D Johnson

Xianghong Tong

Charles Henry Wallace

Uddalak Bhattacharya

Matthew B Pedersen

Siva G Narendra

Chia-Hong Jan

Yibin Ye

Andrew W Yeoh

Jonathan P Douglas

Praveen Mosalikanti

Shahram Jamshidi

Sangwoo Pae

Anisur Rahman

Seongtae Jeong

Vincent E Dorgan

Jie-Feng Lin

Chetan Prasad

Lakshman Thiruvenkatachari

Balijeet S Bains

Embodiments herein describe techniques for fuse lines and plugs formation. A semiconductor device may include a fuse line having a nominal fuse segment abutted to a necked fuse segment. The nominal fuse segment may be wider than the necked fuse segment. A first spacer may be along a first side of the fuse line and a second spacer along a second side opposite to the first side of the fuse line. The first spacer may include a part having a width at least twice a width of a part of the second spacer. A plug within a vicinity of the necked fuse segment may have a plug width that may be at least twice a plug with of a plug of an interconnect line outside the vicinity. Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.

Fuse lines and plugs for semiconductor devices

Embodiments herein may describe techniques for an integrated circuit including a metal interconnect above a substrate and coupled to a first contact and a second contact. The first contact and the second contact may be above the metal interconnect and in contact with the metal interconnect. A first resistance may exist between the first contact and the second contact through the metal interconnect. After a programming voltage is applied to the second contact while the first contact is coupled to a ground terminal to generate a current between the first contact and the second contact, a non-conducting barrier may be formed as an interface between the second contact and the metal interconnect. A second resistance may exist between the first contact, the metal interconnect, the second contact, and the non-conducting barrier. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Metal interconnect fuse memory arrays

Interconnect fuse structures including a fuse with a necked line segment, as well as methods of fabricating such structures. A current driven by an applied fuse programming voltage may open necked fuse segments to affect operation of an IC. In embodiments, the fuse structure includes a pair of neighboring interconnect lines equidistant from a center interconnect line. In further embodiments, the center interconnect line, and at least one of the neighboring interconnect lines, include line segments of lateral widths that differ by a same, and complementary amount. In further embodiments, the center interconnect line is interconnected at opposite ends of a necked line segment. In further embodiments, the necked line segment is fabricated with pitch-reducing spacer-based patterning process.

Necked interconnect fuse structure for integrated circuits

Methods of forming and using a microelectronic structure are described. Embodiments include forming a diode between a metal fuse gate and a PMOS device, wherein the diode is disposed between a contact of the metal fuse gate and a contact of the PMOS device, and wherein the diode couples the contact of the metal fuse gate to the contact of the PMOS device.

Methods of forming secured metal gate antifuse structures

A memory cell includes a fuse and at least one transistor. The transistor is used to control the programming or sensing of the fuse. A program voltage is applied to a stack of first and second conductive layers. A first portion of the stack couples the program voltage to a terminal of the transistor in a cell. A second portion of the stack couples the program voltage to a terminal of the transistor in another cell.

Programmable read only memory

Techniques and circuitry are disclosed for efficiently implementing programmable memory array circuit architectures, such as PROM, OTPROM, and other such programmable non-volatile memories. The circuitry employs an antifuse scheme that includes an array of memory bitcells, each containing a program device and an antifuse element configured with current path isolation well and for storing the memory cell state. The bitcell configuration, which can be used in conjunction with column/row select circuitry, power selector circuitry, and/or readout circuitry, allows for high-density memory array circuit designs and layouts.

Antifuse programmable memory array

A program circuit generates first and second currents to program the fuse. The second current is higher than the first current. A control circuit controls generating the first and second currents in succession.

Fuse programming schemes for robust yield

A tamper resistant fuse design is generally presented. In this regard, an apparatus is introduced comprising a plurality of fuses in an integrated circuit device to store values and a plurality of resistors in parallel to the fuses, wherein each fuse includes a parallel resistor to provide a potential dissipation path around the fuse. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Tamper resistant fuse design

A programmable anti-fuse element includes a substrate (), an N-well () in the substrate, an electrically insulating layer () over the N-well, and a gate electrode () over the electrically insulating layer. The gate electrode has n-type doping so that the N-well is able to substantially contain within its boundaries a current generated following a programming event of the programmable anti-fuse element. In the same or another embodiment, a twice-programmable fuse element () includes a metal gate fuse () and an oxide anti-fuse () such as the programmable anti-fuse element just described.

Method of forming programmable anti-fuse element

A programmable ROM (PROM) architecture includes cascode NMOS transistors with a fuse bit cell that is arrayed, with sleep transistors located in each column of the array that in a standby mode shut down the entire fuse array. A fuse redundancy scheme may be used to repair a defective fuse row.

Area efficient programmable read only memory (PROM) array

A plurality of fuse cells are arranged in an array. One or more fuse cells include a pair of fuse devices to output a pair of voltages, respectively, wherein the pair of fuse devices are redundantly programmed. A sense amplifier is coupled to the plurality of fuse cells to read the pair of voltage outputs from each of the plurality of fuse cells, respectively. A comparator circuit is coupled to the sense amplifier to compare the pair of voltage outputs for each of the plurality of fuse cells and to output the compared result.

Fuse cell array with redundancy features

An apparatus, a method, and a system for fuse cells are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, a fuse cell may include circuitry to adjust a sensing margin. A fuse cell may include first and second fuse cells, and first and second resistance devices. The first resistance device may be configured to adjust a first voltage output from the first fuse cell, and the second resistance device may be configured to adjust a second voltage output from the second fuse cell. The first and second resistance devices may be configured adjust the first and second voltages asymmetrically.

Fuse cell having adjustable sensing margin

Although there are a number of techniques available to reduce leakage current, there is still considerable room for improvement. Accordingly, the present inventors devised, among other things, an exemplary method which entails defining first and second leakage-reduction vectors for respective first and second portions of an integrated circuit, such as a microprocessor. The leakage-reduction vectors, in some embodiments, set the first and second portion to minimum leakage states and thus promise to reduce leakage power and extend battery life in devices that incorporate this technology.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Zhanping Chen