The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 13, 2011
Filed:
Jan. 26, 2005
Fen Chen, Williston, VT (US);
Cathryn J. Christiansen, Huntington, VT (US);
Richard S. Kontra, Williston, VT (US);
Tom C. Lee, Essex Junction, VT (US);
Alvin W. Strong, Essex Junction, VT (US);
Timothy D. Sullivan, Underhill, VT (US);
Joseph E. Therrien, Underhill, VT (US);
Fen Chen, Williston, VT (US);
Cathryn J. Christiansen, Huntington, VT (US);
Richard S. Kontra, Williston, VT (US);
Tom C. Lee, Essex Junction, VT (US);
Alvin W. Strong, Essex Junction, VT (US);
Timothy D. Sullivan, Underhill, VT (US);
Joseph E. Therrien, Underhill, VT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A thermo-mechanical cleavable structure is provided and may be used as a programmable fuse for integrated circuits. As applied to a programmable fuse, the thermo-mechanical cleavable structure includes an electrically conductive cleavable layer adjacent to a thermo-mechanical stressor. As electricity is passed through the cleavable layer, the cleavable layer and the thermo-mechanical stressor are heated and gas evolves from the thermo-mechanical stressor. The gas locally insulates the thermo-mechanical stressor, causing local melting adjacent to the bubbles in the thermo-mechanical stressor and the cleavable structure forming cleaving sites. The melting also interrupts the current flow through the cleavable structure so the cleavable structure cools and contracts. The thermo-mechanical stressor also contracts due to a phase change caused by the evolution of gas therefrom. As the thermo-mechanical cleavable structure cools, the cleaving sites expand causing gaps to be permanently formed therein.