Reliable thin film resistors for integrated circuit applications
US5323138A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 4, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jun 21, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 4, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01C7/006
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A thin film resistor with an insulating layer disposed between a substrate material and a resistor material is disclosed. Also, disclosed is a technique for fabricating this thin film resistor. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the thin film resistor employs an insulating layer of silicon nitride with a thickness of 2000 .ANG.. The insulating layer prevents the resistor layer from diffusing into the substrate material which, in turn, significantly reduces variations in the resistor value during accelerated life testing. Compared to thin film resistors with a resistor layer evaporated directly upon a substrate material, reliability is increased from a few hundred hours up to thousands of hours. Also, the maximum current handling capability is increased by greater than one order of magnitude, which results in a thin film resistor which requires less surface area of a wafer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.