ZAG fuse for reduced blow-current application
US5420456A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 9, 1994 |
| Grant date | May 30, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fuse, having reduced blow-current requirements thereby minimizing the power supply voltage and chip area required for the driver transistors, has a geometry which is characterized by an essentially uniform width dimension throughout the primary axis of the fuse link but having at least one approximately right angle bend in the fuse link. The fuse can be blown open with approximately 10% of the input current density required for a straight fuse of equal cross-sectional area. The reason for this is that, due to current crowding, the current density is accentuated at the inside corner of the bend. As the input current to the fuse is increased, a current density is reached at the inside corner which causes the fuse material to melt. A notch forms at the inside corner. The fuse geometry altered by the notching causes even more severe current crowding at the notches, and this in turn makes the melting propagate across the width of the fuse. The predictability of the point of fuse blow out allows even greater circuit densities while minimizing the possibility of accidental damage to adjacent devices.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.