Self-aligned fuse structure and method with heat sink
US6259146A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 17, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 17, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Provided are a self-aligned semiconductor fuse structure, a method of making such a fuse structure, and apparatuses incorporating such a fuse structure. The fuse break point, that point at which the electrical link of which the fuse is part is severed by a laser beam, is self-aligned by the use of photolithographically patterned dielectric and a heat sink material. The self-alignment allows the size and location of the break point to be more forgiving of the laser beam size and alignment. This has several advantages, including allowing photolithographic control and effective size reduction of the laser spot irradiating the fuse material and surrounding structure. This permits reduced fuse pitch, increasing density and the efficiency of use of chip area, and results in reduced thermal exposure, which causes less damage to chip. In addition, laser alignment is less critical and therefore less time-consuming, which increases throughput in fabrication. The present invention exploits the characteristic of most dielectric materials that they are poor conductors of thermal energy. Thermal resistance increases with the thickness of the dielectric. Thus that heat is conducted more easily an…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.