Patent Grant
7071534
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more particularly, to an antifuse for integrated circuits.
Integrated circuits are interconnected networks of electrical components fabricated on a common foundation called a substrate. The electrical components are typically fabricated on a wafer of semiconductor material that serves as a substrate. Various fabrication techniques, such as layering, doping, masking, and etching, are used to build millions of resistors, transistors, and other electrical components on the wafer. The components are then wired together, or interconnected, to define a specific electrical circuit, such as a processor or a memory device.
Fusible elements are employed in integrated circuits to permit changes in the configuration of the integrated circuits after fabrication. For example, fusible elements may be used to replace defective circuits with redundant circuits. Memory devices are typically fabricated with redundant memory cells. The redundant memory cells may be enabled with fusible elements after fabrication to replace defective memory cells found during a test of fabricated memory devices.
One type of fusible element is a polysilicon fuse. The polysilicon fuse comprises a polysilicon conductor fabricated to conduct electrical current on an integrated circuit. A portion of the polysilicon fuse may be evaporated or opened by a laser beam to create an open circuit between terminals of the polysilicon fuse. The laser beam may be used to open selected polysilicon fuses in an integrated circuit to change its configuration. The use of polysilicon fuses is attended by several disadvantages. Polysilicon fuses must be spaced apart from each other in an integrated circuit such that when one of them is being opened by a laser beam the other polysilicon fuses are not damaged. A bank of polysilicon fuses therefore occupies a substantial area of an integrated circuit. In addition, polysilicon fuses cannot be opened once an integrated circuit is placed in an integrated circuit package, or is encapsulated in any manner.
Another type of fusible element is an antifuse. An antifuse comprises two conductive terminals separated by an insulator or a dielectric, and is fabricated as an open circuit. The antifuse is programmed by applying a high voltage across its terminals to rupture the insulator and form an electrical path between the terminals. One common type of antifuse is an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) antifuse. An ONO antifuse comprises a layer of nitride sandwiched between two layers of oxide, where each layer of oxide is in contact with a polysilicon terminal. The ONO sandwich is a dielectric and the ONO antifuse functions as a capacitor before it is programmed. One disadvantage with ONO antifuses is that they are fabricated with separate, extra steps when an integrated circuit is fabricated.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved fusible elements for use in integrated circuits.
The above mentioned and other deficiencies are addressed in the following detailed description. According to one embodiment of the present invention a first programming voltage is coupled to a well of a first conductivity type in a substrate of a second conductivity type in an antifuse. A second programming voltage is coupled to a conductive terminal of the second conductivity type in the antifuse to create a current path through an insulator between the conductive terminal and the well to program the antifuse. The first programming voltage may be coupled to an ohmic contact in the well in the antifuse. According to another embodiment of the present invention a very high positive voltage is coupled to an n+-type diffusion region in an n-type well in a p-type substrate in an antifuse from an external pin in an integrated circuit including the antifuse. A ground voltage reference is coupled to a layer of p-type polysilicon in the antifuse to create a current path through an insulating layer of oxide between the layer of p-type polysilicon and the n-type well to program the antifuse. According to another embodiment of the present invention a very negative voltage is coupled to a p+-type diffusion region in an p-type well in an n-type substrate in an antifuse from an external pin in an integrated circuit including the antifuse. A supply voltage is coupled to a layer of n-type polysilicon in the antifuse to create a current path through an insulating layer of oxide between the layer of n-type polysilicon and the p-type well to program the antifuse.
Antifuses according to embodiments of the present invention may be fabricated according to process steps used to fabricate field-effect transistors in an integrated circuit, and do not require extra process steps. In addition, the use of an external pin to couple an elevated voltage to the antifuses for programming substantially protects other portions of an integrated circuit from damage that may be caused by the elevated voltage. Other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an examination of the detailed description.
In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims.
The terms wafer and substrate may be used in the following description and include any structure having an exposed surface with which to form an integrated circuit (IC) according to embodiments of the present invention. The term substrate is understood to include semiconductor wafers. The term substrate is also used to refer to semiconductor structures during fabrication, and may include other layers that have been fabricated thereupon. The term substrate includes doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial semiconductor layers supported by a base semiconductor, semiconductor layers supported by a base insulator, as well as other semiconductor structures well known to one skilled in the art. The term insulator is defined to include any material that is less electrically conductive than materials generally referred to as conductors by those skilled in the art.
The term “horizontal” as used in this application is defined as a plane substantially parallel to the conventional plane or surface of a wafer or substrate, regardless of the orientation of the wafer or substrate. The term “vertical” refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to the horizontal as defined above. Prepositions, such as “on,” “upper,” “side” (as in “sidewall”), “higher,” “lower,” “over” and “under” are defined with respect to the conventional plane or surface being on the top surface of the wafer or substrate, regardless of the orientation of the wafer or substrate.
P-type conductivity is conductivity associated with holes in a semiconductor material, and n-type conductivity is conductivity associated with electrons in a semiconductor material. Throughout this specification the designation “n+” refers to semiconductor material that is heavily doped n-type semiconductor material, e.g., monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon. Similarly, the designation “p+” refers to semiconductor material that is heavily doped p-type semiconductor material. The designations “n−” and “p−” refer to lightly doped n and p-type semiconductor materials, respectively.
A digital signal of 1 may also be called a high signal and a digital signal of 0 may also be called a low signal.
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Two separate circuits in an integrated circuit may be connected respectively to the first and second terminals 124, 126 of the antifuse 100. The antifuse 100 is an open circuit between the terminals until it is programmed in the following manner. The p-type substrate 112, the first terminal 124, and the p-type polysilicon gate electrode 120 are coupled to a ground voltage reference. The second terminal 126 brings the well 110 to a very high positive voltage such that a potential drop between the well 110 and the p-type polysilicon gate electrode 120 is enough to rupture the gate insulator 122. When programmed the antifuse 100 has a conductive connection between the first and second terminals 124, 126 which may be biased appropriately such that the p-n junction between the p-type polysilicon gate electrode 120 and the well 110 allows current to flow.
The antifuse 100 may be fabricated according to process steps used to fabricate field-effect transistors, but the antifuse 100 does not itself have the structure of a transistor. The well 110 and the n+-type diffusion regions 114 and 116 have the same conductivity type, and therefore the antifuse 100 cannot function as a transistor. This is important because an ordinary field effect transistor with a well of a first conductivity type in a substrate of a second conductivity type and source and drain diffusion regions of the second conductivity type has a breakdown voltage due to the parasitic diode formed by the source or the drain and the well. The breakdown voltage acts as a voltage clamp preventing the well from reaching a potential necessary to rupture a gate insulator. The antifuses described herein according to the embodiments of the present invention each have diffusion regions in a well of the same conductivity type as the well, and therefore no parasitic diode. As a result the well may be taken to a potential high enough to rupture a gate insulator.
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The antifuse 200 is an open circuit between the first and second terminals 224, 226 until it is programmed in the following manner. The n-type substrate 212, the first terminal 224, and the n-type polysilicon gate electrode 220 are coupled to a supply voltage VCC which is approximately 1–5 volts. The second terminal 226 brings the well 210 to a very negative voltage such that a potential drop between the well 210 and the n-type polysilicon gate electrode 220 is enough to rupture the gate insulator 222. When programmed the antifuse 200 has a conductive connection between the first and second terminals 224, 226 which may be biased appropriately such that the p-n junction between the n-type polysilicon gate electrode 220 and the well 210 allows current to flow.
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The antifuse 300 is an open circuit between the terminals 326, 328 until it is programmed by applying a potential drop across the terminals 326, 328 sufficient to rupture the gate insulator 324. The n-type body 316 is electrically isolated by oxide, and therefore will not break down when the antifuse 300 is being programmed. The potential drop across the terminals 326, 328 may be achieved by applying any combination of voltages to the terminals 326, 328. For example, the first terminal 326 may be coupled to a ground voltage reference while a very high positive voltage is applied to the second terminal 328. The antifuse 300 may also be programmed by coupling the second terminal 328 to a ground voltage reference and applying a very high positive voltage to the first terminal 326. When programmed the antifuse 300 has a conductive connection between the first and second terminals 326, 328 which may be biased appropriately such that the p-n junction between the terminals allows current to flow.
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
A cross-sectional view of an antifuse 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
An electrical schematic diagram of a portion of an integrated circuit 500 is shown in
Antifuses according to embodiments of the present invention described above may be arranged in banks of antifuses in an integrated circuit, and an antifuse bank 600 is shown in
The antifuses 610–616 are programmed in a programming mode of operation that occurs when the integrated circuit including the bank 600 is not in a normal mode of operation. The programming mode may be used to customize the configuration of the integrated circuit. An elevated voltage is applied to the external pin 630 that exceeds a supply voltage VCC of the integrated circuit by a substantial amount. The elevated voltage provides the potential necessary to rupture the gate insulators of the antifuses 610–616 selected to be programmed. The elevated voltage is removed from the external pin 630 during the normal mode of operation of the integrated circuit. During the normal mode of operation, the integrated circuit operates from the supply voltage VCC, which may be 1–5 volts, and the external pin 630 floats or is coupled to a ground voltage reference. The use of the external pin 630 to couple the elevated voltage to the antifuses 610–616 for programming substantially protects other portions of the integrated circuit from damage that may be caused by the elevated voltage.
The antifuses 610–616 may be similar to the antifuse 100 shown in
The antifuses 610–616 may be similar to the antifuse 200 shown in
The bias circuit 640 serves several purposes. The bias circuit 640 must withstand elevated voltages applied to the external pin 630 when one or more of the antifuses 610–616 are being programmed. The bias circuit 640 must not break down and limit or clamp the elevated voltages applied to the external pin 630. The bias circuit 640 must also provide a low impedance path to a ground voltage reference for current in the antifuses 610–616 when the antifuses 610–616 are being read. If the bias circuit 640 has a low resistance then it will be able to couple a voltage only slightly higher than the ground voltage reference to the antifuses 610–616 being read. The antifuses 610–616 are read with circuits described hereinbelow. The bias circuit 640 is not necessary if the external pin 630 is coupled to a ground voltage reference when the antifuses 610–616 are being read.
The bias circuit 640 may be implemented in one of several ways. A first bias circuit 710 shown in
A block diagram of a static random access memory device (SRAM) 800 is shown in
The antifuses in the SRAM 800 may be located in the address decoder 820 to indicate the location of redundant memory cells that are accessed instead of defective memory cells in the array 810. The antifuses in the SRAM 800 are read with a read circuit 900 shown in
The power-up circuit 910 and the latch circuit 930 in the read circuit 900 may be replaced by a read circuit 1000 for an antifuse 1010 shown in
An integrated circuit package 1100 of a 32k×36 SRAM memory device is shown in
A block diagram of an information-handling system 1200 is shown in
In various embodiments of the present invention, the information-handling system 1200 is a computer system (such as, for example, a video game, a hand-held calculator, a television set-top box, a fixed-screen telephone, a smart mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a network computer (NC), a hand-held computer, a personal computer, or a multi-processor supercomputer), an information appliance (such as, for example, a cellular telephone or any wireless device, a pager, or a daily planner or organizer), an information component (such as, for example, a magnetic disk drive or telecommunications modem), or other appliance (such as, for example, a hearing aid, washing machine or microwave oven having an electronic controller).
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this description that any equivalent arrangement may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. For example, specific memory devices have been described and shown in the Figures. One skilled in the art having the benefit of this description will recognize that the invention may be employed in other types of memory devices and in other types of integrated circuit devices. The present invention is therefore limited only by the claims and equivalents thereof.
This application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/515,760, filed Mar. 1, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4233671 | Gerzberg et al. | Nov 1980 | A |
| 4387503 | Aswell et al. | Jun 1983 | A |
| 4488262 | Basire et al. | Dec 1984 | A |
| 4569120 | Stacy et al. | Feb 1986 | A |
| 4748490 | Hollingsworth | May 1988 | A |
| 4751197 | Wills | Jun 1988 | A |
| 4823181 | Mohsen et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
| 5019532 | Kaya | May 1991 | A |
| 5057451 | McCollum | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5087589 | Chapman et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5087958 | Chen et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5110754 | Lowrey et al. | May 1992 | A |
| 5130777 | Galbraith et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
| 5134457 | Hamdy et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
| 5148391 | Zagar | Sep 1992 | A |
| 5166901 | Shaw et al. | Nov 1992 | A |
| 5200652 | Lee | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5208177 | Lee | May 1993 | A |
| 5231050 | Boudou et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
| 5233206 | Lee et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5241496 | Lowrey et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5248632 | Tung et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
| 5250459 | Lee | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5257222 | Lee | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5257225 | Lee | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5264725 | Mullarkey et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5272097 | Shiota | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5272666 | Tsang et al. | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5276653 | McKenny | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5281553 | Boudou et al. | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5282158 | Lee | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5299150 | Galbraith et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5299152 | Ishihara et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5301159 | Lee | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5303199 | Ishihara et al. | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5311053 | Law et al. | May 1994 | A |
| 5315177 | Zagar et al. | May 1994 | A |
| 5324681 | Lowrey et al. | Jun 1994 | A |
| 5331196 | Lowrey et al. | Jul 1994 | A |
| 5341030 | Galbraith | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5412244 | Hamdy et al. | May 1995 | A |
| 5412593 | Magel et al. | May 1995 | A |
| 5444290 | Paz De Araujo et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
| 5448187 | Kowalski | Sep 1995 | A |
| 5463244 | De Araujo et al. | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5506518 | Chiang | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5508220 | Eltoukhy et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5514980 | Pilling et al. | May 1996 | A |
| 5552743 | Manning | Sep 1996 | A |
| 5579326 | McClure | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5633601 | Nagaraj | May 1997 | A |
| 5656949 | Yip et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
| 5710515 | Teggatz et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
| 5742555 | Marr et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5751162 | Mehendale et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5764096 | Lipp et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5774011 | Au et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5789796 | Kang et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5811869 | Seyyedy et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5834813 | Ma et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5841789 | McClure | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5851882 | Harshfield | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5859562 | McCollum | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5909049 | McCollum | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5917229 | Nathan et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5952833 | Morgan | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5973380 | Cutter et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5978248 | Marr et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6023431 | Cutter et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6069064 | Cutter et al. | May 2000 | A |
| 6115283 | Hidaka | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6180994 | Bergemont et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6222212 | Lee et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6233194 | Marr et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6242335 | Sher et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6242941 | Vest | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6247088 | Seo et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6249010 | Bergemont et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6252293 | Seyyedy et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6314539 | Jacobson | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6346846 | Bertin et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6515931 | Marr et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 59105354 | Jun 1984 | JP |
| 61046045 | Mar 1986 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050029622 A1 | Feb 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09515760 | Mar 2000 | US |
| Child | 10931714 | US |
