Electronic fuse with conformal fuse element formed over a freestanding dielectric spacer

• Main Authors: HSU LOUIS LUN, TONTI WILLIAM R, MANDELMAN JACK A, YANG CHIHAO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.12.2008
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC SWITCHES; ELECTRICITY; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; RELAYS; SELECTORS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

An electronic fuse for an integrated circuit and a method of fabrication thereof are presented. The electronic fuse has a first terminal portion and a second terminal portion interconnected by a fuse element. The fuse element has a convex upper surface and a lower surface with a radius of curvature at a smallest surface area of curvature less than or equal to 100 nanometers. Fabricating the electronic fuse includes forming an at least partially freestanding dielectric spacer above a supporting structure, and then conformably forming the fuse element of the fuse over at least a portion of the freestanding dielectric spacer, with the fuse element characterized as noted above. The dielectric spacer may remain in place as a thermally insulating layer underneath the fuse element, or may be removed to form a void underneath the fuse element.