US5834824A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Use of conductive particles in a nonconductive body as an integrated circuit antifuse

Assignee: Prolinx Labs Corp

•

Filing: 1995-03-14

•

Granted: 1998-11-10

•

Expires: 2015-03-14

📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A novel antifuse includes a composite of conductive particles dispersed throughout a nonconductive matrix, which composite is located inside an antifuse via. The antifuse via is defined by a dielectric layer that separates two electrodes. The electrodes can be located in the same conductive layer plane (typically parallel to and isolated from one another) or in two different conductive planes (typically formed transverse to one another and separated by a dielectric with an antifuse via formed therein). The electrodes can be coupled to, for example, active or passive regions of the integrated circuit. One embodiment of an antifuse (also called "composite antifuse") has only the composite in an antifuse via between the two conductive layers. Another embodiment of an antifuse (also called "hybrid antifuse") includes in addition to the composite, one or more thin dielectric layers also located in the antifuse via between the two conductive layers.

Inventors

👤 William H. Shepherd
👤 Steve S. Chiang
👤 John Y. Xie

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —

Jurisdiction US

Data Source google_patents

Last Synchronized 2026-10-28 13:08

CPC Classifications

H; H05; H05K; H05K7/00; H05K7/02; H05K7/10; H05K7/1092; G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/04; H01; H01R; H01R29/00; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/0286; H05K1/0293; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W20/49; H10W20/491; H10W70/00; H10W70/01; H10W70/05; H10W70/092; H10W70/60; H10W70/611; H10W70/62; H10W70/63; H10W70/635; H10W70/641; G01R1/06; H01R12/00; H01R12/50; H01R12/51; H01R12/52; H01R12/523; H05K1/0287; H05K1/0289; H05K1/029; H05K1/0296; H05K1/0298; H05K1/14; H05K1/141; H05K1/16; H05K1/167; H05K2201/00; H05K2201/03; H05K2201/0302; H05K2201/0305; H05K2201/09; H05K2201/09209; H05K2201/09654; H05K2201/09763; H05K2201/10; H05K2201/10007; H05K2201/10181; H05K2201/10212; H05K2201/10613; H05K2201/10621; H05K2201/10689; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/05; H05K2203/0502; H05K2203/0542; H05K2203/10; H05K2203/105; H05K2203/11; H05K2203/1115; H05K2203/17; H05K2203/173; H05K2203/175; H05K3/00; H05K3/02; H05K3/06; H05K3/061; H05K3/062; H05K3/22; H05K3/24; H05K3/243; H05K3/40; H05K3/42; H05K3/429; H05K3/46; H05K3/4611

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 11

Claim 1

Independent Claim 158 words

An integrated circuit comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a first electrode supported by said semiconductor substrate; an interelectrode dielectric layer defining a antifuse via over a region of said first electrode; a second electrode formed over a region of said interelectrode dielectric layer to cover said via; a composite comprising a plurality of conductive particles dispersed within a nonconductive body, at least a portion of said composite being located within said antifuse via between said first electrode and said second electrode; and a first antifuse dielectric layer located between said first electrode and said second electrode; wherein each of said conductive particles has a spherical shape; wherein a conductive particle comprises a core of metal and a coating of conductive polymer surrounding said core; and wherein on application of a programming voltage between said first electrode and said second electrode, a conductive channel comprising at least a portion of one of said conductive particles is formed in said composite.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 158 words

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 34 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said nonconductive body comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyimide, fluorine based polymer, parylene, spin on glass, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and amorphous silicon.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 30 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said core comprises a material selected from the group consisting of copper, titanium, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium-tungsten, titanium nitride, tungsten, platinum, palladium and lead-tin.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 33 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein each of said conductive particles has a radius ranging between 0.025 μm and 0.25 μm, and a loading of said composite is between 10% and 30%.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 25 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein a volume percentage of said conductive particles is less than 50% of the total volume of said composite.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 31 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising a second antifuse dielectric layer, such that said composite is located between said first antifuse dielectric layer and said second antifuse dielectric layer.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 36 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said first antifuse dielectric layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyimide, parylene fluorine based polymer, spin on glass, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and amorphous silicon.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 30 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said first antifuse dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide or silicon nitride with a thickness in the range of 50 Å to 200 Å.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 30 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said first antifuse dielectric layer is formed of parylene or polyimide having a thickness in the range of 100 Å to 500 Å.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 44 words

The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein each of said conductive particles has a radius in the range of 0.1 micrometer to 0.5 micrometer and said plurality of conductive particles occupy a volume of between 20 and 60% of volume occupied by said composite.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3384879A Cited

US3335327A Cited

US3615913A Cited

US3808576A Cited

US3923359A Cited

US3864715A Cited

US3990098A Cited

US3857683A Cited

US4024629A Cited

US4146863A Cited

US4090667A Cited

US4238839A Cited

US4247981A Cited

US4245273A Cited

US4413272A Cited

US4547830A Cited

US4455495A Cited

US4399372A Cited

US4565712A Cited

US4424578A Cited

US4386051A Cited

US4420820A Cited

US4458297A Cited

US4434134A Cited

US4488262A Cited

US4910584A Cited

US4585490A Cited

US4433331A Cited

US4507757A Cited

US4507756A Cited

US4562639A Cited

US4491860A Cited

US4590589A Cited

US4569121A Cited

US4569120A Cited

US4847732A Cited

US4920454A Cited

US4700214A Cited

US4796075A Cited

US4651409A Cited

US4845315A Cited

US4609241A Cited

US4566186A Cited

US4840924A Cited

US4731704A Cited

US4678889A Cited

US4924287A Cited

US4780670A Cited

US4864165A Cited

US4700116A Cited

US4792646A Cited

US4689441A Cited

US4964948A Cited

US4789760A Cited

US4888574A Cited

US4808967A Cited

US4915983A Cited

US4710592A Cited

US4748490A Cited

US4642160A Cited

US4732780A Cited

US4652974A Cited

US4949084A Cited

US4799128A Cited

US4757359A Cited

US4899205A Cited

US4823181A Cited

US4943538A Cited

US4876220A Cited

US4821142A Cited

US4726991A Cited

US4916809A Cited

US4893167A Cited

US4809044A Cited

US4721868A Cited

US4803595A Cited

US4792835A Cited

US4786904A Cited

US4881144A Cited

US4839864A Cited

US4796074A Cited

US4829404A Cited

US4874711A Cited

US5087589A Cited

US4892776A Cited

US4799984A Cited

US5438166A Cited

US4791075A Cited

US4897836A Cited

US5068634A Cited

US4977357A Cited

US4888665A Cited

US5144567A Cited

US4873506A Cited

EP0336359B1 Cited

US4933738A Cited

US5055321A Cited

US4841099A Cited

US4935584A Cited

US5502889A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2001-11-09	2002-05-11	2002-11-10	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2005-11-09	2006-05-11	2006-11-10	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2009-11-09	2010-05-11	2010-11-10	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag

Select Category

Notes (Optional)