Method of manufacturing programmable semiconductor device

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a programmable semiconductor device comprising a supporting member having at least a first line and at least a semiconductor circuit element connected to said first line by means of a blowable fuse, in which the blowable fuse is situated at least over a part of its length at a distance from the supporting member or the semiconductor circuit element, comprising the steps of: starting with a supporting member having at a surface at least a first line and at least a semiconductor circuit element which comprises an electrode of nickel connected electrically conductively to a contact layer; covering the assembly with a first auxiliary layer of aluminum; providing in said first auxiliary layer a first window which exposes at least a part of the electrode and a second window which exposes at least a part of the first line; providing a blowable fuse of nickel-chromium which connects the first line to the semiconductor circuit element on the first auxiliary layer and at least in the first and second windows; covering the assembly with a second auxiliary layer of aluminum and forming apertures through the first and second auxiliary layers; providing a patterned first layer of protective material, in which protective material remains at least at the area of the blowable fuse and in the apertures; using said pattern as a mask, removing the two auxiliary layers selectively, in which the material of the first auxiliary layer is etchable selectively with respect to the materials of the supporting member, the first line, the electrode and the blowable fuse, the protective material and, at least insofar as covered by the first auxiliary layer, the material of the semiconductor circuit element, and in which the material of the second auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the protective material and the materials of the blowable fuse, as a result of which treatment protective material remains both in the apertures and at the area of the blowable fuse at a distance from the fuse; providing at least the part of the surface which is not protected by the pattern from the first layer of protective material with a second layer of protective material so that a hollow space remains in which the blowable fuse is present while walls of the hollow space comprise protecting material of the first and second layers of protective material.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a programmable semiconductor device comprising a supporting member having at least a first line and at least a semiconductor circuit element connected to said first line by means of a blowable fuse, in which the blowable fuse is situated at least over a part of its length at a distance from the supporting member or the semiconductor circuit element, comprising the steps of: starting with a supporting member having at a surface at least a first line and at least a semiconductor circuit element which comprises an electrode of nickel connected electrically conductively to a contact layer; covering the assembly with a first auxiliary layer of aluminum; providing in said first auxiliary layer a first window which exposes at least a part of the electrode and a second window which exposes at least a part of the first line; providing a blowable fuse of nickel-chromium which connects the first line to the semiconductor circuit element on the first auxiliary layer and at least in the first and second windows; covering the assembly with a second auxiliary layer of aluminum and forming apertures through the first and second auxiliary layers; providing a patterned first layer of protective material, in which protective material remains at least at the area of the blowable fuse and in the apertures; using said pattern as a mask, removing the two auxiliary layers selectively, in which the material of the first auxiliary layer is etchable selectively with respect to the materials of the supporting member, the first line, the electrode and the blowable fuse, the protective material and, at least insofar as covered by the first auxiliary layer, the material of the semiconductor circuit element, and in which the material of the second auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the protective material and the materials of the blowable fuse, as a result of which treatment protective material remains both in the apertures and at the area of the blowable fuse at a distance from the fuse; providing at least the part of the surface which is not protected by the pattern from the first layer of protective material with a second layer of protective material so that a hollow space remains in which the blowable fuse is present while walls of the hollow space comprise protecting material of the first and second layers of protective material.

Claim 3

A method of manufacturing a programmable semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: starting with a supporting member having at a surface at least a semiconductor circuit element provided with an electrode of nickel connected electrically conductively to a contact layer; covering the assembly with a first auxiliary layer of aluminum in which a window is provided which exposes at least part of the electrode; providing a blowable fuse of nickel-chromium on the first auxiliary layer and at least in the window in such manner that a first end of the blowable fuse is defined at the area of the window; covering the assembly with a second auxiliary layer of aluminum and forming apertures through the first and second auxiliary layers, which apertures coincide at least partly with a second end of the blowable fuse; providing a conductor pattern at least at the area of the blowable fuse and in the apertures; removing the two auxiliary layers selectively using said pattern as a mask, in which the material of the first auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the materials of the supporting member, the electrode, the blowable fuse and the conductor pattern and, at least insofar as covered by the first auxiliary layer, the material of the semiconductor circuit element, and in which the material of the second auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the materials of the conductor pattern and the blowable fuse, as a result of which treatment a conductor remains at the area of the blowable fuse and at a distance therefrom and supporting elements of the conductor remain in the apertures; providing at least the part of the surface which is not protected by the conductor pattern with a layer of protecting material so that a hollow space is formed in which the blowable fuse is present which connects the semiconductor circuit element to the electric conductor, which conductor belongs to a line of the programmable semiconductor device and in which the walls of the hollow space are formed by the conductor and parts of the layer of protecting material.

Claim 4

A method of manufacturing a programmable semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: starting with a supporting member having at a surface at least a semiconductor circuit element provided with an electrode of nickel connected electrically conductively to a contact layer; covering the assembly with a first auxiliary layer of aluminum in which a window is provided which exposes at least part of the electrode; providing a blowable fuse of nickel-chromium on the first auxiliary layer and at least in the window in such manner that a first end of the blowable fuse is defined at the area of the window; covering the assembly with a second auxiliary layer of aluminum and forming apertures through the first and second auxiliary layers, which apertures coincide at least partly with a second end of the blowable fuse; providing a conductor pattern at least at the area of the blowable fuse and in the apertures; removing the two auxiliary layers selectively using said pattern as a mask, in which the material of the first auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the materials of the supporting member, the electrode, the blowable fuse and the conductor pattern and, at least insofar as covered by the first auxiliary layer, the material of the semiconductor circuit element, and in which the material of the second auxiliary layer can be etched selectively with respect to the materials of the conductor pattern and the blowable fuse, as a result of which treatment a conductor remains at the area of the blowable fuse and at a distance therefrom and supporting elements of the conductor remain in the apertures; providing at least the part of the surface which is not protected by the conductor pattern with a layer of protecting material so that a hollow space is formed in which the blowable fuse is present which connects the semiconductor circuit element to the electric conductor, which conductor belongs to a line of the programmable semiconductor device and in which the walls of the hollow space are formed by the conductor and parts of the layer of protecting material.