Patent US5290734A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5290734A
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Method for making anti-fuse structures
Assignee: Philips Semiconductors Inc
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Filing: 1991-07-26
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Granted: 1994-03-01
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Expires: 2011-07-26
Abstract
Abstract An anti-fuse structure characterized by a substrate, an oxide layer formed over the substrate having an opening formed therein, an amorphous silicon material disposed within the opening and contacting the substrate, a conductive protective material, such as titanium tungsten, disposed over the amorphous silicon material, and oxide spacers lining the walls of a recess formed within the protective material. The protective material and the spacers provide tighter programming voltage distributions for the anti-fuse structure and help prevent anti-fuse failure.
Inventors
- 👤 William J. Boardman
- 👤 David P. Chan
- 👤 Kuang-Yeh Chang
- 👤 Calvin T. Gabriel
- 👤 Vivek Jain
- 👤 Subhash R. Nariani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 10:47
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/064; H10W20/065; H10W20/40; H10W20/49; H10W20/491; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/055
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A method for making an anti-fuse structure comprising: providing a substrate surface; forming an insulating layer over said substrate surface; forming an opening in said insulating layer which extends down to said substrate surface; depositing an anti-fuse material into said opening such that it generally conforms to the contours of said opening to form a anti-fuse material recess; depositing a conductive, protective material over said anti-fuse material such that it generally conforms to the contours of said anti-fuse material to form a protective material recess having sidewall portions and a base portion which meet at an interface; and forming spacers comprising an insulating material within said recess of said protective material to substantially cover said interface between said sidewall portion and said base portion.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
124 words
A method for making an anti-fuse structure comprising: providing a substrate surface; forming an insulating layer over said substrate surface; forming an opening in said insulating layer which extends down to said substrate surface; depositing an anti-fuse material into said opening such that it generally conforms to the contours of said opening to form a anti-fuse material recess; depositing a conductive, protective material over said anti-fuse material such that it generally conforms to the contours of said anti-fuse material to form a protective material recess having sidewall portions and a base portion which meet at an interface; and forming spacers comprising an insulating material within said recess of said protective material to substantially cover said interface between said sidewall portion and said base portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method for making an anti-fuse structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of providing a substrate surface comprises: depositing a conductive substrate material on a supporting surface; and patterning said conductive substrate material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method for making an anti-fuse structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of forming spacers within said protective material recess comprises: depositing an insulating spacer material over said protective material; and etching said insulating spacer material to leave said spacers.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures comprising: providing a substrate surface; depositing an oxide layer over said substrate surface; etching said oxide layer to form therein a plurality of openings which extend down to said substrate surface; depositing amorphous silicon into said plurality of openings such that said amorphous silicon generally conforms to the contours of said plurality of openings to provide a plurality of amorphous silicon recesses; depositing a conductive protective material comprising tungsten over said amorphous silicon such that it generally conforms to the contours of said amorphous silicon recesses to provide a plurality of protective material recesses each having sidewall portions and a base portion which meet at an interface; and forming oxide spacers within said protective material recesses to substantially cover said interface between said sidewall portion and said base portion of each protective material recess.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures comprising: providing a substrate surface; depositing an oxide layer over said substrate surface; etching said oxide layer to form therein a plurality of openings which extend down to said substrate surface; depositing amorphous silicon into said plurality of openings such that said amorphous silicon generally conforms to the contours of said plurality of openings to provide a plurality of amorphous silicon recesses; depositing a conductive protective material comprising tungsten over said amorphous silicon such that it generally conforms to the contours of said amorphous silicon recesses to provide a plurality of protective material recesses each having sidewall portions and a base portion which meet at an interface; and forming oxide spacers within said protective material recesses to substantially cover said interface between said sidewall portion and said base portion of each protective material recess.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of providing a substrate surface comprises: depositing a conductive substrate material on a supporting surface; and patterning said conductive substrate material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 5 wherein said conductive substrate material electrically couples a first plurality of said anti-fuse structures.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 6 further comprising: depositing a conductive connecting material over said protective material and said oxide spacers; and patterning said conductive connecting material to electrically couple a second plurality of anti-fuse structures which has an anti-fuse structure in common with said first linear arrangement of anti-fuse structures.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 4 wherein said protective material comprises an alloy of titanium and tungsten.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of providing a substrate surface comprises: depositing a first conductive material on a supporting surface; patterning said first conductive material; depositing an insulating material over said first conductive material; depositing a second conductive material over said insulating material; and patterning said second conductive material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 9 wherein said first conductive material comprises aluminum and wherein said second conductive material comprises an alloy of titanium and tungsten.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 9 wherein said second conductive material electrically couples a first plurality of said anti-fuse structures.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 11 further comprising: forming a via hole in said insulating material; and electrically coupling said first conductive material to said second conductive material through said via hole.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of forming said oxide spacers comprises: depositing oxide within said recesses such that said oxide substantially conforms to the contours of said protective material recesses; and etching said oxide to form said sidewall spacers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 13 wherein said step of forming said oxide spacers further comprises: masking said sidewall spacers within said protective material recesses; and etching oxide residue outside of said protective material recesses.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method for making an array of anti-fuse structures as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of etching said oxide residue comprises contacting said oxide residue with a liquid solution including hydrofluoric acid.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-02-28 | 1997-08-30 | 1998-03-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-02-28 | 2001-08-30 | 2002-03-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-02-28 | 2005-08-30 | 2006-03-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |