Integrated circuit chip customization using backside access

Abstract

An integrated circuit, a method for making an integrated circuit product, and methods for customizing an integrated circuit are disclosed. Integrated circuit elements including programmable elements, such as fuses, PROMs, RRAMs, MRAMs, or the like, are formed on the frontside of a substrate. Vias are formed through the substrate from its frontside to its backside to establish conduction paths to at least some of the programmable elements from the backside. A programming stimulus is applied to at least some of the vias from the backside to program at least some of the frontside programmable elements.

Description

technical field [0001] Various embodiments described herein relate generally to improvements in semiconductor fabrication processes, products, and devices, and more particularly, to methods for fabricating programmable semiconductor integrated circuits, for performing programmable semiconductor integrated circuits on the programmable semiconductor integrated circuits Methods of programming, and integrated circuit products made therefrom. Background technique [0002] As semiconductor integrated circuit products become more complex, manufacturers continue to find ways to increase the usability of specific circuit designs without having to continually redesign circuits with common components. For example, circuits often have different circuit elements on a single chip that can be enabled by activating programmable elements such as fuses, antifuses, programmable read-only memory (PROM), resistive RAM, etc. RAM (RRAM), Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM), etc. [0003] At the...

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Problems solved by technology

This problem can be solved using more complex metallization patterns, but it can be seen that the complexity of the overall structure is also significantly increased, and this method will not be carried out because the mask sets used in the production are expensive

[0008] Furthermore, using standard programming techniques, the amount of voltage or current that can be applied to a programming signal is limited because programming is done from pads on the front side that are not necessarily in close proximity to the element to be programmed, and Programming signals may be conducted through very long signal path conductors to programmable elements

This often results in incomplete or invalid programming, as applying the specified programming voltage or current may not be sufficient to cause the corresponding programmable element to change state

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