Reduced splattering of unpassivated laser fuses

Abstract

The act of blowing an unpassivated electrical fuse (for example, fuse 405) using a laser can result in the splattering of the fuse material and result in electrical short circuits. A blast barrier (for example blast barrier 406) formed around an area of the fuse that is blown by the laser helps to contain the splattering of the fuse material. The blast barrier may be formed from the same material as the fuses themselves and therefore, can be created in the same fabrication step.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of integrated circuits, and more particularly to preventing spattering of fuse material from creating short circuits in other laser fuses when non-passivated laser fuses are blown. Background technique [0002] In the manufacture of integrated circuits, laser fuses have been used for a long time. One application of laser fuses is to activate or deactivate specific functions in an integrated circuit, depending on the intended use of the integrated circuit. For example, an integrated circuit can be single designed to have a complete set of functions. However, depending on the price at which the integrated circuit is sold, certain functions may be disabled. In another application, laser fuses allow defective devices and circuits in integrated circuits to be replaced with functioning spares and circuits. Typically, when an integrated circuit is tested to verify its operational performance, the t...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, without a passivation layer, the fuse blowing process suffers from the fact that the molten fuse material may evaporate without sufficient heat, which prevents the entirety of the molten metal from evaporating

Partial evaporation of molten metal may result in splashing of fuse material which remains in liquid form

Splashed fuse material may cause an electrical short to a non-passivated fuse adjacent to the blowing fuse

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