Semiconductor fuse, semiconductor fuse device and electronic equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to a semiconductor fuse, a device thereof and electronic equipment. The semiconductor fuse comprises a substrate, and the top surface of the substrate comprises an insulating layer and a fuse structure which are sequentially stacked in the direction away from the substrate; the fuse structure comprises a first conductive part, a fusing part and a second conductive part which are sequentially arranged along a first direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate; the insulating layer internally comprises a hollow pattern extending from the top surface of the insulating layer to the inside of the insulating layer; the hollowed-out pattern is used for storing the fusing part in a molten state; wherein the orthographic projection of the fusing part is located in the hollow pattern. The new structure provided by the utility model provides a fillable cavity area for the semiconductor fuse in a molten state, avoids the problem of backfilling, and is easier to thoroughly fuse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of integrated circuits, and in particular to a semiconductor fuse and its device, and electronic equipment. Background Technology

[0002] As the complexity and circuit density requirements of integrated circuit chips continue to increase, device feature sizes continue to decrease. In the past, in order to suppress the impact of substrate impurities or defects on the overall chip performance, redundant circuits were designed within the chip as backups. When a circuit module fails, the faulty unit can be quickly isolated and replaced using a pre-set fuse mechanism.

[0003] In the manufacturing process of memory, due to the large number of memory cells, proper fuse placement can replace faulty memory cells with ready-made ones, preventing the entire memory from being discarded, improving yield, and saving expensive remanufacturing costs. However, existing semiconductor fuses are difficult to melt and are prone to flow when molten, resulting in re-combination, which causes the circuit to re-conduct, exhibiting a high-resistance conduction state and reducing the yield of semiconductor fuses. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to address the problems mentioned in the background art by providing a semiconductor fuse and its device, or electronic device, which at least makes it easier for the semiconductor fuse to completely melt and prevent circuit reconnection.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and other problems, according to some embodiments, one aspect of this application provides a semiconductor fuse, including: a substrate, the top surface of which includes an insulating layer and a fuse structure sequentially stacked along a direction away from the substrate;

[0006] The fuse structure includes a first conductive portion, a fusing portion, and a second conductive portion arranged sequentially along a first direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate;

[0007] The insulating layer includes a perforated pattern extending from the top of the insulating layer into the insulating layer; the perforated pattern is used to store the molten fracture portion; wherein the orthographic projection of the fracture portion is located within the perforated pattern.

[0008] In the semiconductor fuse of the above embodiments, by setting a hollow pattern in the insulating layer, a fillable void area is provided for the molten fuse section, avoiding the backfilling problem caused by the flow of molten material after the electromigration force disappears, thus achieving complete fuse breaking.

[0009] In some embodiments, the feature dimension of the first conductive portion near the fused portion gradually decreases in the direction toward the fused portion; the feature dimension is used to characterize the length along a second direction; the second direction is parallel to the top surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the first direction;

[0010] The feature dimension of the second conductive part near the fuse portion gradually decreases in the direction toward the fuse portion.

[0011] In the semiconductor fuses of the above embodiments, the larger the feature size, the larger the cross-sectional area. The cross-sectional area of ​​the first conductive part and the second conductive part gradually decreases as they approach the fuse breaking part, which increases the heat generated by the fuse structure at the fuse breaking part. The temperature rises faster and reaches the melting point more quickly, achieving the expected easy-to-fuse effect.

[0012] In some embodiments, the fusible link includes:

[0013] A bridging section connects the first conductive part and the second conductive part;

[0014] The strip-shaped portion intersects with the bridging portion, extends along the second direction, and is spaced apart along the first direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the feature size of the bridging portion is smaller than the feature sizes of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion;

[0016] The feature size of the strip-shaped portion is smaller than the feature sizes of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion;

[0017] The feature dimension of the bridging part is smaller than that of the strip part.

[0018] In some embodiments, the fusible portion includes at least three strip-shaped portions.

[0019] In the semiconductor fuse of the above embodiment, the fusing part is provided with multiple strip-shaped parts that intersect with the bridging part. Since the heating rate is different at different cross-sections, multiple energy inflection points are formed at the junction of the bridging part and the strip-shaped parts, which constitute a preset fusing point.

[0020] In some embodiments, the material of the filament structure includes polycrystalline silicon.

[0021] In some embodiments, the feature size of the fuse structure is smaller than the feature size of the insulating layer.

[0022] In the aforementioned semiconductor fuse, the overall area of ​​the insulating layer is larger than that of the fuse structure to ensure that the current is conducted only within the fuse structure, preventing current leakage to the outside and contact with other conductors, which could lead to leakage accidents or short circuit faults.

[0023] In some embodiments, the semiconductor fuse includes:

[0024] The dielectric layer, covering the top surface of the fuse structure and the insulating layer;

[0025] A conductive plug extends through the dielectric layer via the top surface of the dielectric layer in the direction toward the substrate, and its bottom surface is located inside the top surface of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion.

[0026] In the aforementioned semiconductor fuse, a dielectric layer encapsulates the fuse structure, reducing interference from surrounding air and other dielectric materials on the fusing process.

[0027] Another aspect of this application provides a semiconductor device including the semiconductor fuse in any of the above embodiments.

[0028] Another aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including a semiconductor fuse or a semiconductor device as described in any of the above embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor fuse in the prior art;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a top-view structural schematic diagram of the internal fuse structure of a semiconductor fuse provided in one embodiment of the application;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a top view of the structure of the insulating layer inside the semiconductor fuse provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 20. Insulating layer; 21. Hollowed-out pattern; 30. Fuse structure; 31. First conductive part; 32. Fuse section; 321. Bridging part; 322. Strip-shaped part; 33. Second conductive part. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings. However, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] When using the terms “including,” “having,” and “comprising” as described herein, another component may be added unless explicitly qualifying terms such as “only,” “consisting of,” etc. are used. Unless otherwise stated, singular terms may include plural forms and should not be construed as having a quantity of one.

[0038] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0039] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or they can refer to the internal connection of two elements or the interaction between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an existing semiconductor fuse. (Example) Figure 1 As shown in Figure a, the fuse structure 30 includes a first conductive part 31, a fusing part 32, and a second conductive part 33 that are connected to each other; wherein, the fusing part 32 is a strip-shaped structure with a cross-sectional area, and the places where the fusing part 32 contacts the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33 (point A and point B) are the fusing points of the fuse structure 30. Figure 1 b is the insulating layer 20 of the aforementioned semiconductor fuse.

[0041] When the melting point is affected by high temperature and melts, the molten material flows between the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33. When the electromigration force disappears, it refills the void (i.e. the burn-out point) formed at the original melting point, so that the originally interrupted conduction path can be restored.

[0042] In this embodiment, the substrate may include a first surface located on the front side and a back surface, i.e., a second surface, opposite to the front side. Ignoring the flatness of the first and second surfaces, a first direction and a second direction parallel to the first surface are defined, and the first and second directions are perpendicular to each other. In this embodiment, the first direction is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the second direction is defined as the X-axis direction.

[0043] Based on this, please refer to Figures 2-3The semiconductor fuse provided in this embodiment includes: a substrate (not shown), and the top surface of the substrate includes an insulating layer 20 and a fuse structure 30 stacked sequentially in a direction away from the substrate;

[0044] The fuse structure 30 includes a first conductive portion 31, a fusing portion 32, and a second conductive portion 33 arranged sequentially along a first direction (OY direction) parallel to the top surface of the substrate.

[0045] The insulating layer 20 includes a cutout pattern 21 extending from the top of the insulating layer 20 into the insulating layer 20; the cutout pattern 21 is used to store the molten fracturing portion 32; wherein the orthographic projection of the fracturing portion 32 is located within the cutout pattern 21.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a top-view structural schematic diagram of the internal fuse structure of a semiconductor fuse provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 3 This is a top view of the insulating layer within a semiconductor fuse provided in one embodiment of this application. Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to schematic diagrams that represent preferred embodiments, thus allowing for variations in the shown shapes due to factors such as manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should not be limited to the specific shapes of the areas shown herein, but rather include shape deviations. Consequently, the areas shown in the figures are substantially schematic, and their shapes do not represent the actual shape of the structure and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0047] Please see Figure 2 In some embodiments, the characteristic dimension D of the first conductive portion 31 near the end of the fuse portion 32 gradually decreases in the direction toward the fuse portion 32; the characteristic dimension D is used to characterize the length along the second direction (OX direction);

[0048] The characteristic dimension D of the second conductive part 33 near the end of the fuse part 32 gradually decreases in the direction toward the fuse part 32.

[0049] The material of the filament structure 30 includes polycrystalline silicon.

[0050] Here, D represents the characteristic dimension. Since the thickness of the fuse structure 30 is fixed, the larger the characteristic dimension D, the larger the cross-sectional area of ​​the fuse structure 30 on the plane perpendicular to the OY direction. The change in the cross-section of the fuse structure 30 results in different resistances in different parts. When current passes through, the parts with high resistance (small cross-sectional area) will heat up first and melt first after reaching the melting point. Subsequently, as the current changes, other parts may also melt in sequence.

[0051] In the above semiconductor fuse, the characteristic dimensions D1 and D2 of the ends of the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33 close to the fusing part 32 gradually decrease towards the fusing part 32, so that a gradually narrowing area is formed in the direction towards the fusing part 32 near the fusing part 32 in the fuse structure 30. When current passes through, the narrow part is subjected to higher local heating, making it easy to reach the fusing point here. When the current flowing through the fuse structure 30 or the voltage across its two ends is greater than a preset value, the fusing part 32 fuses due to the electrothermal effect, and the electrical connection between the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33 is interrupted.

[0052] In an optional embodiment, the fusing part 32 includes:

[0053] A bridging part 321 connecting the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33;

[0054] A strip part 322 intersecting with the bridging part 321, extending along the second direction (OX direction) and arranged at intervals along the first direction (OY direction).

[0055] Furthermore, in some embodiments, as Figure 2 shown, the characteristic dimension D4 of the bridging part 321 is smaller than the characteristic dimensions D1 and D2 of the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33;

[0056] The characteristic dimension D3 of the strip part 322 is smaller than the characteristic dimensions D1 and D2 of the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33;

[0057] Among them, the characteristic dimension D4 of the bridging part 321 is smaller than the characteristic dimension D3 of the strip part 322.

[0058] As described above, the fusing part in the existing semiconductor fuse structure has a relatively uniform strip structure. Since the resistance distribution on the fusing part is relatively balanced, the fusing point is often located at the contact between the fusing part 32 and the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33. In this application, in addition to the traditional fusing point, by adding the strip part 322, the fusing part 32 as a whole presents a "rich" character structure. Since the characteristic dimension D3 of the strip part 322 is smaller than the characteristic dimensions D1 and D2 of the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33, and the characteristic dimension D4 of the bridging part 321 is smaller than the characteristic dimension D3 of the strip part 322, the cross-sectional resistance of the strip part 322 is smaller than that of the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33, and heat is more likely to accumulate at the bridging part 321 between adjacent strip parts 322, and it can reach the melting point faster. When making an electrical connection, the fusing area formed by the bridging part 321 and the strip part 322 fuses earlier than other parts. While successfully adding a fusing point, the fusing speed of the fuse structure 30 is increased, and it is easier to fuse than a fuse with a single structure.

[0059] It should be understood that the fusing current required by the fuse section 32 should be greater than the current required for the normal operation of the other components.

[0060] For further information, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 2 The fused portion 32 includes at least three strip-shaped portions 322.

[0061] It should be noted that the spacing between adjacent strip portions 322 along the first direction (OY direction) is no greater than the spacing between strip portion 322 and the first conductive portion 31 and the second conductive portion 33 along the first direction (OY direction). Furthermore, the dimensions of the strip portions 322 along the first direction (OY direction) can be the same or different. Strip portions 322 of different widths generate different amounts of heat due to their different resistances. By flexibly setting the characteristic dimensions of the fuse portion 32, the fusing process can be precisely controlled, and the fusing point can be controlled.

[0062] Further, please refer to Figure 2-3 The insulating layer 20 includes a perforated pattern 21 extending from the top surface of the insulating layer 20 into the insulating layer 20; the perforated pattern 21 is used to store the molten fracture portion 32; wherein the orthographic projection of the fracture portion 32 is located within the perforated pattern 21.

[0063] The insulating layer 20 is made of insulating materials, such as oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides or combinations thereof.

[0064] Specifically, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the hollow pattern 21 includes multiple vertically intersecting strip spaces. When the fuse melts and becomes molten, the molten fuse structure 30 will be distributed in the corresponding hollow area because the shape of the hollow pattern 21 matches it. This makes the electromagnetic field distribution before and after melting more stable and regular, reduces electromagnetic interference to surrounding circuit components and lines, and simplifies photolithography, etching and other process steps, reducing production costs and manufacturing difficulty.

[0065] After the electromigration force disappears, the molten fuse structure 30 remains in the hollow pattern 21, achieving complete melting.

[0066] In some embodiments, the feature size D of the fuse structure 30 is smaller than the feature size D of the insulating layer 20.

[0067] In some embodiments, the semiconductor fuse includes:

[0068] A dielectric layer (not shown) covers the top surface of the fuse structure 30 and the insulating layer 20;

[0069] A conductive plug (not shown) penetrates the dielectric layer through the top surface of the dielectric layer in the direction toward the substrate, and its bottom surface is located inside the top surface of the first conductive portion 31 and the second conductive portion 33.

[0070] The dielectric layer is made of one or more of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride. The insulating layer 20 and the dielectric layer encapsulate the fuse structure 30, which can limit the spread of the electric arc generated when the fuse is broken to a certain extent, and ensure that the current flows only inside the fuse structure 30, preventing current leakage to the outside and contact with other conductors, thus preventing leakage accidents and short circuits.

[0071] The conductive plug is connected to the first conductive part 31 and the second conductive part 33 to form an electrical contact for electrical connection with other circuit structures.

[0072] In some embodiments, this application provides another semiconductor device, including the semiconductor fuse in any of the above embodiments.

[0073] This semiconductor fuse can completely melt and prevent back-connection, reliably replace the failed unit in the semiconductor device, improve its yield, reduce product waste caused by the inability to handle the failed unit, reduce expensive remanufacturing costs, enhance circuit stability, and improve the product quality of semiconductor devices.

[0074] Another aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including a semiconductor fuse or a semiconductor device as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0075] In the aforementioned electronic devices, manufacturing costs are reduced due to less material waste and rework, allowing for more flexible market pricing. Replacing faulty modules results in more stable internal circuitry, reduced performance fluctuations and malfunctions, improved user experience, and lower maintenance and replacement frequency.

[0076] The semiconductor fuse, its device, and electronic equipment provided in this application have the following unexpected technical effects:

[0077] In the aforementioned semiconductor fuse, the fusing section spans the bridging section, forming multiple preset fusing points to achieve a controllable fusing process. By utilizing the influence of different cross-sectional thicknesses on the heating rate, heat is rapidly accumulated in the fusing section, causing the temperature to rise quickly to the melting point, thus achieving easy fusing. This design improves the responsiveness and efficiency of the fusing process.

[0078] Meanwhile, the perforated pattern within the insulation layer provides a filling area for the molten fuse section, effectively preventing the backfilling of molten material and achieving complete melting. The overall area being larger than the fuse structure ensures that current is conducted only within the fuse structure, preventing current leakage that could lead to electrical leakage accidents or short circuits, thus guaranteeing safe operation.

[0079] Semiconductor devices and electronic equipment equipped with this semiconductor fuse can successfully and reliably replace failed units, improve yield, reduce product scrap rate, and thus reduce expensive remanufacturing costs.

[0080] Please note that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation on the present invention.

[0081] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0082] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0083] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A semiconductor fuse, characterized in that, Includes: a substrate, the top surface of which includes an insulating layer and a fuse structure stacked sequentially along a direction away from the substrate; The fuse structure includes a first conductive portion, a fusing portion, and a second conductive portion arranged sequentially along a first direction parallel to the top surface of the substrate; The insulating layer includes a hollow pattern extending into the insulating layer from the top surface of the insulating layer; the hollow pattern is used to store the molten fracture portion. The orthographic projection of the fused portion is located within the hollowed-out pattern.

2. The semiconductor fuse according to claim 1, characterized in that, The characteristic dimension of the first conductive portion near the end of the fused portion gradually decreases in the direction toward the fused portion; the characteristic dimension is used to characterize the length along the second direction; the second direction is parallel to the top surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the first direction; The feature dimension of the second conductive part near the end of the fuse portion gradually decreases in the direction toward the fuse portion.

3. The semiconductor fuse according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fuse portion includes: A bridging portion connects the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion; The strip-shaped portion intersects with the bridging portion, extends along the second direction, and is spaced apart along the first direction.

4. The semiconductor fuse according to claim 3, characterized in that, The feature size of the bridging portion is smaller than the feature sizes of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion; The feature size of the strip-shaped portion is smaller than the feature sizes of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion; and The feature size of the bridging portion is smaller than the feature size of the strip portion.

5. The semiconductor fuse according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The fused portion includes at least three of the strip-shaped portions.

6. The semiconductor fuse according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The material of the filament structure includes polycrystalline silicon.

7. The semiconductor fuse according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The characteristic dimension of the fuse structure is smaller than the characteristic dimension of the insulating layer.

8. The semiconductor fuse according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The semiconductor fuse includes: A dielectric layer covering the top surface of the fuse structure and the insulating layer; A conductive plug extends through the dielectric layer via the top surface of the dielectric layer in a direction toward the substrate, and its bottom surface is located within the top surfaces of the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion.

9. A semiconductor device, characterized in that, Includes the semiconductor fuse as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, Includes the semiconductor fuse as described in any one of claims 1-8; or Includes the semiconductor device as described in claim 9.

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