Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Integrated circuit structure with electrically isolated... – Passive components in ics
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2001-09-11
Loke, Steven (Department: 2811)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Integrated circuit structure with electrically isolated...
Passive components in ics
C438S601000, C327S525000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288436
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related generally to fuses and, more particularly, to combining laser activated fuses and electrically activated fuses on the same integrated circuit chip, module or wafer in order to enhance the yield of a semiconductor package.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known in the art that various fuse technologies, such as electrically activated or laser activated fuses have been advantageously used over the years in a variety of products. Attempts have been made in the past to interconnect fuses of different fuse technologies in the same circuitry to benefit from the advantages offered by the different types of fusing technologies. By way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,031 issued to Best, a laser fuse and an electrical fuse are interconnected in series in the same circuit such that fusing is accomplished by either using a laser to blow one fuse or passing a current and programming the fuses in series with it. In another example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,485,032 and 5,314,840 to Schepis et al., of common assignee, a fuse is described which can be optically programmed by laser or blown by an electrical current and which exhibits a change in resistance when compared to an unprogrammed fuse, wherein the change in resistance is induced by alloying aluminum and germanium. In yet another example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,775 and 5,285,099 to Carruthers et al., and of common assignee, a SiCr fuse is described having the dual purpose of serving as a fuse which can be optically or electrically programmed. In still another example, in Japanese Patent 6-325589 issued in 1994, a circuit is described which contains laser and electrical fuses wherein laser fuses are used to control the electrical fuses to reduce total circuit area. Here again a laser and an electrical fuse are electrically coupled to each other, allowing one to control the other.
Linking laser activated fuses to electrically activated fuses in the same circuit has a distinct disadvantage in that having the same number of laser fuses and electrical fuses in each circuit imposes a severe penalty in the amount of chip real estate that is consumed. Alternatively, if only some laser fuses were coupled on the same circuit to electrical type fuses, much of the flexibility in activating redundancies would be lost since only those laser fuses that are unattached at the wafer level could be used in order not to render any electrical fuse unusable later on at the module level.
Laser activated fuses are known to be much reliable than electrical fuses. Yet, several drawbacks, fully described in, e.g., the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,031, makes them less desirable than electrical fuses. By way of example, laser programmable fuses have a distinct disadvantage of requiring optical contact to blow the fuse. More specifically, the laser programmable fuse must be placed on the chip with its link fuse exposed by a window to allow the beam to break the link whenever programming is desired. However, once the chip is placed in a module or in some other second level package, the window is no longer accessible and the laser fuse can no longer be programmed at will. Thus, laser activated fuses are useful only to chips, namely, to pre-packaged integrated circuit (IC) devices but not to chips mounted on a module.
Electrically programmable fuses have the advantage of being easily programmed no matter where the fuses are located, whether on a chip, module, and the like, with the window exposed or whether placed deep inside the semiconductor structure. Electrical fuses use bonding pads to interface with fuse zapping tools. These pads can be placed outside the package, which provides the added flexibility of blowing the fuse regardless whether or not the IC chip is mounted on the next level of packaging. Yet, they have the distinct disadvantage of occupying a substantial amount of chip real estate, a serious drawback, particularly in high density integrated circuit chips.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to combine laser activated fuses and electrically activated fuses on the same integrated circuit device, in order to enhance the overall product yield.
It is another object of the invention to keep the optically programmable fuses and the electrically programmable fuses electrically separated from one another, such that programming can be take performed on either type of fuse, independently of the other.
It is still another object of the invention to have laser fuses and electrical fuses present in a chip in a proportion such that laser fuses are used to eliminate fabrication defects by replacing arrays with corresponding redundancy sub-arrays, units and the like, and where electrical fuses are used to cure defects detected during final test or burn-in test applicable to modules, and other such second level packages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In essence, the present invention provides a plurality of fuses of different types on a semiconductor wafer or module, each type of fuse serving a specific purpose, wherein activating one type of fuse does not render fuses of a different type inactive.
In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a fuse arrangement on a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer or module that includes: at least one fuse of a first fuse type and at least one fuse of a second fuse type, the fuses of the first and second types being unconnected from one another.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a fuse arrangement on a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer or module that includes: fuses of a first fuse type for repairing a first type of defects; and fuses of a second fuse type for repairing a second type of defects, the fuses of the first and second fuse types being unconnected from one another.
The various objects of the invention are also attained by a method of arranging different type of fuses on a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer or module that includes the steps of providing fuses of a first fuse type for repairing a first type of defects; and providing fuses of a second fuse type for repairing a second type of defects, the fuses of the first and second fuse types being unconnected from one another.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5066998 (1991-11-01), Fischer et al.
patent: 5285099 (1994-02-01), Carruthers et al.
patent: 5314840 (1994-05-01), Schepis et al.
patent: 5340775 (1994-08-01), Carruthers et al.
patent: 5428571 (1995-06-01), Atsumi et al.
patent: 5485032 (1996-01-01), Schepis et al.
patent: 5548555 (1996-08-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5748031 (1998-05-01), Best
patent: 5818748 (1998-10-01), Bertin et al.
patent: 5973380 (1999-10-01), Cutter et al.
patent: 5986319 (1999-11-01), Huggins
patent: 6060942 (2000-05-01), Oh
patent: 6-325589 (1994-11-01), None
Arndt Kenneth
Brintzinger Axel
Daniel Gabriel
Kirihata Toshiaki
Lachtrupp David
International Business Machines - Corporation
Loke Steven
Owens Douglas W.
Schnurmann H. Daniel
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