Method of protecting fuses in an integrated circuit die

• US 20060128072A1
• Filed: 12/13/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Shirish, Rajagopalan, Sarathy, Desai, Kishor
• Application Number:
  US11/011,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20060128072A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/131
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5256 comprising fuses, i.e. connections having their state changed from conductive to non-conductive
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A fuse formed in an integrated circuit die includes: a length of an electrically conductive material for connecting two points of a circuit on the integrated circuit die and for selectively breaking the connection by a pulse of electrical current sufficient to dissolve a portion of the electrically conductive material; a passivation layer formed over the length of electrically conductive material; and a protective coating formed over a portion of the length of electrically conductive material in addition to the passivation layer to avoid damage to the fuse from an etchant during a bumping process.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

(a) forming a fuse in an integrated circuit die that includes a passivation layer over the fuse; and

(b) coating a portion of the fuse with a protective coating in addition to the passivation layer to avoid damage to the fuse from an etchant during a bumping process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises spin coating each end of the fuse with polyimide or benzocyclobutene.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the protective coating comprises polyimide or BCB.

4. A fuse formed in an integrated circuit die comprising:

a length of an electrically conductive material for connecting two points of an electrical circuit in the integrated circuit die and for selectively breaking the connection by a pulse of electrical current sufficient to dissolve a portion of the electrically conductive material;

a passivation layer formed over the length of electrically conductive material; and

a protective coating formed over a portion of the length of electrically conductive material in addition to the passivation layer to avoid damage to the fuse from an etchant during a bumping process.

5. The fuse of claim 4 wherein the protective coating comprises a spin coating at each end of the fuse with polyimide or benzocyclobutene.

6. The fuse of claim 4 wherein the protective coating comprises polyimide or benzocyclobutene.