Patent Abstract:
The present invention provides a two-terminal Zener zap diode device structure that relies upon the formation of an anti-fuse through a silicon substrate with the melting and flow of an aluminum alloy to create the current path. The use of oversized contacts in the diode structure permits the Tungsten plug to be eliminated from the diode structure and, thus, permits an aluminum alloy melt and flow mechanism to be used with a Tungsten plug process.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuits and, in particular, to a no cost technique for adding Zener zap diode aluminum bridged anti-fuse trim to a Tungsten plug process for fabricating integrated circuit structures. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     Zener zap diode anti-fuses, which depend upon bias direction to create the anti-fuse mechanism, are typically applied to processes with an interconnect of aluminum, aluminum alloy only, or an aluminum alloy with a barrier metal. An overview of Zener zap diode anti-fuse trim is presented by D. T. Comer, “Zener Zap Anti-Fuse Trim in VLSI Circuits,” VLSI Design, 1996, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 89-100. 
     However, when Tungsten interconnect processes are used, the aluminum melt and flow mechanism that Zener zap diodes rely upon is blocked. The blocking feature is the Tungsten plug itself. 
     Thus, there is a need for a Zener zap anti-fuse mechanism that is utilizable in a Tungsten plug process. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a two-terminal Zener zap diode device that relies upon the formation of an anti-fuse through the silicon substrate. This is accomplished by the melting and flowing of an aluminum alloy through the diode to create a permanent conduction path. The use of an oversized contact permits the Tungsten plug to be eliminated from the diode structure and, thus, permits restoration of the aluminum/aluminum alloy conduction path, allowing the aluminum/aluminum alloy melt and flow mechanism to be used with a Tungsten plug process. The elimination of the Tungsten plug from the diode structure could be accomplished with a separate mask and etch step, but that would require extra processing and added cost. The technique of the present invention requires no additional processing. 
     As used in this document, the term “oversized contact” is defined as a contact where the width of the contact is greater than two times the Tungsten deposition thickness. Clearly, for proper Tungsten plugs to be formed, the dimension must be less than two times the Tungsten thickness for the plug to fill properly without a center void. When the contact width is greater than two times the Tungsten thickness, the Tungsten etchback will penetrate the seam area and, if the width is large enough, the Tungsten will be removed from the contact bottom in the same manner that it is removed from the open area on the wafer. 
    
    
     The features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings, which set forth an illustrative embodiment in which the principles of the invention are utilized. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1A-1F provide a sequence of partial cross-section drawings illustrating a method of adding bias-independent aluminum bridged anti-fuses to a tungsten plug process in accordance with the concepts of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosed embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1F, is directed to a two-terminal integrated circuit Zener zap diode structure. 
     As shown in FIG. 1A, the two terminals regions  100   a  and  100   b  are separated by field oxide  102 , but are formed over a common doped region  104 , which may be either N-type or P-type conductivity. 
     Gate oxide  106  is grown over the two terminal regions  100   a ,  100   b . A third contact region  100   c  will receive a standard Tungsten plug process contact, as discussed in greater detail below. This third standard contact is not part of the device and is provided for reference only. The gate oxide  106  in terminal regions  100   a  and  100   b  is etched open during conventional integrated circuit fabrication processing. 
     As further shown in FIG. 1A, a standard polysilicon layer is grown over the two contact regions  100   a  and  100   b  and patterned using conventional photolithographic techniques to provide polysilicon regions  108   a  and  108   b . One of the poly contacts should be P-type (i.e contact  108   a  in FIG. 1A) and the other should be N-type (i.e. contact  108   b  in FIG.  1 A). The silicon area  107   a ,  107   b  directly under the poly contacts  108   a ,  108   b , respectively, will take on the dopant characteristics of the polysilicon above the contact. One of these polysilicon doped regions will be at the same dopant as the common doped region  104 , while the silicon area under the other region will take on the doping characteristics of the other polysilicon region, which will be the opposite doping type. This structure creates the Zener Zap diode that will become the anti-fuse. Each poly conductor  108   a ,  108   b  extends up onto the field oxide  102  to reduce subsequent metallization step coverage requirements, although this may not be required in all applications. Further, the polysilicon regions  108   a ,  108   b  can be silicided, but this is also not required. 
     As stated above, the third contact region  100   c , which is not a part of the Zener zap circuit, and is provided for reference only, will receive a standard Tungsten plug contact and may be silicided, salicided or neither as necessary for a particular application. 
     Referring to FIG. 1B, a first insulating dielectric layer  110 , typically silicon dioxide, is deposited according to conventional techniques. Oversized contact openings  112   a  and  112   b  are then cut to the two polysilicon regions  108   a  and  108   b , respectively. As mentioned above, these oversized contact openings  112   a ,  112   b  are made to the polysilicon regions  108   a ,  108   b  over the field oxide  102  to reduce aluminum alloy metallization step coverage issues, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that contact directly over the gate may be allowed if the aluminum alloy metal thickness is sufficient. 
     As further shown in FIG. 1B, a standard sized Tungsten plug contact opening  112   c  is made to the reference contact region  100   c.    
     Referring to FIG. 1C, a layer of titanium nitride (TiN) plug liner material  114  (or other suitable plug liner material) and Tungsten (W) are then deposited in accordance with conventional techniques. An anisotropic Tungsten etch back process etches the standard sized Tungsten plug  116  in the reference contact region  100   c  in the typical manner, stopping with a small dimple remaining on the top of plug  116 . The etchback results in all Tungsten being cleared from the oversized contact openings  112   a  and  112   b  in the same way that the Tungsten is cleared from the open areas. However, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, small residual Tungsten spacers  116 ′ may remain at the edges of the large contact openings  112   a ,  112   b ; these spacers  116 ′ are of no consequence. The Tungsten etchback process will also leave the polysilicon regions  108   a ,  108   b  undamaged, since the process is a Stop On TiN (SOT) technique, i.e. the Tungsten etchback stops on the TiN liner layer  114 . 
     FIG. 1D shows a standard aluminum slab Metal  1  process in which a first aluminum layer is deposited according to conventional techniques and then masked and etched to provide aluminum oversized contacts  118   a  and  118   b  to polysilicon regions  108   a  and  108 , respectively. 
     Referring to FIG. 1E, a second layer of dielectric material  120 , typically silicon dioxide, is then deposited and patterned to provide vias for a Metal  2  deposition and etch. If an aluminum alloy only process is used for Metal  2 , then the vias can be standard sized, or they can also be oversized vias similar to the oversized contact process described above. If the Metal  2  uses a Tungsten plug, then the Metal  2  process can be set up as a standard Tungsten plug. In any event, the procedure results in the formation of aluminum contacts  122   a ,  122   b  and  122   c  to aluminum alloy Metal  1  contact regions  118   a ,  118   b  and  118   c , respectively. 
     Final processing then proceeds in accordance with integrated circuit fabrication techniques well know to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring to FIG. 1F, after final processing is completed, a trim procedure in accordance with the present invention can be accomplished as follows. First, the Zener zap diode between Pad A and Pad B is reverse biased and voltage is ramped until breakdown of the diode junction occurs. Sufficient current flow is then provided through Pads A and B to melt the plug liner  114  in contact areas  100   a  and  100   b  and flow the aluminum alloy between the two terminals. This forms a permanent anti-fuse path in the silicon and completes a conductive path between Pad A and Pad B. 
     Given the above detailed description of the invention and the embodiments of the invention described therein, it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that structures and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7