Patent ID: 8410527

Claim:
A fuse device, comprising: a fuse element including: a first terminal; a second terminal; a phase-change region, including an electrically breakable region of phase-change material configured to undergo permanent physical breaking as a result of the supply of a programming electrical quantity; and a heating element of conductive material in contact with said first terminal, said electrically breakable region being arranged at a contact area at which said heating element contacts said phase-change region, wherein the permanent physical breaking renders the fuse element permanently non-conductive, wherein said heating element has a rectangular ring shape having a first side portion extending longitudinally in a first direction, a second side portion extending longitudinally in a second direction that is substantially parallel to the first direction, a third side portion extending longitudinally in a third direction from the first side portion to the second side portion, and a fourth side portion extending longitudinally in a fourth direction from the first side portion to the second side portion, the third and fourth directions being substantially perpendicular to the first and second directions, the first side portion having a surface in contact at the contact area with the phase-change region and being positioned in a fifth direction with respect to the contact area, and the first and second side portions being spaced apart from one another in the third and fourth directions, the fifth direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction; a selector element electrically connected to said fuse element and configured to enable the supply of said programming electrical quantity to said fuse element, wherein the selector element includes a first conduction terminal and a second conduction terminal; and a conductive contact element contacting the second side portion of the heating element and the first conduction terminal of the selector element, the conductive contact element being entirely spaced apart in a sixth direction with respect to the first side portion of the heating element, the sixth direction being substantially parallel to the third and fourth directions.