Patent ID: 8039321

Claim:
A method of programming and reading an electrical fuse, comprising: preparing a semiconductor substrate comprising first and second fuse terminals disposed apart from each other, a third fuse terminal interposed between the first and second fuse terminals, a first fuse link for coupling the first fuse terminal to the third fuse terminal, and a second fuse link for coupling the second fuse terminal to the third fuse terminal; applying first and second voltages to the first and second fuse terminals, to respectively, and applying a third voltage lower than the first and second voltages to the third fuse terminal to blow at least one of the first fuse link and the second fuse link; interrupting the application of the first through third voltages; and applying a fourth voltage to the first fuse terminal and applying a fifth voltage lower than the fourth voltage to the second fuse terminal to sense the resistance of the electrical fuse.