Blowing of polycrystalline silicon fuses

Polycrystalline silicon fuses are one time programmable memory elements which allow the calibration of integrated circuits at wafer and package level. We present a zero-dimensional lumped parameter model of the programming of fuses made from a combination of tungsten silicide and polycrystalline silicon. The components of the model are an electrical model, a thermal model, and a flow model. The model generates quantitatively accurate results and reproduces trends with applied voltage and fuse size. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3457469]