| 摘要 |
An etch of a fuse opening in overlying layers above a laser-blowable semiconductor fuse having a silicon nitride cap and silicon nitride spacers begins with a silicon nitride that is enclosed in a polysilicon conductive layer on a semiconductor wafer. The etch is performed by etching first with an etch process that etches silicon nitride and later with an etch process that is selective to silicon nitride. The later etch process etches the silicon nitride of the cap and spacers little or not at all, allowing a wider variation in etch depths without destroying the fuse. Also, a patch may be provided in the overlying layers above the fuse, and an etch process employed at the level of the patch that is selective to a material of the patch, resulting in an etch stop effect at that level. The etch process is then changed to an etch process that is not selective to a material of the patch, resulting in decreased variation in etch depth over the surface of the wafer. The etch of the fuse opening is then completed with an etch process that is selective to silicon nitride, again allowing a wider variation in etch depths without destroying the fuse. The etch process that is not selective to a material of the patch and the etch process that is selective to silicon nitride may optionally be one process.
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