| 摘要 |
A gap conducting structure for an integrated electronic circuit that functions as an electronic fuse device and that is integrated as part of the semi-conductor chip wiring for providing over-current and thermal runaway protection. The gap conducting structure includes one or more air gap regions of predefined volume that fully or partially exposes a length of interlevel conductor layer in an IC. Alternately, the air gap region may wholly located within the dielectric region below a corresponding conductor and separated by insulator. When functioning as a fuse, the gap region acts to reduce thermal conductivity away from the exposed portion of the conductor enabling generation of higher heat currents in the conducting line with lower applied voltages sufficient to destruct a part of the partially exposed/fully exposed conducting line, thus preventing thermal runaway and over-current condition. The presence of gaps, and hence, the fuses, are scalable and may be tailored to the capacity of currents they must carry with the characteristics of the fuses defined by a circuit designer.
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