Feasiblity and limitations of anti-fuses based on bistable non-volatile switches for power electronic applications

Anti-fuse devices based on non-volatile memory cells and suitable for power electronic applications are demonstrated for the first time using silicon technology. These devices may be applied as stand alone devices or integrated using standard junction-isolation into application-specific and smart-power integrated circuits. The on-resistance of such devices can be permanently switched by nine orders of magnitude by triggering the anti-fuse with a positive voltage pulse. Extrapolation of measurement data and 2D TCAD process and device simulations indicate that 20A anti-fuses with 10mOhm can be reliably fabricated in 0.35µm technology with a footprint of 2.5mm2. Moreover, this concept offers distinguished added-values compared to existing mechanical relays, e.g. pre-test, temporary and perma nent reset functions, gradual turn-on mode, non-volatility, and extendibility to high voltage capability.