Technology Overview
Antifuse Technology
In simple terms, antifuse is a normally open connection or interconnect that is programmed closed.
Standard CMOS Antifuse NVM Technology
There are a few different embedded non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies in the market today. The main ones include mask ROM, floating gate, electrical fuse, and antifuse. Antifuse has been in the market for several decades. It is a one-time programmable (OTP) memory technology. Until 2001, additional process steps were required to create the memory element or bitcell. Kilopass was the first to implement an antifuse in standard CMOS without any additional mask or process steps. Kilopass has patents issued for 1T, 2T, and 3.5T bit cells.
Conceived at the Right Time
Kilopass was conceived at the right time when 0.18um came to market. This is the first process node where the gate oxide breakdown (BVox) is less than that of the junction breakdown (BVj). Therefore, there is no need for special dielectric or junction implants that were used in previous generations of antifuse. As process technology scales down, the antifuse programming voltage required to breakdown the gate oxide decreases with transistor dimensions and the oxide thickness. Achieving smaller areas, active and standby power, and higher performance is possible. This results in lower cost embedded NVM solutions.
