Semiconductor device and fuse blowout method

Abstract

A fuse includes a fuse portion laid in such a manner that the direction of each turn of the fuse portion is parallel to the direction in which pads are arranged. The distance between the pads and the fuse portion is defined as the distance between the side of a pad facing the fuse portion and the pad nearest to the turn facing the particular side. The distance between the turn of the fuse portion and the nearest pad is the distance between the pads and the fuse portion. The pads and the fuse portion are distant from each other by a length at least ten times the width of the fuse.

1 . A fuse blowout method for blowing out a fuse arranged in a semiconductor device by a current, comprising:
 a step (a) of supplying a pulse current to said fuse a plurality of times.   
     
     
         2 . The fuse blowout method according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said step (a) includes:   a step (a-1) of suspending a current application for a predetermined period at a time point when the current flowing in said fuse is reduced to a predetermined value with the increase in the resistance value of said fuse heated; and   a step (a-2) of applying a current to said fuse after the lapse of the predetermined time length, and   said steps (a-1) and (a-2) are repeated until said fuse is blown out.   
     
     
         3 . The fuse blowout method according to  claim 2 , wherein
 said step (a-1) includes a step of selecting, as said predetermined value, a value not smaller than a balanced current value at which the resistance value ceases to increase due to the achievement of the thermal equilibrium of said fuse and smaller than the current flowing immediately after starting the current application, which predetermined value is adapted to continue to supply the current until said fuse is heated to at least the melting point thereof.   
     
     
         4 . The fuse blowout method according to  claim 2 , wherein
 said step (a-2) includes a step of selecting, as said predetermined period, a time required for the fuse temperature to be substantially restored to the temperature before the current application.