Abstract: A lower metal plate having a strip-like opening is used in a bond pad structure having metal plugs coupling the lower metal plate to an upper metal plate. A volume of relatively rigid material filling a volume above the strip-like opening transfers stress from the upper metal plate, through the strip-like opening, and to a foundation layer upon which the lower metal plate is disposed. The bond pad structure can be fabricated using the same semiconductor processing steps used to fabricate amorphous silicon antifuse structures having metal plugs.