Patents by Inventor A. Farid Issaq
A. Farid Issaq has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 7929345Abstract: A method of for programming a push-pull memory cell to simultaneously program a p-channel non-volatile transistor and an n-channel non-volatile transistor includes driving to 0v wordlines for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; driving to a positive voltage wordlines any row in which programming of memory cells is to be performed; driving to a positive voltage the bitlines for any column in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; driving to a negative voltage the bitlines for any column in which programming of memory cells is to be performed; driving to one of 0v and a negative voltage a center wordline for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; and driving to one of 0v and a positive voltage the center wordline for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be performed.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2008Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: Actel CorporationInventor: A. Farid Issaq
-
Publication number: 20100157688Abstract: A method of for programming a push-pull memory cell to simultaneously program a p-channel non-volatile transistor and an n-channel non-volatile transistor includes driving to 0 v wordlines for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; driving to a positive voltage wordlines any row in which programming of memory cells is to be performed; driving to a positive voltage the bitlines for any column in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; driving to a negative voltage the bitlines for any column in which programming of memory cells is to be performed; driving to one of 0 v and a negative voltage a center wordline for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be inhibited; and driving to one of 0 v and a positive voltage the center wordline for any row in which programming of memory cells is to be performed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2008Publication date: June 24, 2010Inventor: A. Farid Issaq
-
Publication number: 20090057821Abstract: A reprogrammable metal-to-metal antifuse is disposed between two metal interconnect layers in an integrated circuit. A lower barrier layer is formed from Ti. A lower adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the lower Ti barrier layer. An antifuse material layer selected from a group comprising at least one of amorphous carbon and amorphous carbon doped with at least one of hydrogen and fluorine is disposed over the lower adhesion-promoting layer. An upper adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the antifuse material layer. An upper Ti barrier layer is disposed over the upper adhesion-promoting layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2008Publication date: March 5, 2009Applicant: ACTEL CORPORATIONInventors: A. Farid Issaq, Frank Hawley, John McCollum
-
Patent number: 7459763Abstract: A reprogrammable metal-to-metal antifuse is disposed between two metal interconnect layers in an integrated circuit. A lower barrier layer is formed from Ti. A lower adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the lower Ti barrier layer. An antifuse material layer selected from a group comprising at least one of amorphous carbon and amorphous carbon doped with at least one of hydrogen and fluorine is disposed over the lower adhesion-promoting layer. An upper adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the antifuse material layer. An upper Ti barrier layer is disposed over the upper adhesion-promoting layer.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2004Date of Patent: December 2, 2008Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: A. Farid Issaq, Frank Hawley, John McCollum
-
Publication number: 20080197450Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse having a lower metal electrode, a lower thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over the lower metal electrode, an amorphous carbon antifuse material layer disposed over the thin adhesion promoting layer, an upper thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over said antifuse material layer, and an upper metal electrode. The thin adhesion promoting layers are about 2 angstroms to 20 angstroms in thickness, and are from a material selected from the group comprising SixCy and SixNy. The ratio of x to y in SixCy is in a range of about 1±0.4, and the ratio of x to y in SixNy is in a range of about 0.75±0.225.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2008Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicants: ACTEL CORPORATION, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SYSTEMInventors: Frank W. Hawley, A. Farid Issaq, John L. McCollum, Shubhra M. Gangopadhyay, Jorge A. Lubguban, Jin Miao Shen
-
Patent number: 7393722Abstract: A reprogrammable metal-to-metal antifuse is disposed between two metal interconnect layers in an integrated circuit. A lower barrier layer is formed from Ti. A lower adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the lower Ti barrier layer. An antifuse material layer selected from a group comprising at least one of amorphous carbon and amorphous carbon doped with at least one of hydrogen and fluorine is disposed over the lower adhesion-promoting layer. An upper adhesion-promoting layer is disposed over the antifuse material layer. An upper Ti barrier layer is disposed over the upper adhesion-promoting layer.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2005Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: A. Farid Issaq, Frank Hawley, John McCollum
-
Patent number: 7390726Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse is disposed between two metal interconnect layers in an integrated circuit. An insulating layer is disposed above a lower metal interconnect layer. The insulating layer includes a via formed therethrough containing a tungsten plug in electrical contact with the lower metal interconnect layer. An antifuse material layer comprising amorphous carbon is disposed above the upper surface of the tungsten plug. The antifuse material layer is disposed between adhesion-promoting layers. A layer of a barrier metal, consisting of either tantalum or tantalum nitride, is disposed over the antifuse layer to form an upper electrode of the antifuse. An oxide or tungsten hard mask provides high etch selectivity and the possibility to etch barrier metals without affecting the dielectric constant value and mechanical properties of the antifuse.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2005Date of Patent: June 24, 2008Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: A. Farid Issaq, Frank Hawley
-
Patent number: 7358589Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse having a lower metal electrode, a lower thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over the lower metal electrode, an amorphous carbon antifuse material layer disposed over the thin adhesion promoting layer, an upper thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over said antifuse material layer, and an upper metal electrode. The thin adhesion promoting layers are about 2 angstroms to 20 angstroms in thickness, and are from a material selected from the group comprising SixCy and SixNy. The ratio of x to y in SixCy is in a range of about 1+/?0.4, and the ratio of x to y in SixNy is in a range of about 0.75+/?0.225.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2005Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: Frank W. Hawley, A. Farid Issaq, John L. McCollum, Shubhra M. Gangopadhyay, Jorge A. Lubguban, Jin Miao Shen
-
Patent number: 6965156Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse having a lower metal electrode, a lower thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over the lower metal electrode, an amorphous carbon antifuse material layer disposed over the thin adhesion promoting layer, an upper thin adhesion promoting layer disposed over said antifuse material layer, and an upper metal electrode. The thin adhesion promoting layers are about 2 angstroms to 20 angstroms in thickness, and are from a material selected from the group comprising SixCy and SixNy. The ratio of x to y in SixCy is in a range of about 1+/?0.4, and the ratio of x to y in SixNy is in a range of about 0.75+/?0.225.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2002Date of Patent: November 15, 2005Assignees: Actel Corporation, Texas Tech University SystemInventors: Frank W. Hawley, A. Farid Issaq, John L. McCollum, Shubhra M. Gangopadhyay, Jorge A. Lubguban, Jin Miao Shen
-
Patent number: 6728126Abstract: In a first embodiment, programming pulses of about 0.25 mA to about 0.5 mA are applied to an amorphous carbon based antifuse in first and second directions for 10 us to form an antifuse link having a finite resistance of less than 2000 ohms. Soaking pulses of about 2 mA to about 5 mA are then applied to the amorphous carbon antifuse in first and second directions for 1 ms and then repeated up to four more times to form an antifuse link with a finite resistance of about 100 ohms to about 400 ohms. In a second embodiment, programming pulses of about 0.25 mA to about 0.5 mA are applied to an amorphous carbon based antifuse in first and second directions for 1 ms and then repeated four more times to form an antifuse link having a finite resistance of less than 2000 ohms.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2002Date of Patent: April 27, 2004Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: A. Farid Issaq, Frank Hawley
-
Patent number: 6492206Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse according to the present invention is disposed between a lower conductive electrode and an upper conductive electrode. The conductive electrodes may comprise either a barrier metal or a tungsten plug, and are each in electrical contact with a metal layer, usually a metal interconnect layer in an integrated circuit. An antifuse material is disposed between the lower and upper conductive electrodes and comprises a layer of amorphous silicon. The antifuse layer is sandwiched between two layers of silicon nitride.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2000Date of Patent: December 10, 2002Assignee: Actel CorporationInventors: Frank Hawley, Farid Issaq
-
Publication number: 20020072154Abstract: A metal-to-metal antifuse according to the present invention is disposed between a lower conductive electrode and an upper conductive electrode. The conductive electrodes may comprise either a barrier metal or a tungsten plug, and are each in electrical contact with a metal layer, usually a metal interconnect layer in an integrated circuit. An antifuse material is disposed between the lower and upper conductive electrodes and comprises a layer of amorphous silicon. The antifuse layer is sandwiched between two layers of silicon nitride.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2000Publication date: June 13, 2002Applicant: Actel CorporationInventors: Frank Hawley, Farid Issaq