Patents by Inventor Charles Dark

Charles Dark 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).

  • Method of adding Zener zap aluminum bridged anti-fuses to a tungsten plug process
    Patent number: 6563189
    Abstract: The present invention provides a two-terminal Zener zap diode device structure that relies upon the formation of an anti-fuse through a silicon substrate with the melting and flow of an aluminum alloy to create the current path. The use of oversized contacts in the diode structure permits the Tungsten plug to be eliminated from the diode structure and, thus, permits an aluminum alloy melt and flow mechanism to be used with a Tungsten plug process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Dark, William M. Coppock
  • Method of adding bias-independent aluminum bridged anti-fuses to a tungsten plug process
    Patent number: 6440781
    Abstract: A three-terminal integrated circuit device structure is provided that relies upon the formation of an anti-fuse through a silicon substrate with the melting and flowing of an aluminum/aluminum alloy to create the current path. The use of an oversized contact permits the Tungsten plug to be eliminated from the anti-fuse structure, but allows the aluminum melt and flow mechanism to be used with a Tungsten plug process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: William M. Coppock, Charles Dark