IBM Receives Patent for Low Voltage Metal Gate Antifuse

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded patent no. 9,058,999 to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) for its innovative technology, "Low voltage metal gate antifuse with depletion mode MOSFET." This breakthrough was patented by Yan-Zun Li, an inventor from Lagrangeville, New York, and is assigned to IBM's Armonk, New York headquarters. The invention promises significant advancements in the field of semiconductors.

Key Takeaways:

• The patented technology involves an antifuse consisting of a depletion mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) with a metal gate overlying the conduction channel.
• The antifuse can be programmed by driving a programming current between the cathode and anode, causing the metal gate material to migrate away.
• Under specific biasing conditions, the conduction channel is turned off when a voltage above a first threshold voltage is applied to the gate, while it remains on when the antifuse has been programmed.

Key aspects of the patent:

• The patent was filed on August 1, 2014, as application no. 14/449,180.
• The exact patent name is "Low voltage metal gate antifuse with depletion mode MOSFET."
• IBM's Armonk, New York headquarters serves as the assignee for this patent.

Statistics:

• Patent no.: 9,058,999
• Date of patent grant: June 16, 2015
• Number of claims in the patent: Not specified in the source material
• Inventors: Yan-Zun Li (Lagrangeville, NY)
• Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)

Sources:

• United States Patent and Trademark Office (Date: June 16, 2015)
• IBM (no specific date given in the source)
• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (Date: June 16, 2015)