Design and Measurement of a 1-kBit eFuse One-Time Programmable Memory IP Based on a BCD Process

Abstract

We propose a low-power eFuse one-time programmable (OTP) memory IP based on a bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCD) process. It is an eFuse OTP memory cell which uses separate transistors that are optimized in program and in read mode. The eFuse cell also uses poly-silicon gates having co-silicide. An asynchronous interface and a separate I/O method are used for the low-power and small-area eFuse OTP memory IP. Additionally, we propose a new circuit protecting a short-circuit current in the VDD-to-VIO voltage level translator circuit while the VDD voltage is being generated by the voltage regulator at power-up. A digital sensing circuit using clocked inverters is used to sense a bit-line (BL) datum. Furthermore, the poly-silicon of the IP is split into n+ poly-silicon and p+ poly-silicon to optimize the eFuse link. The layout size of the designed eFuse OTP memory IP with Dongbu HiTek's 0.18µm BCD process is 283.565 × 524.180µm2. It is measured by manufactured test IPs with Dongbu HiTek's 0.18µm BCD process that the programming voltage of the n+ gate poly-silicon is about 0.1V less than that of the p+ gate poly-silicon.