Electrically Shorted Semiconductor Junctions Utilized as Programmable Read Only Memory Elements

Occasionally a problem becomes a solution. In search of a reliable element to use as the electrically alterable storage element in a programmable read only memory (PROM), the well-known failure mode of the shorted semiconductor junction was studied. Since a shorted junction is easily produced and remains shorted indefinitely, it can be applied as a reliable PROM storage element. This paper describes the programming technique and summarizes over four years of reliability characterizations performed on actual PROM devices produced using this technique.