Importance

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Abstract

A sacrificial conductive path formed in an integrated circuit to temporarily couple together semiconductor structures of the integrated circuit. The sacrificial conductive path includes a sacrificial area that severs the electrical continuity when it is removed. The sacrificial conductive path may be used to protect the gate oxide of a capacitive structure from charge related damage during a plasma etch step. The sacrificial structure temporarily couples the conductive layer of the capacitor structure to the substrate to discharge any charge accumulation. The sacrificial area will be removed prior to operation of the integrated device to sever the connection between the gate and the substrate. The sacrificial conductive path may be formed by an interconnect, and the sacrificial area removed by a plasma etch step. The sacrificial conductive path may also be formed by a semiconductor fuse having a sacrificial area that is removed by laser trimming.

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First Claim