A new switching device has been conceived and reduced to practice. This device is a once-programmable three-terminal fuse (TTF) with an on-resistance of a good metallic conductor typically employed in integrated circuits, and an off-resistance which is essentially infinite, as between two such disconnected conductors. In the new structure the fusible circuit path is fully isolated from the control electrode both before and after programming. The ideal switching characteristics of this device make it useful in a variety of analog and digital applications, particularly where field programmability, precision trimming, or redundancy/repair are required. We discuss the basic concept of the TTF and briefly highlight some of its possible applications.
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