OTP cell with improved programmability

1. An integrated circuit OTP (One-Time Programmable) memory cell comprising:

a transistor having a gate electrode, and first and second source/drain regions in a substrate for the integrated circuit located at opposite sides of the gate electrode, the first source/drain region connected to a first conducting line, and the gate electrode controlling electrical connection between the first and second source/drain regions, the gate electrode part of a second conducting line; and

a programming element comprising:

a conducting layer displaced away from the gate electrode of the transistor and connected to a third conducting line parallel to the second conducting line, and

a rectangular tab extending from the conducting layer next to a portion of the second source/drain region and separated from a surface of the second source/drain region by a gate oxide layer, wherein at least one edge of the rectangular tab is at a distance from the first source/drain region of the transistor preventing breakdowns along an interface between an isolation layer of the transistor and the first source/drain region of the transistor.

2. The OTP memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first conducting line comprises a bit line, the second conducting line comprises a word line for accessing the memory cell, and the third conducting line comprises another word line for programming the memory cell.

3. The OTP memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first and second source/drain regions comprise N+ semiconductor regions.

4. The OTP memory cell of claim 1 , wherein each of the second and third conducting lines comprises a poly-gate material.

5. The OTP memory cell of claim 4 , wherein the rectangular tab comprises the poly-gate material.

6. The OTP memory cell of claim 1 , further comprising another rectangular tab extending from the conducting layer next to another portion of the second source/drain region and separated from the surface of the second source/drain region by the gate oxide layer.

7. The OTP memory cell of claim 6 , wherein the other rectangular tab extends parallel to the rectangular tab.

8. An integrated circuit OTP (One-Time Programmable) memory cell comprising:

a transistor having a gate electrode, and first and second source/drain regions in a substrate for the integrated circuit located at opposite sides of the gate electrode, the first source/drain region connected to a first conducting line, and the gate electrode controlling electrical connection between the first and second source/drain regions, the gate electrode part of a second conducting line; and

a programming element having a third conducting line parallel to the second conducting line with at least one extension having three sides along a boundary of the second source/drain region, the at least one extension separated from a surface of the second source/drain region by a gate oxide layer, and at least one edge of the at least one extension is at a distance from the first source/drain region of the transistor preventing breakdowns along an interface between an isolation layer of the transistor and the first source/drain region of the transistor.

9. The OTP memory cell of claim 8 , wherein the first conducting line comprises a bit line, the second conducting line comprises a word line for accessing the memory cell, and the third conducting line comprises another word line for programming the memory cell.

10. The OTP memory cell of claim 8 , wherein the first and second source/drain regions comprise N+ semiconductor regions.

11. The OTP memory cell of claim 8 , wherein each of the second and third conducting lines comprises a poly-gate material.

12. The OTP memory cell of claim 11 , wherein the at least one extension comprises the poly-gate material.

13. The OTP memory cell of claim 8 , wherein the programming element further comprises a second extension from the third conducting line, the second extension having three sides along the boundary of the second source/drain region, the second extension separated from the surface of the second source/drain region by the gate oxide layer.

14. The OTP memory cell of claim 13 , wherein the second extension extends parallel to a first extension of the at least one extension.

15. A programming element for an integrated circuit OTP (One-Time Programmable) memory cell, the programming element comprising:

a doped region in a semiconductor substrate;

a conducting layer partially extending over the semiconductor substrate and separated from a surface of the semiconductor substrate by a first oxide layer; and

at least one rectangular tab extending from the conducting layer next to a portion of the doped region and separated from a surface of the doped region by a second oxide layer, wherein at least one edge of the at least one rectangular tab is at a distance from another doped region in the semiconductor substrate preventing breakdowns along an interface between an isolation layer in the semiconductor substrate and the other doped region, the doped region and the other doped region located at opposite sides of a gate electrode of a pass transistor for the memory cell.

16. The programming element of claim 15 , wherein the doped region comprises a source/drain region of the pass transistor for the memory cell.

17. The programming element of claim 16 , wherein the doped region comprises an N+ region in the semiconductor substrate.

18. The programming element of claim 15 , wherein the at least one rectangular tab comprises at least three sides along a boundary of the doped region.

19. The programming element of claim 15 , wherein the at least one rectangular tab comprises six sides along a boundary of the doped region.