US Patent 10229920 One-time programmable vertical field-effect transistor

A one-time programmable (OTP) vertical field-effect transistor (VFET) can be fabricated on the top surface of an integrated circuit (IC) substrate having a fin. A doped layer can be deposited onto the top surface to create an OTP VFET drain. A dielectric layer can be formed onto side surfaces of the fin, and a gate dielectric layer formed onto side surfaces of the dielectric layer. A metal layer formed onto side surfaces of the gate dielectric layer can create an OTP VFET gate. An electrically insulative top spacer layer can then be attached to top edges of the dielectric, the gate dielectric layer, and the metal layer. A doped structure formed onto the top surface of the fin can create an OTP VFET source. A voltage applied to a portion of the gate dielectric layer can cause dielectric breakdown, which can be used to store a data value.