US Patent 7109584 Dendrite growth control circuit

A circuit is provided which prevents dendrite formation on interconnects during semiconductor device processing due to a dendrite-forming current. The circuit includes a switch located in at least one of the dendrite-forming current paths. The switch is configured to be open or in the “off” state during processing, and is configured to be closed or in the “on” state after processing to allow proper functioning of the semiconductor device. The switch may include an nFET or pFET, depending on the environment in which it is used to control or prevent dendrite formation. The switch may be configured to change to the “closed” state when an input signal is provided during operation of the fabricated semiconductor device.