Abstract: An embodiment of an Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor (ISFET) structure includes a substrate, source and drain regions formed within the substrate and spatially separated by a channel region, a gate dielectric and a gate formed over the channel region, multiple conductive structures overlying the surface of the substrate, and one or more protection diode circuits coupled between one or more of the multiple conductive structures and the substrate. The multiple conductive structures include a floating gate structure and a sense plate structure. The floating gate structure is formed over the gate dielectric and includes the gate. The sense plate structure is electrically coupled to the floating gate structure and is configured to sense a concentration of a target ion or molecule in a fluid adjacent to a portion of the sense plate structure.

Abstract: An ISFET includes a control gate coupled to a floating gate in a CMOS device. The control gate, for example, a poly-to-well capacitor, is configured to receive a bias voltage and effect movement of a trapped charge between the control gate and the floating gate. The threshold voltage of the ISFET can therefore by trimmed to a predetermined value, thereby storing the trim information (the amount of trapped charge in the floating gate) within the ISFET itself.

Abstract: An ion sensor for sensing ions in a fluid includes a Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) varactor formed in and on a semiconductor substrate having a gate dielectric over the semiconductor substrate, a gate over the gate dielectric, a well region in the substrate under the gate dielectric, and source/drain regions in the well region, wherein the well region and the source/drain regions are of a same conductivity type; and a sense electrode coupled to the MOS varactor, wherein the capacitance of the gate dielectric of the varactor changes when the sense electrode interacts with ions in the fluid. Alternatively, resistance of the well region changes when the sense electrode interacts with ions in the fluid, affecting a change in a quality factor of an inductor.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a Schottky diode having an integrated junction field-effect transistor (JFET) device includes forming a conduction path region in a semiconductor substrate along a conduction path of the Schottky diode. The conduction path region has a first conductivity type. A lateral boundary of an active area of the Schottky diode is defined by forming a well of a device isolating structure in the semiconductor substrate having a second conductivity type. An implant of dopant of the second conductivity type is conducted to form a buried JFET gate region in the semiconductor substrate under the conduction path region. The implant is configured to further form the device isolating structure in which the Schottky diode is disposed.

Abstract: Protected sensor field effect transistors (SFETs). The SFETs include a semiconductor substrate, a field effect transistor, and a sense electrode. The SFETs further include an analyte-receiving region that is supported by the semiconductor substrate, is in contact with the sense electrode, and is configured to receive an analyte fluid. The analyte-receiving region is at least partially enclosed. In some embodiments, the analyte-receiving region can be an enclosed analyte channel that extends between an analyte inlet and an analyte outlet. In these embodiments, the enclosed analyte channel extends such that the analyte inlet and the analyte outlet are spaced apart from the sense electrode. In some embodiments, the SFETs include a cover structure that at least partially encloses the analyte-receiving region and is formed from a cover material that is soluble within the analyte fluid. The methods include methods of manufacturing the SFETs.

Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, a device isolating region in the semiconductor substrate, defining an active area, and having a second conductivity type, a body region in the active area and having the first conductivity type, and a drain region in the active area and spaced from the body region to define a conduction path of the device, the drain region having the second conductivity type. At least one of the body region and the device isolating region includes a plurality of peripheral, constituent regions disposed along a lateral periphery of the active area, each peripheral, constituent region defining a non-uniform spacing between the device isolating region and the body region. The non-uniform spacing at a respective peripheral region of the plurality of peripheral, constituent regions establishes a first breakdown voltage lower than a second breakdown voltage in the conduction path.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices and related electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection methods are provided. An exemplary semiconductor device includes an interface for a signal and a multi-triggered protection arrangement coupled between the interface and a reference node to initiate discharge of the signal between the interface and the reference node based on any one of a plurality of different characteristics of the signal. Discharge of the signal at the interface is initiated based on a first characteristic of the signal, and thereafter, the discharge of the signal at the interface is maintained based on another characteristic of the signal.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device using a substrate includes forming a first select gate over the substrate, a charge storage layer over the first select gate, over the second select gate, and over the substrate in a region between the first select gate and the second select gate, wherein the charge storage layer is conformal, and a control gate layer over the charge storage layer, wherein the control gate layer is conformal. The method further includes performing a first implant that penetrates through the control gate layer in a middle portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate to the substrate to form a doped region in the substrate in a first portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate that does not reach the first select gate and does not reach the second select gate.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate and first and second transistors disposed in the semiconductor substrate. The first transistor includes a channel region and a drain region adjacent the channel region. The second transistor includes a channel region, a false drain region adjacent the channel region, and a drain region electrically coupled to the channel region by a drift region such that the second transistor is configured for operation at a higher voltage level than the first transistor. The respective channel regions of the first and second transistors have a common configuration characteristic.

Abstract: Embodiments of semiconductor devices and driver circuits include a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, an isolation structure (including a sinker region and a buried layer), an active device within a portion of the substrate contained by the isolation structure, and a resistor circuit. The buried layer is positioned below the top substrate surface, and has a second conductivity type. The sinker region extends between the top substrate surface and the buried layer, and has the second conductivity type. The active device includes a body region, which is separated from the isolation structure by a portion of the semiconductor substrate having the first conductivity type. The resistor circuit is connected between the isolation structure and the body region. The resistor circuit may include one or more resistor networks and, optionally, a Schottky diode and/or one or more PN diode(s) in series and/or parallel with the resistor network(s).

Abstract: A method of fabricating a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (LDMOS) transistor device having a bipolar transistor for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection includes doping a substrate to form a body region of the LDMOS transistor device in the substrate, the body region having a first conductivity type, forming a doped isolating region of the LDMOS transistor device in the substrate, the doped isolating region having a second conductivity type and surrounding a device area of the LDMOS transistor device in which the body region is disposed, forming a base contact region of the bipolar transistor, the base contact region being disposed within the body region and having the first conductivity type, and doping the substrate to form an isolation contact region for the doped isolating region that defines a collector region of the bipolar transistor, to form source and drain regions of the LDMOS transistor device in the substrate, and to form an emitter region of the bipolar transistor within the body

Abstract: An ISFET includes a control gate coupled to a floating gate in a CMOS device. The control gate, for example, a poly-to-well capacitor, is configured to receive a bias voltage and effect movement of a trapped charge between the control gate and the floating gate. The threshold voltage of the ISFET can therefore by trimmed to a predetermined value, thereby storing the trim information (the amount of trapped charge in the floating gate) within the ISFET itself.

Abstract: Protection circuits, device structures and related fabrication methods are provided. An exemplary protection circuit includes a first protection arrangement and a second protection arrangement. The first protection arrangement includes a first transistor having a first collector, a first emitter, and a first base coupled to the first emitter at a first node, and a second transistor having a second collector, a second emitter, and a second base coupled to the second emitter at a second node, the second collector being coupled to the first collector at a third node. The second protection arrangement is coupled electrically in series between the second node and a fourth node. The protection circuit further includes a first diode coupled between the third node and the fourth node.

Abstract: A semiconductor device configured with one or more integrated breakdown protection diodes in non-isolated power transistor devices and electronic apparatus, and methods for fabricating the devices.

Abstract: Embodiments include methods of forming a semiconductor device having a first conductivity type, an isolation structure (including a sinker region and a buried layer), an active device within area of the substrate contained by the isolation structure, and a diode circuit. The buried layer is positioned below the top substrate surface, and has a second conductivity type. The sinker region extends between the top substrate surface and the buried layer, and has the second conductivity type. The active device includes a source region of the first conductivity type, and the diode circuit is connected between the isolation structure and the source region. The diode circuit may include one or more Schottky diodes and/or PN junction diodes. In further embodiments, the diode circuit may include one or more resistive networks in series and/or parallel with the Schottky and/or PN diode(s).

Abstract: An ISFET includes a control gate coupled to a floating gate in a CMOS device. The control gate, for example, a poly-to-well capacitor, is configured to receive a bias voltage and effect movement of a trapped charge between the control gate and the floating gate. The threshold voltage of the ISFET can therefore by trimmed to a predetermined value, thereby storing the trim information (the amount of trapped charge in the floating gate) within the ISFET itself.

Abstract: Embodiments of semiconductor devices and driver circuits include a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, an isolation structure (including a sinker region and a buried layer), an active device within area of the substrate contained by the isolation structure, and a diode circuit. The buried layer is positioned below the top substrate surface, and has a second conductivity type. The sinker region extends between the top substrate surface and the buried layer, and has the second conductivity type. The active device includes a body region of the second conductivity type, and the diode circuit is connected between the isolation structure and the body region. The diode circuit may include one or more Schottky diodes and/or PN junction diodes. In further embodiments, the diode circuit may include one or more resistive networks in series and/or parallel with the Schottky and/or PN diode(s).

Abstract: A semiconductor device configured with one or more integrated breakdown protection diodes in non-isolated power transistor devices and electronic apparatus, and methods for fabricating the devices.

Abstract: Semiconductor device structures and related fabrication methods are provided. An exemplary semiconductor device structure includes a body well region having a first conductivity type, a drift region and a source region each having a second conductivity type, where a channel portion of the body well region resides laterally between the source region and a first portion of the drift region that is adjacent to the channel portion. A gate structure overlies the channel portion and the adjacent portion of the drift region. A portion of the gate structure overlying the channel portion proximate the source region has the second conductivity type. Another portion of the gate structure that overlies the adjacent portion of the drift region has a different doping, and overlaps at least a portion of the channel portion, with the threshold voltage associated with the gate structure being influenced by the amount of overlap.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for enhancing the sensitivity of an ion-sensitive semiconductor device by creating a second gate coupled to a sense plate that can improve the amount of charge brought to the ion-sensitive semiconductor device conductivity modulated region (e.g., a channel region of an ISFET). This is accomplished by utilizing a buried dielectric layer associated with the ion-sensitive semiconductor device conductivity modulated region as the second gate dielectric. The buried dielectric layer is coupled to the sense plate using an isolated well region as a conductor that is coupled to metal layers extending to the sense plate. Some embodiments further use the buried dielectric layer as the sole gate dielectric for the semiconductor device, thereby allowing the traditional gate dielectric region to be coupled to a protection diode. This protection diode then protects the gate dielectric from plasma induced damage and electrostatic discharge.