Device Protection (e.g., From Overvoltage) Patents (Class 257/173)
  • Publication number: 20100301389
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge protection structure includes a first vertical bipolar junction transistor; a second vertical bipolar junction transistor, wherein the second vertical bipolar junction transistor has a common collector with the first vertical bipolar junction transistor, and the common collector has a first conductivity; a horizontal bipolar junction transistor wherein the collector of the horizontal bipolar junction transistor has a second conductivity that is a different conductivity than the first conductivity, and the base of the horizontal bipolar junction transistor is electrically coupled to the common collector of the first vertical bipolar junction transistor and the second vertical bipolar junction transistor; a first avalanche diode electrically coupled to the base and the collector of the first vertical bipolar junction transistor; and a second avalanche diode electrically coupled to the base and the collector of the second vertical bipolar junction transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventors: Vadim A. Kushner, Amaury Gendron, Chai Ean E. Gill
  • Patent number: 7842969
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an ESD device is configured to include a zener diode and a P-N diode and to have a conductor that provides a current path between the zener diode and the P-N diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: David D. Marreiro, Sudhama C. Shastri, Ali Salih, Mingjiao Liu, John Michael Parsey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7842970
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protective device structure is disclosed. The ESD protection device includes: at least a first conductive type metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS), in which the drain and source of the first conductive type MOS are electrically connected to a first power terminal and a second power terminal separately; at least a second conductive type diffusion region; and at least a dummy gate disposed between the first conductive type MOS and the second conductive type diffusion region, wherein the gate length of the dummy gate is less than the gate length of the first conductive type MOS gate, such that the junction between the second conductive type diffusion region and the drain of the first conductive type MOS have a low breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Ching-Hung Kao
  • Patent number: 7842971
    Abstract: A silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) device having a high holding voltage includes a PNP transistor and an NPN transistor, each transistor having both p-type and n-type dopant regions in their respective emitter areas. The device is particularly suited to high voltage applications, as the high holding voltage provides a device which is more resistant to latchup subsequent to an electrostatic discharge event compared to devices having a low holding voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignees: Intersil Americas Inc., University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhiwei Liu, Juin J. Liou, James E. Vinson
  • Publication number: 20100295094
    Abstract: An ESD protection apparatus includes a substrate, a transistor structure arranged in the substrate, and a diode structure arranged in the substrate, a high-resistance electrical connection being provided between the transistor structure and the diode structure in the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Inventors: Sven Albers, Klaus Diefenbeck, Bernd Eisener, Gernot Langguth, Christian Lehrer, Karl-Heinz Malek, Eberhard Rohrer
  • Patent number: 7838941
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge protection device that has a low trigger voltage and protects an internal circuit from electrostatic discharge. The ESD protection device includes an NMOS transistor in which a first pad and a drain are connected to each other and a second pad and a source are connected to each other. A capacitor in which an end is connected to the first pad and the other end is connected to a gate of the NMOS transistor and a substrate contact of the NMOS transistor. The ESD protection devices also includes a resistor in which an end is connected to the second pad and the other end is connected to the capacitor. The first pad may be a power pad and the second pad may be a ground pad. Alternately, the first pad may be an input/output pad and the second pad may be a ground pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventor: Kook Whee Kwak
  • Patent number: 7833857
    Abstract: An ESD protecting circuit and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The ESD protecting circuit includes a device isolation layer, first and second high-concentration impurity regions, a third high-concentration impurity region of a complementary type, first and second conductive wells, and a fourth conductive impurity region. The ESD protecting circuit is configured as a field transistor without a gate electrode, and the high breakdown voltage characteristics of the field transistor are lowered by implanting impurity ions, providing an ESD protecting circuit with a low breakdown voltage and low leakage current. Because the leakage current is reduced, the ESD protecting circuit can be used for an analog I/O device that is sensitive to current fluxes. Also, an N-type well may protect a junction of the field transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: San Hong Kim
  • Patent number: 7834378
    Abstract: A composite dual SCR circuit that acts to protect the Vcc node as well as an I/O node or pin. The dual SCR uses the Vcc to control or program the triggering point of the SCR connected to an I/O node. When Vcc is low, the SCR protecting an I/O node triggers a few volts above ground, but when Vcc is high the trigger point of the SCR protecting the I/O node is much higher. The dual SCR incorporates added diffusions to an existing first SCR structure between the power node and the ground node thereby forming a second SCR. The first and second SCRs share a common cathode transistor. In one illustrative embodiment, only one SCR is constructed incorporating the Vcc to control the triggering of the SCR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Fairchild Korea Semiconductor Ltd
    Inventors: Junhyeong Ryu, Taeghyun Kang, Moonho Kim
  • Patent number: 7825431
    Abstract: A semiconductor power device supported on a semiconductor substrate includes an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit disposed on a first portion of patterned ESD polysilicon layer on top of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor power device further includes a second portion of the patterned ESD polysilicon layer constituting a body implant ion block layer for blocking implanting body ions to enter into the semiconductor substrate below the body implant ion block layer. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrostatic discharge (ESD) polysilicon layer on top of the semiconductor substrate further covering a scribe line on an edge of the semiconductor device whereby a passivation layer is no longer required manufacturing the semiconductor device for reducing a mask required for patterning the passivation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semicondictor, Ltd.
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Xiaobin Wang, Wei Wang, Yi Su, Daniel Ng
  • Patent number: 7825480
    Abstract: The characteristics of a semiconductor device including a trench-gate power MISFET are improved. The semiconductor device includes a substrate having an active region where the power MISFET is provided and an outer circumferential region which is located circumferentially outside the active region and where a breakdown resistant structure is provided, a pattern formed of a conductive film provided over the substrate in the outer circumferential region with an insulating film interposed therebetween, another pattern isolated from the pattern, and a gate electrode terminal electrically coupled to the gate electrodes of the power MISFET and provided in a layer over the conductive film. The conductive film of the pattern is electrically coupled to the gate electrode terminal, while the conductive film of another pattern is electrically decoupled from the gate electrode terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Arai, Nobuyuki Shirai, Tsuyoshi Kachi
  • Patent number: 7825429
    Abstract: A tunable voltage isolation ground to ground ESD clamp is provided. The clamp includes a dual-direction silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and trigger elements. The SCR is coupled between first and second grounds. The trigger elements are also coupled between the first and second grounds. Moreover, the trigger elements are configured to provide a trigger current to the dual-direction silicon controlled rectifier when a desired voltage between the first and second grounds is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Intersil Americas Inc.
    Inventor: James E. Vinson
  • Publication number: 20100270549
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has an integrated passive device (IPD) formed over a substrate. The IPD can be a metal-insulator-metal capacitor or an inductor formed as a coiled conductive layer. A signal interconnect structure is formed over the first side or backside of the substrate. The signal interconnect structure is electrically connected to the IPD. A thin film ZnO layer is formed over the substrate as a part of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure. The thin film ZnO layer has a non-linear resistance as a function of a voltage applied to the layer. A conductive layer is formed over the substrate. The thin film ZnO layer is electrically connected between the signal interconnect structure and conductive layer to provide an ESD path to protect the IPD from an ESD transient. A ground interconnect structure is formed over the substrate and electrically connects the conductive layer to a ground point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: STATS CHIPPAC, LTD.
    Inventors: Robert C. Frye, Yaojian Lin, Rui Huang
  • Patent number: 7821029
    Abstract: An electrostatic protection element relating to the present invention comprises a P-type semiconductor and an N-type first impurity layer provided in the semiconductor substrate. The first impurity layer comprises a P-type second impurity layer functioning as a gate. The second impurity layer comprises an N-type third impurity layer functioning as a cathode. Further, the first impurity layer comprises an N-type fourth impurity layer spaced apart from the second impurity layer at a distance. The fourth impurity layer comprises a P-type fifth impurity layer functioning as an anode and an N-type sixth impurity layer. Then, in the electrostatic protection element, an impurity concentration of the fourth impurity layer is higher than that of the first impurity layer, and a bottom of the fourth impurity layer is deeper than that of the second impurity layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Manabu Imahashi
  • Publication number: 20100264457
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for protecting an integrated circuit (IC) having a first voltage potential, a first power supply potential and a second power supply potential. The ESD circuit includes a first NPN bipolar transistor having a first N-doped junction, a second N-doped junction and a third P-doped base junction. The first N-doped junction is coupled to the first voltage potential and the second N-doped junction is coupled to the first power supply potential. The ESD circuit also includes a first PNP bipolar transistor having a first P-doped junction, a second P-doped junction and a third N-doped base junction. The first P-doped junction is coupled to the first voltage potential and the second P-doped junction is coupled to the second power supply potential. The third P-doped base junction of the first NPN bipolar transistor is coupled to the third N-doped base junction of the first PNP bipolar transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Inventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp
  • Patent number: 7812367
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a two terminal multi-channel ESD device is configured to include a zener diode and a plurality of P-N diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Ali Salih, Mingjiao Liu, Thomas Keena
  • Publication number: 20100244095
    Abstract: A dual triggered silicon controlled rectifier (DTSCR) comprises: a semiconductor substrate; an N-well, a P-well, a first N+ diffusion region and a first P+ diffusion region, a second N+ diffusion region and a second P+ diffusion region, a third P+ diffusion region, positioned in one side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a third N+ diffusion region, positioned in another side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a first gate, positioned above the N-well between the second P+ diffusion region and the third P+ diffusion region, for use as a P-type trigger node to receive a first trigger current or a first trigger voltage; and a second gate, positioned above the P-well between the first N+ diffusion region and the third N+ diffusion region, for use as an N-type trigger node to receive a second trigger current or a second trigger voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventor: Kei-Kang Hung
  • Publication number: 20100244094
    Abstract: A dual triggered silicon controlled rectifier (DTSCR) comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a well region, a first N+ diffusion region, a first P+ diffusion region, a second N+ diffusion region, a second P+ diffusion region, a third P+ diffusion region, positioned in one side of the DTSCR and across the well region and semiconductor substrate; a third N+ diffusion region, positioned in another side of the DTSCR and across the well region and the semiconductor substrate; a first gate, positioned above the semiconductor substrate between the first P+ diffusion region and the third P+ diffusion region, utilized as a P-type trigger node to receive a first trigger current or a first trigger voltage; and a second gate, positioned above the well region between the second N+ diffusion region and the third N+ diffusion region, utilized as an N-type trigger node to receive a second trigger current or a second trigger voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventor: Kei-Kang Hung
  • Patent number: 7804671
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge protection circuit has a substrate; a first P-well installed on the substrate and having a first P+-doped region and a first N+-doped region, both of which are connected to ground; a second P-well installed on the substrate and having a second P+-doped region and a second N+-doped region, both of which are connected to a power supply voltage; and a third P-well installed on the substrate and having a third N+-doped region, a third P+-doped region, and a fourth N+-doped region, all of which are for input/output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: VIA Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Bob Cheng, Tony Ho, Bouryi Sze
  • Publication number: 20100237356
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a silicon carbide layer having a first conductivity type and having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and first and second silicon carbide Zener diodes on the silicon carbide layer. Each of the first and second silicon carbide Zener diodes may include a first heavily doped silicon carbide region having a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type on the silicon carbide layer, and an ohmic contact on the first heavily doped silicon carbide region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Inventors: Sarah Kay Haney, Sei-Hyung Ryu
  • Publication number: 20100237386
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) structure for a 3-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) through-silicon via (TSV) device is provided. The ESD structure includes a substrate, a TSV device which is formed through the substrate and is equivalent to a resistance-inductance-capacitance (RLC) device, and at least one ESD device which is disposed in the substrate and electrically connected to one end of the TSV device. The ESD structure can protect the 3D IC TSV device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Chih-Sheng Lin, Chih-Wen Hsiao, Keng-Li Su
  • Patent number: 7800127
    Abstract: In an ESD device for fast switching applications based on a BSCR or NLDMOS-SCR, an anode junction control electrode is provided by not connecting the anode electrode to the collector of the BSCR or to the drain of the NLDMOS-SCR, and a cathode junction control electrode is provided by forming an additional n+ region in the BSCR or an additional p+ region in the p-well of the NLDMOS-SCR. The triggering voltage of the ESD device is adjusted after a time delay by controlling one or both of the control electrodes using an RC-timer-driver circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Vladislav Vashchenko, Alexander Burinskiy, Peter J. Hopper, Vladimir Kuznetsov
  • Patent number: 7800128
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an SCR ESD device region disposed within a semiconductor body, and a plurality of first device regions of the first conductivity type disposed on a second device region of the second conductivity type, where the second conductivity type is opposite the first conductivity type. Also included is a plurality of third device regions having a sub-region of the first conductivity type and a sub-region of the second conductivity type disposed on the second device region. The first regions and second regions are distributed such that the third regions are not directly adjacent to each other. A fourth device region of the first conductivity type adjacent to the second device region and a fifth device region of the second conductivity type disposed within the fourth device region are also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Krzysztof Domanski, Cornelius Christian Russ, Kai Esmark
  • Patent number: 7800180
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes an internal circuit having a high breakdown voltage transistor, and a first electrostatic protection circuit in which electrostatic protection elements are connected in series. The sum of the breakdown voltage values of the electrostatic protection elements in the first electrostatic protection circuit is almost equal to the breakdown voltage value of the high breakdown voltage transistor. The first electrostatic protection circuit is connected between an input/output terminal and a ground terminal of the semiconductor device to which terminals the internal circuit is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Watanabe, Yasuhisa Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20100230719
    Abstract: In an aspect of the present invention, an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) protection element includes a bipolar transistor comprising a collector diffusion layer connected with a first terminal and an emitter diffusion layer; and current control resistances provided for a plurality of current paths from a second terminal to the collector diffusion layer through the emitter diffusion layer, respectively. The bipolar transistor further includes a base diffusion region connected with the second terminal through a first resistance which is different from the current control resistances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Kouichi SAWAHATA
  • Patent number: 7795637
    Abstract: The present invention relates a technique using a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) in a rail based non-breakdown (RBNB) ESD protection device that protects a micro chip from ESD stress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: MagnaChip Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeong Sik Hwang
  • Patent number: 7791102
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for protecting semiconductor devices against electrostatic discharge events. An electrostatic discharge protection device comprises a silicon substrate, a P+-type anode region disposed within the silicon substrate, and an N-well device region disposed within the silicon substrate in series with the P+-type anode region. A first P-well device region is disposed within the silicon substrate in series with the first N-well device region and an N+-type cathode region is disposed within the silicon substrate. A gate electrode is disposed at least substantially overlying the first N-well and P-well device regions of the silicon substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Akram Salman, Stephen Beebe
  • Patent number: 7786507
    Abstract: A 2-terminal (i.e., anode, cathode) symmetrical bi-directional semiconductor electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed. The symmetrical bi-directional semiconductor ESD protection device design comprises a first and second shallow wells symmetrically spaced apart from a central floating well. Respective shallow wells comprise a first and second highly doped contact implant with opposite doping types (e.g., n-type, p-type). One or more field plates, connected to the central floating well, extend laterally outward from above the central well. The device can be used as an ESD protection device at a bi-directional I/O (e.g., in parallel with a symmetrical MOS to be protected). Upon an ESD event at an input node comprising the first and second shallow wells, a coupled npn-pnp bipolar component comprising the center well, the first and second shallow wells, and the first and second contact implants, is triggered, thereby shunting current from the first to the second shallow well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Marie Denison, Pinghai Hao
  • Patent number: 7786504
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a bidirectional PNPN silicon-controlled rectifier comprising: a p-type substrate; a N-type epitaxial layer; a P-type well and two N-type wells all formed inside the N-type epitaxial layer with the two N-type wells respectively arranged at two sides of the P-type well; a first semiconductor area, a second semiconductor area and a third semiconductor area all formed inside the P-type well and all coupled to an anode, wherein the second semiconductor area and the third semiconductor area are respectively arranged at two sides of the first semiconductor area, and wherein the first semiconductor area is of first conduction type, and the second semiconductor area and the third semiconductor area are of second conduction type; and two P-type doped areas respectively formed inside the N-type wells, wherein each P-type doped area has a fourth semiconductor area neighboring the P-type well and a fifth semiconductor area, and wherein both the fourth semiconductor area and the fifth semico
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Amazing Microelectronic Corp.
    Inventors: Wen-Yi Chen, Ryan Hsin-Chin Jiang, Ming-Dou Ker
  • Patent number: 7781769
    Abstract: A transistor array panel includes switching elements provided in intersecting portions between gate and data lines, and display electrodes connected to the switching elements. A conductive film pattern is provided to be electrically insulated from the gate and data lines, and display electrodes, and to be overlapped on the display electrodes, thereby forming a storage capacitance between each of the display electrodes and the conductive film pattern. A protection circuit is electrically connected to the gate and data lines, and disposed in an outer peripheral portion of a display region in which the switching elements and the display electrodes are formed on the one side of the substrate. A common line is insulated from the protection circuit, connected to the conductive film pattern, and provided to be insulated from the protection circuit and to be at least partially overlapped on the protection circuit, in the outer peripheral portion of the display region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yayoi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20100207163
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a protected circuit and an electrostatic-discharge protection circuit. The electrostatic-discharge protection circuit includes a first well of a first conductivity type and a second well of a second conductivity type formed in contact with each other in a semiconductor substrate, a first impurity diffusion layer of the first conductivity type and a third impurity diffusion layer of the second conductivity type formed apart from each other in the first well, and a second impurity diffusion layer of the second conductivity type and a fourth impurity diffusion layer of the first conductivity type formed apart from each other in the second well. The second and the third impurity diffusion layers are formed adjacent to each other interposing an element isolation region provided across a border between the first and the second wells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki YABU, Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kougami
  • Publication number: 20100208405
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an ESD device region disposed within a semiconductor body of a first semiconductor type, an isolation region surrounding the ESD device region, a first doped region of a second conductivity type disposed at a surface of the semiconductor body within the ESD region, and a second doped region of the first conductivity type disposed between the semiconductor body within the ESD region and at least a portion of the first doped region, where the doping concentration of the second doped region is higher than the semiconductor body. A third doped region of the second semiconductor type is disposed on the semiconductor body and a fourth region of the first conductivity type is disposed over the third doped region. A fifth doped region of the second conductivity type is disposed on the semiconductor body. A trigger device and an SCR is formed therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Inventors: Cornelius Christian Russ, Kai Esmark, David Alvarez, Jens Schneider
  • Patent number: 7777999
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device includes an I/O terminal structure and a current discharge structure. The current discharge structure includes a conductive region separated from a bridge region by a gate electrode, a well region formed below the conductive region, another well region separated from the well region by another conductive region, and multiple additional conductive regions implementing dual current discharge paths through another well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Myoung-Gon Kang, Ki-Whan Song
  • Patent number: 7777277
    Abstract: The present invention provides a dual triggered silicon controlled rectifier (DTSCR) including: a semiconductor substrate, an N-well, a P-well, a first N+ diffusion region and a first P+ diffusion region, a second N+ diffusion region and a second P+ diffusion region; a third P+ diffusion region, positioned in one side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a third N+ diffusion region, positioned in another side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a first gate, positioned above the N-well between the second and the third P+ diffusion regions, utilized as a P-type trigger node to receive a first trigger current or a first trigger voltage; and a second gate, positioned above the P-well between the first and the third N+ diffusion regions, utilized as an N-type trigger node to receive a second trigger current or a second trigger voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Raydium Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei-Kang Hung
  • Patent number: 7772680
    Abstract: The invention includes semiconductor fuse arrangements containing an electrically conductive plate over and in electrical contact with a plurality of electrically conductive links. Each of the links contacts the electrically conductive plate as a separate region relative to the other links, and the region where a link makes contact to the electrically conductive plate is a fuse. The invention also includes methods of forming semiconductor fuse arrangements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: H. Montgomery Manning
  • Patent number: 7768034
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection network for power MOSFETs includes parallel branches, containing polysilicon zener diodes and resistors, used for protecting the gate from rupture caused by high voltages caused by ESD. The branches may have the same or independent paths for voltage to travel across from the gate region into the semiconductor substrate. Specifically, the secondary branch has a higher breakdown voltage than the primary branch so that the voltage is shared across the two branches of the protection network. The ESD protection network of the device provides a more effective design without increasing the space used on the die. The ESD protection network can also be used with other active and passive devices such as thyristors, insulated-gate bipolar transistors, and bipolar junction transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel S. Calafut, Hamza Yilmaz, Steven Sapp
  • Patent number: 7763940
    Abstract: An electronic device having an LV-well element trigger structure that reduces the effective snapback trigger voltage in MOS drivers or ESD protection devices. A reduced triggering voltage facilitates multi-finger turn-on and thus uniform current flow and/or helps to avoid competitive triggering issues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Sofics BVBA
    Inventors: Markus Paul Josef Mergens, Bart Keppens, Koen Verhaege, John Armer, Cong Son Trinh
  • Patent number: 7763908
    Abstract: A silicon-controlled rectifier apparatus, comprising a substrate upon which a low-voltage triggered silicon-controlled rectifier is configured. A plurality of triggering components (e.g., NMOS fingers) are formed upon the substrate and integrated with the low-voltage triggered silicon-controlled rectifier, wherein the plurality of triggering components are inserted into the low-voltage triggered silicon-controlled rectifier in order to permit the low-voltage triggered silicon-controlled rectifier to protect against electrostatic discharge during human-body model and charged-device model stress events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventor: Jau-Wen Chen
  • Publication number: 20100181597
    Abstract: A protection device of programmable semiconductor surge suppressor having deep-well structure is provided comprising one, two or four protection units, each of which is composed of a PN-junction diode, a PNPN-type thyristor and a NPN-type triode connected with each other. It is characterized in that in the diode area on the frontal side of the N-type semiconductor base is formed a PN junction with impurity concentration changed gradiently from top to bottom according to the order of P+, P, N and N+; and a group of deep-wells with P-type impurities are positioned at the interface of the PN junction, making the PN junction form a concave-convex type interface. The present invention can be used in the program-controlled switchboard to protect the Subscriber Line Interface Circuit (SLIC) board. The above improvement can further improve the anti-lightning and anti-surge performance and the energy discharge capability of the whole device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: SEMITEL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Walance Sun, Ken Ou, Shouming Zhang, Man Ng
  • Patent number: 7755143
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is described. The semiconductor device comprises a protected device in a protected device area of a substrate. An electrostatic discharge power clamp device comprising an outer first guard ring and an inner second guard ring is in a guard ring area of the substrate, enclosing the protected device. The first guard ring comprises a first well region having a first conductive type. A first doped region having the first conductive type and a second doped region having a second conductive type are in the first well region. The second guard ring comprises a second well region having a second conductive type. A third doped region has the second conductive type in the second well region. An input/output device is in a periphery device area, coupled to the electrostatic discharge power clamp device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Yeh-Ning Jou, Geeng-Lih Lin
  • Patent number: 7755102
    Abstract: A multiple layer overvoltage protection device is provided. The method begins by providing a substrate having a first impurity concentration of a first conductivity type to define a mid-region layer. A dopant of a second conductivity type is introduced into the substrate with a second impurity concentration less than the first impurity concentration. An upper base region having a second type of conductivity is formed on the upper surface of the mid-region layer. A lower base region layer having a second type of conductivity is formed on a lower surface of the mid-region layer. A first emitter region having a first type of conductivity is formed on a surface of the upper base region layer. A first metal contact is coupled to the upper base region layer and a second metal contact is coupled to the lower base region layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Vishay General Semiconductor LLC
    Inventors: Lung-Ching Kao, Pu-Ju Kung
  • Publication number: 20100171149
    Abstract: A 2-terminal (i.e., anode, cathode) symmetrical bidirectional semiconductor electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed. The symmetrical bidirectional semiconductor ESD protection device design comprises a first and second shallow wells symmetrically spaced apart from a central floating well. Respective shallow wells comprise a first and second highly doped contact implant with opposite doping types (e.g., n-type, p-type). One or more field plates, connected to the central floating well, extend laterally outward from above the central well. The device can be used as an ESD protection device at a bidirectional I/O (e.g., in parallel with a symmetrical MOS to be protected). Upon an ESD event at an input node comprising the first and second shallow wells, a coupled npn-pnp bipolar component comprising the center well, the first and second shallow wells, and the first and second contact implants, is triggered, thereby shunting current from the first to the second shallow well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Marie Denison, Pinghai Hao
  • Patent number: 7750408
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of a circuit (e.g., an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit), a design methodology and a design system. In the circuit, an ESD device is wired to a first metal level (e.g., M1). An inductor is formed in a second metal level (e.g., M5) above the first metal level and is aligned over and electrically connected in parallel to the ESD device by a single vertical via stack. The inductor is configured to nullify, for a given application frequency, the capacitance value of the ESD device. The quality factor of the inductor is optimized by providing, on a third metal level (e.g., M3) between the second metal level and the first metal level, a shield to minimize inductive coupling. An opening in the shield allows the via stack to pass through, trading off Q factor reduction for size-scaling and ESD robustness improvements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Zhong-Xiang He, Robert M. Rassel, Steven H. Voldman
  • Publication number: 20100155774
    Abstract: A bidirectional transient voltage suppression device is disclosed. The bi-directional transient voltage suppression device comprises a semiconductor die. The semiconductor die has a multi-layer structure comprising a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a buried layer of a second conductivity type, an epitaxial layer, and five diffused regions. The buried layer and the semiconductor substrate form a first semiconductor junction. The first diffused region of the second conductivity type and the semiconductor substrate form a second semiconductor junction. The fourth diffused region of the first conductivity type and the third diffused region of the second conductivity type form a third semiconductor junction. The fifth diffused region of the first conductivity type and the second diffused region of the second conductivity type form a fourth semiconductor junction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: AMAZING MICROELECTRONIC CORP.
    Inventors: Tang Kuei TSENG, Kun Hsien LIN, Hsin Chin JIANG
  • Publication number: 20100155775
    Abstract: A design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design. The design structure includes first and second silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) formed in a substrate. Further, the first and the second SCRs each include at least one component commonly shared between the first and the second SCRs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert J. GAUTHIER, JR., Junjun LI, Ankit SRIVASTAVA
  • Publication number: 20100155776
    Abstract: A method of forming an electrostatic discharging (ESD) device includes forming a first and a second semiconductor fin over a substrate and adjacent to each other; epitaxially growing a semiconductor material on the first and the second semiconductor fins, wherein a first portion of the semiconductor material grown from the first semiconductor fin joins a second portion of the semiconductor material grown from the second semiconductor fin; and implanting a first end and a second end of the semiconductor material and first end portions of the first and the second semiconductor fins to form a first and a second implant region, respectively. A P-N junction is formed between the first end and the second end of the semiconductor material. The P-N junction is a junction of an ESD diode, or a junction in an NPN or a PNP BJT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Jam-Wem Lee
  • Publication number: 20100140713
    Abstract: A transistor-type protection device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a well of a first-conductivity-type formed in the semiconductor substrate; a source region of a second-conductivity-type formed in the well; a gate electrode formed on the well via a gate insulating film at one side of the source region; plural drain regions of a second-conductivity-type formed apart from each other and respectively separated at a predetermined distance from a well part immediately below the gate electrode film; and a resistive connection part connecting between the plural drain regions with a predetermined electric resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu IMOTO, Toshio KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20100140659
    Abstract: An ESD protection device comprises a P-type substrate, a first substrate-triggered silicon controlled rectifiers (STSCR) disposed in the P-type substrate and a second STSCR disposed in the P-type substrate. The first STSCR comprises a first N-well, a first P-well, a first N+ diffusion region, a first P+ diffusion region, and a first trigger node. The second STSCR comprises a second N-well electrically connected to the first N-well, a second P-well electrically connected to the first P-well, a second N+ diffusion region electrically connected to the first P+ diffusion region, a second P+ diffusion region electrically connected to the first N+ diffusion region, and a second trigger node. A layout area of an integrated circuit and a pin-to-pin ESD current path can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Ming-Dou Ker, Yuan-Wen Hsiao, Chang-Tzu Wang
  • Patent number: 7732834
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an ESD device region disposed within a semiconductor body of a first semiconductor type, an isolation region surrounding the ESD device region, a first doped region of a second conductivity type disposed at a surface of the semiconductor body within the ESD region, and a second doped region of the first conductivity type disposed between the semiconductor body within the ESD region and at least a portion of the first doped region, where the doping concentration of the second doped region is higher than the semiconductor body. A third doped region of the second semiconductor type is disposed on the semiconductor body and a fourth region of the first conductivity type is disposed over the third doped region. A fifth doped region of the second conductivity type is disposed on the semiconductor body. A trigger device and an SCR is formed therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Cornelius Christian Russ, Kai Esmark, David Alvarez, Jens Schneider
  • Publication number: 20100133583
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a semiconductor integrated circuit including a protected circuit; and a protection element formed on the same semiconductor substrate as the protected circuit and adapted to protect the protected circuit, wherein the protection element includes two diodes having their anodes connected together to form a floating node and two cathodes connected to the protected circuit, the two diodes are formed in a well-in-well structure on the semiconductor substrate, and the well-in-well structure includes a P-type well forming the floating gate, an N-type well which surrounds the surfaces of the P-type well other than that on the front side of the substrate with the deep portion side of the substrate so as to form the cathode of one of the diodes, and a first N-type region formed in the P-type well so as to form the cathode of the other diode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kouzou Mawatari, Motoyasu Yano
  • Patent number: 7728385
    Abstract: A device structure is disclosed for preventing gate oxide damage of a trench MOSFET during wafer processing while adding an ESD protection module atop the trench MOSFET. The ESD protection module has a low temperature oxide (LTO) bottom layer whose patterning process was found to cause the gate oxide damage before. The present invention structure includes a semiconductor substrate having an active area and a termination area; numerous trench MOSFET cells disposed in the active area; numerous electrostatic discharge (ESD) diodes disposed above the semiconductor substrate in the termination area; and an insulation layer comprising Oxide/Nitride/Oxide (ONO) sandwiched between the ESD diodes and the semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, the active area does not contain the ONO insulation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mengyu Pan, Zengyi He, Kaiyu Chen