Patent · US Expired

Protection structure for an integrated circuit

US4897757A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
6References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 6, 1988
Grant dateJan 30, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 6, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/19043
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In the substrate (23) of an integrated circuit, around a pad area, a first region (24) of the first conductivity type having a high doping level in turn formed in a second region (25) of the second conductivity type and, beyond the first region with respect to the pad, a third region (26) of the second conductivity type at least partially in contact with the second region, are formed. The pad metallization (20) also establishes a contact with a portion (27) of the first region surface. A second metallization (30) connects the first region to the third one at such a location that the current path between, on the one hand, the contact area between the pad metallization and the first region and, on the other hand, the area where the third region forms a junction with the substrate (corresponding to an avalanche diode) follows a resistive path in at least one of the first or third regions.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.