Patent · US Expired

Compensated-well electrostatic discharge protection devices

US6869840B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
11References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 21, 2003
Grant dateMar 22, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 21, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/0002

Abstract

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structures utilizing bipolar conduction are disclosed. The structures each include a parasitic p-n-p bipolar transistor (102); some of the disclosed embodiments include this transistor within a silicon-controlled-rectifier (SCR) type of ESD protection structure. A p+ doped region (116, 216, 316, 416, 516) is disposed at a surface of an n-well (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) overlying a location (115, 215, 315, 415, 515) that receives both the n-well (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) implants and also the p-well (213, 313, 413, 513) implants. Preferably, the well implants are designed to provide retrograde doping profiles. The number of net impurities is reduced, and thus the base Gummel number is lowered, at the compensated well portion (112′, 212′, 312′, 412′, 512′), resulting in improved gain for the vertical bipolar device.

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