Low voltage silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of silicon-on-insulator technologies

US6909149B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Sarnoff Corporation · US
• Sarnoff Europe BVBA · BE

Inventors

• Cornelius Christian Russ · Diedorf, DE
• Phillip Czeslaw Jozwiak · Plainsboro, US
• Markus Mergens · Plainsboro, US
• John Armer · Middlesex, US
• Cong Trinh · Santa Clara, US
• Russell Mohn · Plainsboro, US
• Koen Gerard Maria Verhaege · Gistel, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 15, 2004
• Grant date: Jun 21, 2005
• Expiry date: Apr 15, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D18/251

Abstract

A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device that can protect very sensitive thin gate oxides by limiting the power dissipation during the ESD event, which is best achieved by reducing the voltage drop across the active (protection) device during an ESD event. In one embodiment, the invention provides very low triggering and holding voltages. Furthermore, the SOI protection device of the present invention has low impedance and low power dissipation characteristics that reduce voltage build-up, and accordingly, enable designers to fabricate more area efficient protection device