# US 10,373,946 B2 · Diode-triggered Schottky silicon-controlled rectifier for Fin-FET electrostatic discharge control

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- Number: US 10,373,946 B2
- Document ID: US10373946B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/038,532
- Filed: 2018-07-18
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-02
- Assignees: Globalfoundries Inc.
- Applicants: Globalfoundries Inc.
- Inventors: Chien-Hsin Lee; Mahadeva Iyer Natarajan; Manjunatha Prabhu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373946B2

## CPC

- H10D 89/713: {including a PNP transistor and a NPN transistor, wherein each of said transistors has its base region coupled to the collector region of the other transistor, e.g. silicon controlled rectifier [SCR] devices}
- H10D 8/00: Diodes (variable-capacitance diodes H10D1/64; gated diodes H10D12/00)
- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 30/6211: {having fin-shaped semiconductor bodies integral with the bulk semiconductor substrates}
- H10D 62/115: {Dielectric isolations, e.g. air gaps}
- H10D 84/138: {the built-in components being FETs}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

Various embodiments include fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) structures. In some cases, a FinFET structure includes: a p-type substrate; a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) over the p-type substrate, the SCR including: a p-well region and an adjacent n-well region over the substrate; and a negatively charged fin over the p-well region; and a Schottky diode electrically coupled with the SCR, the Schottky diode including a gate in the n-well region, the Schottky diode positioned to mitigate electrostatic discharge (ESD) across the negatively charged fin and the n-well region in response to application of a forward voltage across the gate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) structure comprising:
a p-type substrate;
a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) over the p-type substrate, the SCR including:
a p-well region and an adjacent n-well region over the substrate; and
a negatively charged fin over the p-well region; and
a Schottky diode electrically coupled with the SCR, the Schottky diode including a gate in the n-well region, the Schottky diode positioned to mitigate electrostatic discharge (ESD) across the negatively charged fin and the n-well region in response to application of a forward voltage across the gate,
wherein the negatively charged fin acts as an anode region of the Schottky diode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The FinFET structure of claim 1, wherein the SCR includes a P-N-P-N switch.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The FinFET structure of claim 2, wherein the P-N-P-N switch includes the p-type substrate, the n-well region, the p-well region and the negatively charged fin.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The FinFET structure of claim 1, further comprising a positively charged fin over the p-well region and an additional negatively charged fin over the n-well region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The FinFET structure of claim 1, further comprising:
a first additional n-well region adjacent the p-well region;
a first additional p-well region adjacent the first additional n-well region;
a second additional n-well region adjacent the first additional p-well region;
a second additional p-well region adjacent the second additional n-well region; and
a third additional n-well region adjacent the second additional p-well region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The FinFET structure of claim 5, further comprising three diodes coupled in series with the Schottky diode.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The FinFET structure of claim 6, wherein each of the three diodes is located within the first additional n-well region, the second additional n-well region and the third additional n-well region, respectively.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The FinFET structure of claim 7, further comprising additional sets of negatively charged fins and positively charged fins over each of the first additional n-well region, the second additional n-well region, and the third additional n-well region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The FinFET structure of claim 8, wherein each of the three diodes includes an anode in the additional positively charged fin over the first, second and third additional n-well regions, and a cathode in each of the first, second and third additional n-well regions.

### Claim 10

A fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) structure comprising:
a p-type substrate;
a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) over the p-type substrate, the SCR including:
a p-well region and an adjacent n-well region over the substrate;
a negatively charged fin over the p-well region,
wherein the SCR includes a P-N-P-N switch including the p-type substrate, the n-well region, the p-well region and the negatively charged fin; and
a positively charged fin over the p-well region and an additional negatively charged fin over the n-well region; and
a Schottky diode electrically coupled with the SCR, the Schottky diode including a gate in the n-well region, the Schottky diode positioned to mitigate electrostatic discharge (ESD) across the negatively charged fin over the p-well region and the n-well region in response to application of a forward voltage across the gate,
wherein the negatively charged fin over the p-well region acts as an anode region of the Schottky diode.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The FinFET of claim 10, wherein the negatively charged fin over the p-well region includes a metal.