Electrostatic discharge protection apparatus for semiconductor devices
AssigneeHimax Technologies Limited
InventorTung-Yang Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides several embodiments with layout patterns for ESD protection. An apparatus with a layout pattern may be configured to protect I/O pads or the power rail. The layout pattern may designed to increase the current paths for ESD stress currents. For example, more rings may be applied. The present invention also provides circuit embodiments for ESD protection. According to one embodiment, an ESD protection circuit comprising four parasitic BJTs may be configured to protect the I/O pads or the power rail. More BJTs or resistors may be used to increase the current paths for ESD stress currents. Several variations and modifications may be made by changing the doping profiles of the doped regions.
Claims13
An electrical static damage protection device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first device region formed in the substrate, the first device region including:
- a first doped region of a first dopant type;
- a first well region of the first dopant type spaced apart from the first doped region;
- a second doped region of the first dopant type located in the first well region;
- a third doped region of a second dopant type located outside the first well region and adjacently between the first and second doped region;
- a second device region formed in the substrate spaced apart from the first device region, the second device region including:
- a second well region of the first dopant type;
- a fourth doped region of the second dopant type formed in the second well region;
- a fifth doped region of the first dopant type located in the second well region and spaced apart from the fourth doped region;
- a sixth doped region of the second dopant type outside the second well region, wherein the fifth doped region is located adjacently between the fourth and sixth doped region;
- and
- an electrical wiring coupled with the first and second device region for forming a shunt circuit adapted to discharge electrical static charges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.