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US 7,732,868 B2Granted
Semiconductor device
AssigneeSanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorsTetsuro Asano, Mikito Sakakibara, Toshikazu Hirai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A protecting element, comprising a first n+-type region, an insulating region, and a second n+-type region, is connected in parallel between two terminals of an FET. Since discharge across the first and second n+ regions is enabled, electrostatic energy that reaches the operating region of the FET can be attenuated without increasing the parasitic capacitance.
Claims16
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a field effect transistor formed on a semi-insulating substrate and comprising a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
- a bonding pad formed on the semi-insulating substrate and connected to the gate electrode, the source electrode or the drain electrode;
- and
- a protecting element for the transistor formed on the semi-insulating substrate and connected between the bonding pad and a terminal of one of the electrodes that is not connected to the bonding pad, the protecting element comprising a first high concentration impurity region, a second high concentration impurity region and an insulating region disposed between the first and second high concentration impurity regions and being configured to permit current flow between the first and second high concentration impurity regions upon application between the bonding pad and the terminal of an electrostatic energy that is larger than a predetermined amount,
- wherein the first high concentration impurity region is closer to the bonding pad than the second high concentration impurity region, electrically disconnected from the bonding pad except during the application of the electrostatic energy, physically separated from the bonding pad so as to form a Schottky junction between the bonding pad and a portion of the semi-insulating substrate in which the first high concentration impurity region is not formed, and configured to be electrically connected to the bonding pad through the Schottky junction so as to permit the current flow upon the application of the electrostatic energy.
2 more elements
A semiconductor switching device, comprising:
- a first field effect transistor comprising a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
- a second field effect transistor comprising a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
- a common input terminal connected to the source or drain electrode of the first transistor and to the source or drain electrode of the second transistor;
- a first control terminal connected to the gate electrode of the first or second transistor;
- a second control terminal connected to the gate electrode of the first or second transistor that is not connected to the first control terminal;
- a first resistor connecting the first control terminal and a corresponding gate electrode and comprising a first resistor high concentration impurity region;
- a second resistor connecting the second control terminal and a corresponding gate electrode and comprising a second resistor high concentration impurity region;
- a first output terminal connected to the source or drain electrode of the first transistor that is not connected to the common input terminal;
- a second output terminal connected to the source or drain electrode of the second transistor that is not connected to the common input terminal;
- and
- a protecting element connected between the common input terminal and the first control terminal, the protecting element comprising a first high concentration impurity region, a second high concentration impurity region and an insulating region disposed between the first and second high concentration impurity regions and being configured to permit current flow between the first and second high concentration impurity regions upon application between the common input terminal and the first control terminal of an electrostatic energy that is larger than a predetermined amount, the first high concentration impurity region being at least part of the first resistor high concentration impurity region, the first and second high concentration impurity regions being electrically disconnected from each other except during the application of the electrostatic energy, and no electrical wiring existing between the first and second high concentration impurity regions,
- wherein the common input terminal comprises a bonding pad,
- a peripheral high concentration impurity region is disposed at a peripheral area of the bonding pad, and
- the second high concentration impurity region is part of the peripheral high concentration impurity region.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.