Patent Grant
9202807
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection, and more particularly, to a semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection capable of improving current discharge capability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrostatic discharge protection has been an important topic in the electronics industry and the semiconductor industry. Electrostatic discharge usually causes damages to electronic products. With the progress of semiconductor manufacturing process, size of an integrated circuit and an element thereof is getting smaller, and relatively, the integrated circuit is more easily damaged by electrostatic discharge. In order to prevent the integrated circuit from being damaged by the electrostatic discharge, when an electrostatic protection circuit receives static electricity, the electrostatic protection circuit must be able to allow large current to pass through, for conducting the static electricity to a ground terminal immediately. Therefore, current discharge capability of the electrostatic protection circuit is very important. The better the current discharge capability of the electrostatic protection circuit is, the better the electrostatic protection capability of the electrostatic protection circuit will be. The electrostatic protection circuit of the prior has poor current discharge capability due to improper design of an electrode, so as to affect the electrostatic discharge protection capability of the electrostatic protection circuit.
The present invention provides a semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection. The semiconductor structure comprises a P well formed on a P type substrate; a first N type electrode area formed on a central region of the P well; a first insulating area formed on the P well and surrounding the first N type electrode area; a second N type electrode area formed on the P well and surrounding the first insulating area; a second insulating area formed on the P well and surrounding the second N type electrode area; and a P type electrode area formed on the P well and surrounding the second insulating area; wherein periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area are 8K sided polygons or circles, and K is a positive integer.
In contrast to the prior art, the second N type electrode area of the semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection of the present invention has a smaller non-conductive area or even has no non-conductive area, so as to improve current discharge capability between electrode areas, and further improve electrostatic protection capability of the semiconductor structure.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
Please refer to
In addition, the first insulating area 140 is a field oxide (FOX) area for insulating the first N type electrode area 130 from the second N type electrode area 150. The second insulating area 160 is also a field oxide area for insulating the second N type electrode area 150 from the P type electrode area 170. The first N type electrode area 130 is electrically connected to an electrostatic discharge protection electrode 180, and the P type electrode area 170 is electrically connected to ground.
According to the above arrangement, the P well 120, the first N type electrode area 130, the second N type electrode area 150, and the P type electrode area 170 can be equivalent to a bipolar junction transistor. When the electrostatic discharge protection electrode 180 receives static electricity, a PN junction between the P well 120 and the first N type electrode area 130 is broken down due to a high level voltage of the static electricity, so as to discharge current to the second N type electrode area 150 and the P type electrode area 170, in order to provide electrostatic discharge protection. Moreover, partial energy of the static electricity is absorbed when the PN junction is broken down.
In order to further improve ability resistant to high voltage, the first N type electrode area 130 can be extended outward to form an N type doping area 132. Doping concentration of the N type doping area 132 is lower than doping concentration of the first N type electrode area 130.
On the other hand, corners of the second N type electrode area 150 are non-conductive in order to prevent the second N type electrode area 150 from being damaged due to point discharge from the first N type electrode area 130. Periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area of the prior art are squares (or quadrilaterals). In the prior art, in order to prevent the second N type electrode area from being damaged due to point discharge from four corners of the first N type electrode area, non-conductive areas of four corners of the second N type electrode area of the prior art are very large, such that current discharge capability from the first N type electrode area to the second N type electrode area is limited. In the present embodiment, the corner of the second N type electrode area 150 (that is, the shortest side) corresponds to the corner of the first N type electrode area 130, and an area corresponding to the shortest side of the second N type electrode area 150 corresponds is a non-conductive area 152, such that a range of the non-conductive area 152 of the second N type electrode area 150 is decreased, and the current discharge capability from the first N type electrode area 130 to the second N type electrode area 150 is increased.
In addition, the periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area are not limited to 8 sided polygons. The periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area can be 8K sided polygons, and K is a positive integer. Moreover, the semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection of the present invention can further comprise a third insulating area 190, which is formed on a periphery of the P well 120, and surrounds the P type electrode area 170.
Please refer to
Similarly, according to the above arrangement, the P well 220, the first N type electrode area 230, the second N type electrode area 250, and the P type electrode area 270 can be equivalent to a bipolar junction transistor. When an electrostatic discharge protection electrode 280 receives static electricity, a PN junction between the P well 220 and the first N type electrode area 230 is broken down due to a high level voltage of the static electricity, so as to discharge current to the second N type electrode area 250 and the P type electrode area 270, in order to provide electrostatic discharge protection. Moreover, partial energy of the static electricity is absorbed when the PN junction is broken down.
Likewise, in order to further improve the ability resistant to high voltage, the first N type electrode area 230 can be also extended outward to form an N type doping area (not shown in figures). Doping concentration of the N type doping area is lower than doping concentration of the first N type electrode area 230.
On the other hand, since the periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area 230 and the second N type electrode area 250 are circles, there is no point discharge between the first N type electrode area 230 and the second N type electrode area 250. That is, the current discharge capability from the first N type electrode area 230 to the second N type electrode area 250 can be further improved without arranging a non-conductive area on the second N type electrode area 250.
Please refer to
Please refer to
In addition, the first N type electrode area 430 is electrically connected to an electrostatic discharge protection electrode 480. The P type electrode area 470 is electrically connected to ground. Coupling structures 482 can be formed on the second N type electrode area 450 and the P type electrode area 470 for electrically connecting to other elements. Moreover, the semiconductor structure 400 for electrostatic discharge protection of the present invention can further comprise a third insulting area 490, which is formed on a periphery of the P well 420, and surrounds the P type electrode area 470.
According to the above arrangement, when the electrostatic discharge protection electrode 480 receives static electricity, a PN junction between the P well 420 and the first N type electrode area 430 is broken down due to a high level voltage of the static electricity, so as to discharge current to the P type electrode area 470, in order to provide electrostatic discharge protection. Moreover, partial energy of the static electricity is absorbed when the PN junction is broken down.
Similarly, in order to further improve the ability resistant to high voltage, the first N type electrode area 430 can be also extended outward to form an N type doping area (not shown in figures). Doping concentration of the N type doping area is lower than doping concentration of the first N type electrode area 430.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the N well 412 in
Please refer to
In addition, the first N type electrode area 530 is electrically connected to an electrostatic discharge protection electrode 580. The P type electrode area 570 is electrically connected to ground.
According to the above arrangement, the P well 520, the first N type electrode area 530, and the P type electrode area 570 can be equivalent to a diode. When the electrostatic discharge protection electrode 580 receives static electricity, a PN junction between the P well 520 and the first N type electrode area 530 is broken down due to a high level voltage of the static electricity, so as to discharge current to the P type electrode area 570, in order to provide electrostatic discharge protection. Moreover, partial energy of the static electricity is absorbed when the PN junction is broken down.
Similarly, in order to further improve the ability resistant to high voltage, the first N type electrode area 530 can be also extended outward to form an N type doping area (not shown in figures). Doping concentration of the N type doping area is lower than doping concentration of the first N type electrode area 530.
In the present invention, the above semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection can be arranged in an integrated circuit for preventing the integrated circuit from being damaged by static electricity. Since the periphery outlines of the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area can be 8K sided polygons or circles, a range of point discharge of the first N type electrode area can be reduced, so as to increase ranges of current discharge areas between the first N type electrode area and the second N type electrode area, and relatively reduce the total area of the semiconductor structure. Therefore, the semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection of the present invention occupies a smaller area in the integrated circuit.
In contrast to the prior art, the second N type electrode area of the semiconductor structure for electrostatic discharge protection of the present invention has a smaller non-conductive area or even has no non-conductive area, so as to improve current discharge capability between electrode areas, and further improve electrostatic protection capability of the semiconductor structure.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102147566 A | Dec 2013 | TW | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7626243 | Disney et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| 20120119331 | Gendron et al. | May 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150179629 A1 | Jun 2015 | US |
