Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120170161 | ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE CIRCUIT FOR RADIO FREQUENCY TRANSMITTERS - A representative electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) that is electrically coupled to the output of a power amplifier; an ESD detection circuit that triggers the SCR responsive to detect an electrostatic discharge on an ESD bus; and an ESD clamp circuit that is coupled to the first voltage line. | 07-05-2012 |
20120280323 | DEVICE HAVING A GATE STACK - A device includes a drain, a source, and a gate stack. The gate stack has a gate dielectric layer, a gate conductive layer immediately on top of the gate dielectric layer, and first gate and a second gate layer that are immediately on top of the gate conductive layer. The first gate layer has a first resistance higher than a second resistance of the second gate layer. The second gate layer is conductive, is electrically coupled with the gate conductive layer, and has a contact terminal configured to serve as a gate contact terminal for the device. Fabrication methods of the gate stack are also disclosed. | 11-08-2012 |
20130009204 | BIDIRECTIONAL DUAL-SCR CIRCUIT FOR ESD PROTECTION - An ESD protection circuit includes a pad of an IC, circuitry coupled to the pad for buffering data, an RC power clamp on the IC, and first and second silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) circuits. The RC power clamp is coupled between a positive power supply terminal and a ground terminal. The first SCR circuit is coupled between the pad and the positive power supply terminal. The first SCR circuit has a first trigger input coupled to the RC power clamp circuit. The second SCR circuit is coupled between the pad and the ground terminal. The second SCR circuit has a second trigger input coupled to the RC power clamp circuit. At least one of the SCR circuits includes a gated diode configured to selectively provide a short or relatively conductive electrical path between the pad and one of the positive power supply terminal and the ground terminal. | 01-10-2013 |
20130083436 | ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION - A chip includes a first circuit, a second circuit, a first interconnect, and a least one protection circuit. The first circuit has a first node, a first operational voltage node, and a first reference voltage node. The second circuit has a second node, a second operational voltage node, and a second reference voltage node. The first interconnect is configured to electrically connect the first node and the second node to form a 2.5D or a 3D integrated circuit. The at least one protection circuit is located at one or various locations of the chip. | 04-04-2013 |
20130307080 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SELF-ALIGNED INTERCONNECTS - A semiconductor device and method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. An exemplary semiconductor device includes a substrate including a metal oxide device. The metal oxide device includes first and second doped regions disposed within the substrate and interfacing in a channel region. The first and second doped regions are doped with a first type dopant. The first doped region has a different concentration of dopant than the second doped region. The metal oxide device further includes a gate structure traversing the channel region and the interface of the first and second doped regions and separating source and drain regions. The source region is formed within the first doped region and the drain region is formed within the second doped region. The source and drain regions are doped with a second type dopant. The second type dopant is opposite of the first type dopant. | 11-21-2013 |
20130341676 | Methods and Apparatus for Increased Holding Voltage in Silicon Controlled Rectifiers for ESD Protection - Methods and apparatus for increased holding voltage SCRs. A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type; a first well of the first conductivity type; a second well of a second conductivity type adjacent to the first well, an intersection of the first well and the second well forming a p-n junction; a first diffused region of the first conductivity type formed at the first well and coupled to a ground terminal; a first diffused region of the second conductivity type formed at the first well; a second diffused region of the first conductivity type formed at the second well and coupled to a pad terminal; a second diffused region of the second conductivity type formed in the second well; and a Schottky junction formed adjacent to the first diffused region of the second conductivity type coupled to a ground terminal. Methods for forming devices are disclosed. | 12-26-2013 |
20140027815 | Fast Turn On Silicon Controlled Rectifiers for ESD Protection - Fast turn on silicon controlled rectifiers for ESD protection. A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type; a first well of a second conductivity type; a second well of the second conductivity type; a first diffused region of the first conductivity type and coupled to a first terminal; a first diffused region of the second conductivity type; a second diffused region of the first conductivity type; a second diffused region of the second conductivity type in the second well; wherein the first diffused region of the first conductivity type and the first diffused region of the second conductivity type form a first diode, and the second diffused region of the first conductivity type and the second diffused region of the second conductivity type form a second diode, and the first and second diodes are series coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal. | 01-30-2014 |
20140042590 | Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitor and Method of Fabricating - Methods and apparatus are disclosed for manufacturing metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors. The MIM capacitors may comprise an electrode, which may be a top or bottom electrode, which has a bottle neck. The MIM capacitors may comprise an electrode, which may be a top or bottom electrode, in contact with a sidewall of a via. The sidewall contact or the bottle neck of the electrode may burn out to form a high impedance path when the leakage current exceeds a specification, while the sidewall contact or the bottle neck of the electrode has no impact for normal MIM operations. The MIM capacitors may be used as decoupling capacitors. | 02-13-2014 |
20140045310 | METHOD OF MAKING STRUCTURE HAVING A GATE STACK - A method includes removing a first portion of a gate layer of a structure. The structure includes a drain region, a source region, and a gate stack, and the gate stack includes a gate dielectric layer, a gate conductive layer directly on the gate dielectric layer, and the gate layer directly on the gate conductive layer. A drain contact region is formed on the drain region, and a source contact region is formed on the source region. A conductive region is formed directly on the gate conductive layer and adjacent to a second portion of the gate layer. A gate contact terminal is formed in contact with the conductive region. | 02-13-2014 |
20140062580 | Diode Formed of PMOSFET and Schottky Diodes - A P-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (PMOSFET) includes a gate, a first source/drain region connected to the gate, and a second source/drain region on an opposite side of the gate than the first source/drain region. A first Schottky diode includes a first anode connected to the first source/drain region, and a first cathode connected to a body of the PMOSFET. A second Schottky diode includes a second anode connected to the second source/drain region, and a second cathode connected to the body of the PMOSFET. | 03-06-2014 |
20140094009 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SELF-ALIGNED INTERCONNECTS - A semiconductor device and method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. An exemplary semiconductor device includes a substrate including a metal oxide device. The metal oxide device includes first and second doped regions disposed within the substrate and interfacing in a channel region. The first and second doped regions are doped with a first type dopant. The first doped region has a different concentration of dopant than the second doped region. The metal oxide device further includes a gate structure traversing the channel region and the interface of the first and second doped regions and separating source and drain regions. The source region is formed within the first doped region and the drain region is formed within the second doped region. The source and drain regions are doped with a second type dopant. The second type dopant is opposite of the first type dopant. | 04-03-2014 |
20140126089 | ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION FOR THREE DIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - The present disclosure provides a three dimensional integrated circuit having a plurality of dies. Each die includes a trigger line common to the other dies, the trigger line controlling the power of a power clamp in each respective die, a dedicated electrostatic discharge (ESD) line for each respective die, and an ESD detection circuit connected to the dedicated ESD line and to a first power line common to the other dies. When an input signal is received by the ESD detection circuit of one of the plural dies, the ESD detection circuit generates an output signal to the common trigger line to supply power to the power clamp in each of the plural dies to clamp ESD voltage or current to the common first power line or a second power line. | 05-08-2014 |
20140151809 | APPARATUS FOR ESD PROTECTION - A structure comprises an N+ region formed over a substrate, a P+ region formed over the substrate, wherein the P+ region and the N+ region form a diode and a first epitaxial growth block region formed between the N+ region and the P+ region. | 06-05-2014 |
20140159206 | Methods and Apparatus for ESD Structures - Methods and apparatus for ESD structures. A semiconductor device includes a first active area containing an ESD cell coupled to a first terminal and disposed in a well; a second active area in the semiconductor substrate, the second active area comprising a first diffusion of the first conductivity type for making a bulk contact to the well; and a third active area in the semiconductor substrate, separated from the first and second active areas by another isolation region, a portion of the third active area comprising an implant diffusion of the first conductivity type within a first diffusion of the second conductivity type and adjacent a boundary with the well of the first conductivity type; wherein the third active area comprises a diode coupled to the terminal and reverse biased with respect to the well of the first conductivity type. | 06-12-2014 |
20140175551 | Apparatus for ESD Protection - A structure comprises an N+ region formed over a first fin of a substrate, a P+ region formed over a second fin of the substrate, wherein the P+ region and the N+ region form a diode, a shallow trench isolation region formed between the P+ region and the N+ region and a first epitaxial growth block region formed over the shallow trench isolation region and between the N+ region and the P+ region, wherein a forward bias current of the diode flows through a path underneath the shallow trench isolation region. | 06-26-2014 |
20140183632 | Contact Structure Of Semiconductor Device - The invention relates to a contact structure of a semiconductor device. An exemplary structure for a semiconductor device comprises an insulation region over a substrate; a gate electrode layer over the insulation region comprising a gate middle line; a first contact structure over the insulation region adjacent to the gate electrode layer comprising a first middle line, wherein the first middle line and the gate middle line has a first distance; and a second contact structure over the insulation region on a side of the gate electrode layer opposite to the first contact structure comprising a second middle line, wherein the second middle line and the gate middle line has a second distance greater than the first distance. | 07-03-2014 |
20140217461 | BIDIRECTIONAL DUAL-SCR CIRTCUIT FOR ESD PROTECTION - An ESD protection circuit includes at least a first and a second silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) circuits. The first SCR circuit is coupled between the pad and the positive power supply terminal. The second SCR circuit is coupled between the pad and the ground terminal. At least one of the SCR circuits is configured to selectively provide a short or relatively conductive electrical path between the pad and one of the positive power supply terminal and the ground terminal. | 08-07-2014 |
20140252476 | Rotated STI Diode on FinFET Technology - A diode includes a first plurality of combo fins having lengthwise directions parallel to a first direction, wherein the first plurality of combo fins comprises portions of a first conductivity type. The diodes further includes a second plurality of combo fins having lengthwise directions parallel to the first direction, wherein the second plurality of combo fins includes portions of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type. An isolation region is located between the first plurality of combo fins and the second plurality of combo fins. The first and the second plurality of combo fins form a cathode and an anode of the diode. The diode is configured to have a current flowing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, with the current flowing between the anode and the cathode. | 09-11-2014 |
20140252477 | FinFET with an Asymmetric Source/Drain Structure and Method of Making Same - Embodiments of the present disclosure are a semiconductor device, a FinFET device, and a method of forming a FinFET device. An embodiment is a semiconductor device comprising a first semiconductor fin extending above a substrate, a first source region on the first semiconductor fin, and a first drain region on the first semiconductor fin. The first source region has a first width and the first drain region has a second width with the second width being different than the first width. | 09-11-2014 |
20140264616 | Epitaxial Growth Between Gates - An integrated circuit device includes at least two epitaxially grown active regions grown onto a substrate, the active regions being placed between two gate devices. The device further includes at least one dummy gate between two epitaxially grown active regions. Each active region is substantially uniform in length. | 09-18-2014 |
20150062761 | Electrostatic Discharge Protection for Level-Shifter Circuit - A circuit, a multiple power domain circuit, and a method are disclosed. An embodiment is a circuit including an input circuit having a first output and a second output, the input circuit being coupled to a first power supply voltage, and a level-shifting circuit having a first input coupled to the first output of the input circuit and a second input coupled to the second output of the input circuit, the level-shifting circuit being coupled to a second power supply voltage. The circuit further includes a first transistor coupled between a first node of the level-shifting circuit and the second power supply voltage, and a control circuit having an output coupled to a gate of the first transistor, the control circuit being coupled to the second power supply voltage. | 03-05-2015 |
20150084154 | Methods and Apparatus for ESD Structures - Methods and apparatus for ESD structures. A semiconductor device includes a first active area containing an ESD cell coupled to a first terminal and disposed in a well; a second active area in the semiconductor substrate, the second active area comprising a first diffusion of the first conductivity type for making a bulk contact to the well; and a third active area in the semiconductor substrate, separated from the first and second active areas by another isolation region, a portion of the third active area comprising an implant diffusion of the first conductivity type within a first diffusion of the second conductivity type and adjacent a boundary with the well of the first conductivity type; wherein the third active area comprises a diode coupled to the terminal and reverse biased with respect to the well of the first conductivity type. | 03-26-2015 |