A novel automotive 60 V load-dump protected ESD diode

A novel ESD diode capable of sustaining 60 V load-dump and offering 2 kV human body model ESD pulse protection is experimentally demonstrated. The ESD diode is implemented using two 60 V depletion mode n-channel quasi-vertical DMOS devices for primary protection and 15 V field oxide diode for secondary clamping. The operation of the ESD diode fabricated using a 2 μm BCD technology is described using experiments and 2D device simulations using MEDICI and SUPREM-IV. Experiments indicate that the ESD diode with an area of 17,000 μm² is able to current limit 1.5 mA under 60 V load dump condition. Transient electrothermal simulations in conjunction with SPICE circuit simulations are used to investigate a 2.5 kV ESD event. Impact ionization, self heating and peak junction temperatures during the ESD event are also discussed