Design and integration of novel SCR-based devices for ESD protection in CMOS/BiCMOS technologies

Robust and novel devices called high-holding low-voltage trigger silicon controlled rectifiers (HH-LVTSCRs) for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of integrated circuits (ICs) are designed, fabricated and characterized. The S-type current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the HH-LVTSCRs are adjustable to different operating conditions by changing the device dimensions and terminal interconnections. Comparison between complementary n- and p-type HH-LVTSCR devices shows that n-type devices perform better than p-type devices when a low holding voltage (V_H) is allowed during the on-state of the ESD protection structure, but when a relatively high holding voltage is required, p-type devices perform better. Results further demonstrate that HH-LVTSCRs with a multiple-finger layout render high levels of ESD protection per unit area, applicable in the design of ICs with stringent ESD protection requirements of over 15 kV IEC.