There has been a problem in semiconductor apparatuses of related art in which a circuit operation cannot be returned after a reverse current occurred. In one embodiment, a semiconductor apparatus includes a timer block configured to count up a count value to a predetermined value in response to a control signal being enabled, the control signal instructing a power MOS transistor to be turned on, and a protection transistor including a drain connected to a gate of the power MOS transistor, a source and a back gate connected to a source of the power MOS transistor, and an epitaxial layer in which the power MOS transistor is formed, the epitaxial layer being supplied with a power supply voltage. The protection transistor short-circuits the source and gate of the power MOS transistor in response to an output voltage of the power MOS transistor meeting a predetermined condition and the count value reaching the predetermined value. The timer block resets the count value when the output voltage of the power MOS transistor no longer meets the predetermined condition.

An ESD protection circuit is provided, including a negative ESD protection module and a positive ESD protection module, where the negative ESD protection module includes a first resistor, a charging capacitor, a first field effect transistor, and a second field effect transistor, and the positive ESD protection module includes a fourth field effect transistor. When a negative ESD event occurs, there is a comparatively large transient voltage at a gate of a P-type enhanced GaN power device relative to a source of the P-type enhanced GaN power device. Therefore, a displacement current from the source to the gate of the P-type enhanced GaN power device is generated on the charging capacitor. A voltage drop generated by the displacement current on the first resistor may enable the first field effect transistor and the second field effect transistor to form a path when the first field effect transistor is turned on.

An integrated circuit device having insulated gate field effect transistors (IGFETs) having a plurality of horizontally disposed channels that can be vertically aligned above a substrate with each channel being surrounded by a gate structure has been disclosed. The integrated circuit device may include electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit structures. The ESD protection circuit structures may be formed in regions other than the region that the IGFETs are formed as well as in the region that the IGFETs having a plurality of horizontally disposed channels that can be vertically aligned above a substrate with each channel being surrounded by a gate structure are formed. By forming ESD protection circuit structures in regions below the IGFETs, an older process technology may be used and device size may be decreased. Furthermore, planar IGFETs of FinFETs may be formed in other regions to decrease device size and improve costs.

A semiconductor device includes a source region, a drain region, and a gate insulating film formed on a substrate, a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, a first insulating film pattern formed to extend from the source region to a part of a top surface of the gate electrode, and a spacer formed on a side surface of the gate electrode in a direction of the drain region.

High voltage clamps with transient activation and activation release control are provided herein. In certain configurations, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a clamp electrically connected between a first node and a second node and having a control input. The IC further includes a first resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit that activates a detection signal in response to detecting a transient overstress event between the first node and the second node, an active feedback circuit that provides feedback from the first node to the control input of the clamp in response to activation of the detection signal, a second RC circuit that activates a shutdown signal after detecting passage of the transient overstress event based on low pass filtering a voltage difference between the first node and the second node, and a clamp shutdown circuit that turns off the clamp via the control input in response to activation of the shutdown signal.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device includes a first clamping circuit, a second clamping circuit, and a diode circuit. The first clamping circuit is coupled between a first power rail and a second power rail. The second clamping circuit is coupled between a third power rail and the second power rail. The diode circuit is configured to steer an ESD current from an input/output pad to at least one of the first clamping circuit or the third power rail. The first power rail receives a first voltage, the second power rail receives a second voltage, the third power rail receives a third voltage, the third voltage is higher than the first voltage, and the first voltage is higher than the second voltage.

The present disclosure provides an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for a chip, including: a monitoring unit, configured to generate a trigger signal when there is an ESD pulse on a power supply pad; a discharge transistor, located between the power supply pad and a ground pad, and configured to be turned on under a control of the trigger signal, so as to discharge an electrostatic charge to the ground pad; and a first controllable voltage division unit, connected to the discharge transistor, and configured to switch an operating mode under a control of a control signal. The operating mode includes a voltage division mode. When operating in the voltage division mode, the controllable voltage division unit is configured to carry a part of a voltage applied by the electrostatic charge to the discharge transistor.

A semiconductor device includes a P-type body region and an N-type drift region disposed in a substrate; a gate electrode, disposed on the P-type body region and the N-type drift region, including a high concentration doping region and a high resistance region, wherein a dopant concentration of the high concentration doping region is higher than a dopant concentration of the high resistance region; a spacer disposed on a side of the gate electrode; a highly doped source region disposed in the P-type body region; and a highly doped drain region disposed in the N-type body region. The high concentration doping region overlaps the P-type body region, and the high resistance region overlaps the N-type drift region.

There are provided an electrostatic protection circuit, an array substrate, and a display apparatus. The electrostatic protection circuit includes: at least one first transistor and at least one second transistor. Each of the first transistors has a gate and a second electrode both connected to an electrostatic protection line, and a first electrode connected to a signal line; and each of the second transistors has a gate and a second electrode both connected to the signal line, and a first electrode connected to the electrostatic protection line. One resistor is connected in series between a gate and a second electrode of at least one transistor in the electrostatic protection circuit.

Disclosed herein is a single integrated circuit chip with a main logic that operates a vehicle component such as a valve driver. Isolated from the main logic within the chip is a safety area that operates to verify proper operation of the main logic. The safety area is internally powered by an internal regulated voltage generated by an internal voltage regulator that generates the internal regulated voltage from an external voltage while protecting against shorts of the external line delivering the external voltage. The safety area includes protection circuits that level shift external analog signals downward in voltage for monitoring within the safety area, the protection circuits serving to protect against shorts of the external line delivering the external analog signals.