Thyristor semiconductor device comprising an anode region, a first base region and a second base region having opposite types of conductivity, and a cathode region, all superimposed along a vertical axis.

High voltage tolerant electrical overstress protection with low leakage current and low capacitance is provided. In one embodiment, a semiconductor die includes a signal pad, an internal circuit electrically connected to the signal pad, a power clamp electrically connected to an isolated node, and one or more isolation blocking voltage devices electrically connected between the signal pad and the isolated node. The one or more isolation blocking voltage devices are operable to isolate the signal pad from a capacitance of the power clamp. In another embodiment, a semiconductor die includes a signal pad, a ground pad, a high voltage/high speed internal circuit electrically connected to the signal pad, and a first thyristor and a second thyristor between the signal pad and the ground pad.

A one-way switch has a gate referenced to a main back side electrode. An N-type substrate includes a P-type anode layer covering a back side and a surrounding P-type wall. First and second P-type wells are formed on the front side of the N-type substrate. An N-type cathode region is located in the first P-type well. An N-type gate region is located in the second P-type well. A gate metallization covers both the N-type gate region and a portion of the second P-type well. The second P-type well is separated from the P-type wall by the N-type substrate except at a location of a P-type strip that is formed in the N-type substrate and connects a portion on one side of the second P-type well to an upper portion of said P-type wall.

A thyristor is formed from a vertical stack of first, second, third, and fourth semiconductor regions of alternated conductivity types. The fourth semiconductor region is interrupted in a gate area of the thyristor. The fourth semiconductor region is further interrupted in a continuous corridor that extends longitudinally from the gate area towards an outer lateral edge of the fourth semiconductor region. A gate metal layer extends over the gate area of the thyristor. A cathode metal layer extends over the fourth semiconductor region but not over the continuous corridor.

A bypass thyristor device includes a semiconductor device providing a thyristor with a cathode electrode on a cathode side, a gate electrode on the cathode side surrounded by the cathode electrode and an anode electrode on an anode side; an electrically conducting cover element arranged on the cathode side and in electrical contact with the cathode electrode on a contact side; and a gate contact element electrically connected to the gate electrode and arranged in a gate contact opening in the contact side of the cover element; wherein the cover element has a gas expansion volume in the contact side facing the cathode side, which gas expansion volume is interconnected with the gate contact opening for gas exchange.

The present disclosure relates to a Dual Fin SCR device having two parallel fins on which cathode, anode, n- and p-type triggering taps are selectively doped, wherein one Fin (or group of parallel Fins) comprises anode and n-tap, and other Fin (or group of parallel Fins) comprises cathode and p-tap. As key regions of the proposed SCR (anode and cathode), which carry majority of current after triggering, are placed diagonally, they provide substantial benefit in terms of spreading current and dissipating heat. The proposed SCR ESD protection device helps obtain regenerative feedback between base-collector junctions of two back-to-back bipolar transistors, which enables the proposed SCR to shunt ESD current. The proposed SCR design enables lower trigger and holding voltage for efficient and robust ESD protection. The proposed SCR device/design helps offer a tunable trigger voltage and a holding voltage with highfailure threshold.

A power switching device may include a semiconductor substrate and a body region comprising an n-type dopant, the body region disposed in an inner portion of the semiconductor substrate; a first base layer disposed adjacent a first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first p-base layer comprising a p-type dopant; a second base layer disposed adjacent a second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the second base layer comprising a p-type dopant; a first emitter region, disposed adjacent the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first emitter region comprising a n-type dopant; a second emitter-region, disposed adjacent the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the second emitter-region comprising a n-type dopant; a first field stop layer arranged between the first base layer and the body region, the first field stop layer comprising a n-type dopant; and a second field stop layer arranged between the second base layer and the body region, the second field stop layer comprising a n-type dopant.

An ESD Protection Device includes a semiconductor body including a substrate, conductivity regions, and emitter and collector portions. Laterally adjacent first and second conductivity regions are arranged at least partially within the semiconductor body. The emitter and collector portions are disposed in contact with and arranged over the first and second conductivity regions respectively. The third conductivity region is disposed between the second conductivity region and the collector portion. The first and third conductivity regions have a first conductivity type. The second conductivity region, and the emitter and collector portions have a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type. When an electrostatic discharge level exceeds a predetermined level, a first discharge current passes between the emitter portion and the collector portion through the first and second conductivity regions. A second discharge current subsequently occurs and passes between the first and third conductivity regions through the second conductivity region.

SCRs are a must for ESD protection in low voltagehigh speed I/O as well as ESD protection of RF pads due to least parasitic loading and smallest foot print offered by SCRs. However, conventionally designed SCRs in FinFET and Nanowire technology suffer from very high turn-on and holding voltage. This issue becomes more severe in sub-14 nm non-planar technologies and cannot be handled by conventional approaches like diode- or transient-turn-on techniques. Proposed invention discloses SCR concept for FinFET and Nanowire technology with diffused junction profiles with sub-3V trigger and holding voltage for efficient and robust ESD protection. Besides low trigger and holding voltage, the proposed device offers a 3 times better ESD robustness per unit area.

An insulated gate turn-off thyristor has a layered structure including a p+ layer (e.g., a substrate), an n-epi layer, a p-well, vertical insulated gate regions formed in the p-well, and an n layer over the p-well and between the gate regions, so that vertical npn and pnp transistors are formed. After forming the p-well, boron ions are implanted into the exposed surface of the p-well to form a p+ region. The n-epi layer is then grown over the p-well and the p+ region, and the boron in the p+ region is diffused upward into the n-epi layer and downward to form an intermediate p+ region. The p-well's highly doped intermediate region enables improvement in the npn transistor efficiency as well as enabling more independent control over the characteristics of the n-type layer (emitter) and the overall dopant concentration and thickness of the p-type base to optimize the thyristor's performance.