Silicon-controlled rectifiers, electrostatic discharge circuits, and methods of fabricating a silicon-controlled rectifier for use in an electrostatic discharge circuit. A device structure for the silicon controlled rectifier includes a first well of a first conductivity type in a semiconductor layer, a second well of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer, a cathode coupled with the first well, and an anode coupled with the second well. First and second body contacts are coupled with the first well, and the first and second body contacts each have the first conductivity type. A triggering device may be coupled with the first body contact.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface, first to eighth regions, a first thyristor, and a second thyristor. The seventh region with the impurity concentration higher than that of the first region is formed in the first region while being apart from the sixth region electrically connected to the gate electrode, and being electrically connected to the first electrode. The eighth region with the impurity concentration higher than that of the third region is formed in contact with the second surface side of the third region and the fourth region, and with the second surface, while being electrically connected to the fourth region by the second electrode. The seventh region has the impurity concentration higher than that of the first region. The eighth region has the impurity concentration higher than that of the third region.

A semiconductor device that can detect temperature appropriately is provided. A semiconductor device provided with a semiconductor substrate in which one or more transistor portions and one or more diode portions are provided is provided, including: a temperature detecting portion provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a longitudinal side in a predetermined longitudinal direction; a top surface electrode provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more external lines that have a connecting part connected with the top surface electrode and electrically connect the top surface electrode to a circuit outside the semiconductor device. The temperature detecting portion extends across the one or more transistor portions and the one or more diode portions in the longitudinal direction, and the connecting part of at least one of the external lines is arranged around the temperature detecting portion when seen from above.

A lateral semiconductor controlled rectifier (SCR) includes a pwell and an nwell A plurality of p+ contact regions connect to the pwell and are spaced apart from one another by a dielectric material along a width of the pwell. There are a plurality of n+ contact regions connect to the nwell and are spaced apart from one another by dielectric material along a width of the nwell.

Apparatus and methods for reducing minority carriers in a memory array are described herein. Minority carriers diffuse between ON cells and OFF cells, causing disturbances during write operation as well as reducing the retention lifetime of the cells. Minority Carrier Lifetime Killer (MCLK) region architectures are described for vertical thyristor memory arrays with insulation trenches. These MCLK regions encourage recombination of minority carriers. In particular, MCLK regions formed by conductors embedded along the cathode line of a thyristor array, as well as dopant MCLK regions are described, as well as methods for manufacturing thyristor memory cells with MCLK regions.

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.

An insulated gate turn-off (IGTO) device, formed as a die, has a layered structure including a p+ layer (e.g., a substrate), an n epi layer, a p-well, vertical insulated gate electrodes formed in the p-well, and n+ regions between the gate electrodes, so that vertical npn and pnp transistors are formed. The device is formed of a matrix of cells. To turn the device on, a positive voltage is applied to the gate electrodes, referenced to the cathode. To speed up the removal of residual electrons in the p-well after the gate electrode voltage is removed, a p+ region is added adjacent the n+ regions, and an n-layer is added below the p+ region. The cathode electrode directly contacts the p+ region and the n+ regions. During turn-off, the p+ region provides holes which recombine with the residual electrons to rapidly terminate the current flow.

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.

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 basecollector 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 semiconductor device includes trenches disposed in a first base layer of a first conductivity type at intervals to partition main and dummy cells, at a position remote from a collector layer of a second conductivity type. In the main cell, a second base layer of the second conductivity type, and an emitter layer of the first conductivity type are disposed. In the dummy cell, a buffer layer of the second conductivity type is disposed. A gate electrode is disposed, through a gate insulating film, in a trench adjacent to the main cell. A buffer resistor having an infinitely large resistance value is inserted between the buffer layer and emitter electrode. The dummy cell is provided with an inhibiting structure to reduce carriers of the second conductivity type to flow to and accumulate in the buffer layer from the collector layer.