Electrical overstress protection via silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) trigger amplification control is provided. In certain configurations, an overstress protection circuit includes a control circuit for detecting presence of an overstress event between a first pad and a second pad of an interface, and a discharge circuit electrically connected between the first pad and the second pad and selectively activated by the control circuit. The interface corresponds to an electronic interface of an integrated circuit (IC), a System on a Chip (SoC), or System in-a-Package (SiP). The discharge circuit includes a first smaller SCR and a second larger SCR. In response to detecting an overstress event, the control circuit activates the smaller SCR, which in turn activates the larger SCR to provide clamping between the first pad and the second pad.

There is provided a thyristor having emitter shorts, wherein in an orthogonal projection onto a plane parallel to a first main side, a contact area covered by an electrical contact of a first electrode layer with a first emitter layer and the emitter shorts includes areas in the shape of lanes, in which an area coverage of the emitter shorts is less than the area coverage of emitter shorts in the remaining area of the contact area, wherein the area coverage of the emitter shorts in a specific area is the area covered by the emitter shorts in that specific area relative to the specific area. The thyristor of the invention exhibits a fast turn-on process even without complicated amplifying gate structure.

A power semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor body coupled to a first load terminal and a second load terminal, and includes: a first doped region of a second conductivity type electrically connected to the first load terminal; a recombination zone arranged at least within the first doped region; an emitter region of the second conductivity type electrically connected to the second load terminal; and a drift region of a first conductivity type arranged between the first doped region and the emitter region. The drift region and the first doped region enable the power semiconductor device to operate in: a conducting state during which a load current between the load terminals is conducted along a forward direction; in a forward blocking state during which a forward voltage applied between the load terminals is blocked; and in a reverse blocking state during which a reverse voltage applied between the terminals is blocked.

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 thyristor includes a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a first conductivity type carrier injection layer on the semiconductor layer, a second conductivity type drift layer on the carrier injection layer, a first conductivity type base layer on the drift layer, and a second conductivity type anode region on the base layer. The thickness and doping concentration of the carrier injection layer are selected to reduce minority carrier injection by the carrier injection layer in response to an increase in operating temperature of the thyristor. A cross-over current density at which the thyristor shifts from a negative temperature coefficient of forward voltage to a positive temperature coefficient of forward voltage is thereby reduced.

There is provided a thyristor having emitter shorts, wherein in an orthogonal projection onto a plane parallel to a first main side, a contact area covered by an electrical contact of a first electrode layer with a first emitter layer and the emitter shorts includes areas in the shape of lanes, in which an area coverage of the emitter shorts is less than the area coverage of emitter shorts in the remaining area of the contact area, wherein the area coverage of the emitter shorts in a specific area is the area covered by the emitter shorts in that specific area relative to the specific area. The thyristor of the invention exhibits a fast turn-on process even without complicated amplifying gale structure.

A semiconductor device is produced by providing a semiconductor substrate, forming an epitaxial layer on the semiconductor substrate, and introducing dopant atoms of a first doping type and dopant atoms of a second doping type into the epitaxial layer.

A semiconductor component including a short-circuit structure. One embodiment provides a semiconductor component having a semiconductor body composed of doped semiconductor material. The semiconductor body includes a first zone of a first conduction type and a second zone of a second conduction type, complementary to the first conduction type, the second zone adjoining the first zone. The first zone and the second zone are coupled to an electrically highly conductive layer. A connection zone of the second conduction type is arranged between the second zone and the electrically highly conductive layer.

A thyristor is disclosed comprising: a first region of a first conductivity type; a second region of a second conductivity type and adjoining the first region; a third region of the first conductivity type and adjoining the second region; a fourth region of the second conductivity type and comprising a first segment and a second segment separate from the first segment, the first segment and second segment each adjoining the third region; a first contact adjoining the first region; a second contact adjoining the first segment; and a trigger contact adjoining the second segment and separate from the second contact.