A transistor includes a substrate of a first conductivity type. An epitaxial layer of the first conductivity type is formed at a top surface of the substrate. A first region of the first conductivity type is formed as a well in the epitaxial layer. A second region of a second conductivity type is formed as a well in the epitaxial layer adjacent to the first region and the second conductivity type is opposite of the first conductivity type. A third region of the second conductivity type is formed in the first region and a portion of the first region forms a channel region between the third region and the second region. An emitter region of the first conductivity type is formed in the second region. A gate dielectric is formed over the channel region, and a gate electrode is formed on gate dielectric with the gate electrode overlapping at least a portion of second region and the third region.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure that provides snapback protections to one or more high voltage circuit components. The ESD protection structure can be integrated along a peripheral region of a high voltage circuit, such as a high side gate driver of a driver circuit. The ESD protection structure includes a bipolar transistor structure interfacing with a PN junction of a high voltage device, which is configured to discharge the ESD current during an ESD event. The bipolar transistor structure has a collector region overlapping the PN junction, a base region embedded with sufficient pinch resistance to launch the snapback protection, and an emitter region for discharging the ESD current.

A semiconductor integrated circuit for driving a control terminal of a switching device includes: a driver circuit that alternately applies a positive voltage supplied from a positive voltage source and a negative voltage supplied from a negative voltage source to the control terminal in order to switch the switching device ON and OFF; and a negative voltage clamp diode that is integrated into a semiconductor chip on which the driver circuit is formed, an anode thereof being connected to the negative voltage source and a cathode thereof being connected to the control terminal.

An SOI IC includes a polysilicon/silicon plug extending through the buried insulation layer between a P-type handle layer and a P-type device layer. An N-type well region is formed in the device layer over the polysilicon/silicon plug, and then a high-voltage (HV) device is formed in the well region such that part of its drift region is located over the polysilicon/silicon plug. Doping of the well region, the polysilicon/silicon plug and the handle layer is coordinated to form a P-N junction diode that couples the HV device, by way of the polysilicon/silicon plug, to a ground potential applied to the handle layer, thereby increasing the HV device's breakdown voltage by expanding its depletion region to include the handle layer. The polysilicon/silicon plug grows in holes formed through the insulation layer during the epitaxial silicon growth process used to form the device layer.

In an example, a semiconductor structure includes a region of semiconductor material of a first conductivity type and a first side. A doped region of a second conductivity type is within the region of semiconductor material at a first depth. A semiconductor device in a first portion of the region of semiconductor material and includes a first current carrying region of the second conductivity type and a second current carrying region. A PN diode is in a second portion of the region of semiconductor material and includes a cathode region and anode region. The cathode region is coupled to the first current carrying region, the anode region is coupled to the doped region, and the doped region is configured to electrically isolate the semiconductor device from region of semiconductor material below the doped region in response to a forward bias applied to the semiconductor.

A BCD semiconductor device includes devices integrated on a single chip. The devices include a first high voltage nLIGBT device, a second high voltage nLIGBT device, a first high voltage nLDMOS device, a second high voltage nLDMOS device, a third high voltage nLDMOS device, a first high voltage pLDMOS device and low voltage NMOS, PMOS and PNP devices, and a diode device. A dielectric isolation is applied to the high voltage nLIGBT, nLDMOS and pLDMOS devices to realize a complete isolation between the high and low voltage devices. The nLIGBT, nLDMOS, NPN and low voltage NMOS and PMOS are integrated on the substrate of a single chip. The isolation region composed of the dielectric, the second conductivity type buried layer, the dielectric trench, and the first conductivity type implanted region realizes full dielectric isolation of high and low voltage devices. The six types of high voltage transistors have multiple channels.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure that provides snapback protections to one or more high voltage circuit components. The ESD protection structure can be integrated along a peripheral region of a high voltage circuit, such as a high side gate driver of a driver circuit. The ESD protection structure includes a bipolar transistor structure interfacing with a PN junction of a high voltage device, which is configured to discharge the ESD current during an ESD event. The bipolar transistor structure has a collector region overlapping the PN junction, a base region embedded with sufficient pinch resistance to launch the snapback protection, and an emitter region for discharging the ESD current.

A high voltage device is used as a lower switch in a power stage of a switching regulator. The high voltage device includes at least one lateral diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device, a first isolation region, a second isolation region, a third isolation region, and a current limiting device. The first isolation region is located in a semiconductor layer, and encloses the LDMOS device. The second isolation region has a first conductivity type, and encloses the first isolation region in the semiconductor layer. The third isolation region has a second conductivity type, and encloses the second isolation region in the semiconductor layer. The current limiting device is electrically connected to the second isolation region, and is configured to operably suppress a parasitic silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) from being turned on.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure that provides snapback protections to one or more high voltage circuit components. The ESD protection structure can be integrated along a peripheral region of a high voltage circuit, such as a high side gate driver of a driver circuit. The ESD protection structure includes a bipolar transistor structure interfacing with a PN junction of a high voltage device, which is configured to discharge the ESD current during an ESD event. The bipolar transistor structure has a collector region overlapping the PN junction, a base region embedded with sufficient pinch resistance to launch the snapback protection, and an emitter region for discharging the ESD current.

Provided are a semiconductor device capable of preventing erroneous operation and providing a field plate effect, and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device. In a diode, a gate electrode, a p.sup.+ source region, and an n-type body region are electrically coupled to one another. A contact region is disposed between the n-type body region and the p.sup.+ source region in a first surface of a semiconductor substrate.