In one general aspect, an apparatus can include a semiconductor substrate, and a trench defined within the semiconductor substrate and having a depth aligned along a vertical axis, a length aligned along a longitudinal axis, and a width aligned along a horizontal axis. The apparatus includes a dielectric disposed within the trench, and an electrode disposed within the dielectric and insulated from the semiconductor substrate by the dielectric. The semiconductor substrate can have a portion aligned vertically and adjacent the trench, and the portion of the semiconductor substrate can have a conductivity type that is continuous along an entirety of the depth of the trench. The apparatus is biased to a normally-on state.

Disclosed are systems, devices, circuits, components, mechanisms, and processes in which a switching mechanism can be coupled between components. The switching mechanism is configured to have an on state or an off state, where the on state allows current to pass along a current path. A monitoring mechanism has one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path. The electrical characteristic can be a current, voltage, and/or power by way of example. The monitoring mechanism is configured to output a reporting signal indicating the sensed electrical characteristic. The monitoring mechanism can be integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip.

An ESD protecting circuit comprising: a first and a second voltage pad; an I/O pad; a first ESD protecting module, comprising a first terminal coupled to the first voltage pad, and comprising a second terminal; a switch, comprising a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first ESD protecting module, comprising a second terminal coupled to the I/O pad, and comprising a control terminal for receiving a control signal; a second ESD protecting module, comprising a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the MOS transistor, and comprising a second terminal coupled to the second voltage pad; and an ESD detecting circuit, for detecting if an ESD voltage exists, for generating the control signal to control the MOS transistor to be conductive when an ESD voltage is detected and to control the MOS transistor to be nonconductive when the ESD voltage is not detected.

A device is disclosed that includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a first PODE device. The second transistor is electrically coupled to the first transistor. The first PODE device is adjacent to a drain/source region of the second transistor. A control end of the first PODE device is electrically coupled to a drain/source end of the second transistor.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a substrate; forming a well region on the substrate; forming at least one first gate structure on the well region, wherein the first gate structure includes a gate insulating layer and a first gate electrode formed on the gate insulating layer, wherein the first gate electrode is formed having a first enclosed pattern on a surface of the well region; wherein an area inside the first enclosed pattern is defined as a first region, and an area outside the first enclosed pattern is defined as a second region; performing ion implantation on the first region such that the first region has a first conductivity type, and performing ion implantation on the second region such that the second region has a second conductivity type, wherein the first conductivity type and the second conductivity type are different.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) device for an integrated circuit includes a substrate having a longitudinally extending fin dispose thereon. A first n-type FinFET (NFET) is disposed within the fin. The NFET includes an n-type source, an n-type drain and a p-well disposed within the substrate under the source and drain. A p-type FinFET (PFET) is disposed within the fin. The PFET includes a p-type source/drain region and an n-well disposed within the substrate under the source/drain region. The n-well and p-well are located proximate enough to each other to form an np junction therebetween. The p-type source/drain region of the PFET and the n-type drain of the NFET are electrically connected to a common input node.

An analogue semiconductor device and a semiconductor IC device including the same include a substrate having a transistor, a MIM capacitor electrically separated from the transistor on the substrate and having a lower electrode, a dielectric layer and an upper electrode, interlayer insulation covering the transistor and the MIM capacitor and a BEOL resistor connected to the upper electrode and equipotential with the lower electrode. The BEOL resistor has a relatively large and easy-variable resistance with minimized parasitic capacitance between the resistor and the lower electrode of the MIM capacitor.

To make the dimension of an electrostatic protection circuit small with the same maintained high in sensitivity. The electrostatic protection circuit is of the configuration that a first diode and a second diode are connected in series, wherein a semiconductor layer owned by each diode is configured to be sandwiched between a gate electrode and a conductive light shielding film. The light shielding film is formed to overlap with the semiconductor layer and has a wider area than the semiconductor layer. This results in having a gate covering the semiconductor layer from an upper side and a back gate covering the semiconductor layer from a lower side, so that the sensitivity can be maintained high irrespective of decreasing the electrostatic protection circuit in dimension.

A device having an electrostatic discharge structure includes a bulk substrate having a first dopant conductivity, first wells formed adjacent to a surface of the bulk substrate, including a second dopant conductivity, and second wells formed adjacent to the surface of the bulk substrate within the first wells, including the first dopant conductivity. A supply bus is formed in one of the first wells outside the second well. A ground bus has a first portion formed in another first well outside the second well, and a second portion is formed inside the second well such that a charge input to the second wells is dissipated without accumulating in the bulk substrate.

Capacitor cells are provided. A first PMOS transistor has a source connected to a power supply and a drain connected to a first node. A first NMOS transistor has a source connected to a ground and a drain connected to a second node. A second PMOS transistor has a source connected to the second node and a drain connected to the first node. A second NMOS transistor has a source connected to the ground and a drain connected to the first node. A first P+ doped region is shared by drains of the first and second PMOS transistors. A first gate metal is between the first P+ doped region and a second P+ doped region. A first N+ doped region is shared by sources of the first and second NMOS transistors. A second gate metal is between the first N+ doped region and a second N+ doped region.