A silicon controlled rectifier, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit including the silicon controlled rectifier and an integrated circuit including the silicon controlled rectifier or ESD protection circuit. The silicon controlled rectifier includes a first region having a first conductivity type and a second region having a second conductivity type located adjacent the first region in a semiconductor substrate. A junction is formed at a boundary between the first region and the second region. Contact regions of the first conductivity type and the second conductivity type located in each of the first region and the second region. A further contact region of the second conductivity type is located in the second region, in between the contact region of the first conductivity type and the junction. The further contact region and the contact region of the second conductivity type in the second region are connected together for biasing the second region.

An electrostatic discharge protection device including a silicon controlled rectifier. In one example, the silicon controlled rectifier includes a first n-type region located in a semiconductor substrate. The silicon controlled rectifier also includes a first p-type region located adjacent the first n-type region in the semiconductor substrate. The silicon controlled rectifier further includes an n-type contact region and a p-type contact region located in the first n-type region. The silicon controlled rectifier also includes an n-type contact region and a p-type contact region located in the first p-type region. The silicon controlled rectifier further includes a blocking region having a higher resistivity than the first p-type region. The blocking region is located between the n-type contact region and the p-type contact region in the first p-type region for reducing a trigger voltage of the silicon controlled rectifier.

An ESD protection semiconductor device includes a substrate, a buried layer buried in the substrate, a first well formed in the substrate, a first doped region formed in the first well, a second doped region formed in the first well and adjacent to the first doped region, a second well formed in the first well, and a third doped region formed in the second well. The buried layer, the first well, the first doped region, and the third doped region include a first conductivity type while the second doped region and the second well include a second conductivity type complementary to the first conductivity type. The second well is spaced apart from the first doped region and the second doped region by the first well.

Circuit configurations and related methods are provided that may be implemented using insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device circuitry to protect at risk circuitry (e.g., such as high voltage output buffer circuitry or any other circuitry subject to undesirable ESD events) from damage due to ESD events that may occur during system assembly. The magnitude of the trigger voltage V.sub.T1 threshold for an IGBT ESD protection device may be dynamically controlled between at least two different values so that trigger voltage V.sub.T1 threshold for an IGBT ESD protection device may be selectively reduced when needed to better enable ESD operation.

A semiconductor device includes a P-type semiconductor substrate, an N-well and a P-well disposed adjacent to each other and extending along a first direction within the P-type semiconductor substrate, a first N+ doped region and a first P+ doped region extending along the first direction within the N-well and spaced away from each other along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second N+ doped region and a second P+ doped region extending along the first direction within the P-well and spaced away from each other along the second direction, and a plurality of third N+ doped regions and a plurality of P+ doped regions alternatively disposed in a junction region formed between the N-well and P-well the third N+ doped regions. The third N+ doped regions and the third P+ doped regions form a Zener diode.

A semiconductor device is provided which comprises an ESD protection device. The structure of the semiconductor device comprises a p-doped isolated region in which a structure is manufactured which operates as a Silicon Controlled Rectifier which is coupled between an I/O pad and a reference voltage or ground voltage. The semiconductor device also comprises a pnp transistor which is coupled parallel to the Silicon Controlled Rectifier. The base of the transistor is coupled to the gate of the Silicon Controlled Rectifier. In an optional embodiment, the base and gate are also coupled to the I/O pad.

An electro-static discharge (ESD) protection device includes a first PN diode, a second PN diode and a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR). The first PN diode and the second PN diode are coupled in series between a pad and a ground voltage to provide a first discharge current path. The SCR is coupled between the pad and the ground voltage to provide a second discharge current path. The SCR has a PNPN structure.

An integrated circuit includes a vertical Shockley diode and a first vertical transistor. The diode is formed by, from top to bottom of a semiconductor substrate, a first region of a first conductivity type, a substrate of a second conductivity type, and a second region of the first conductivity type having a third region of the second conductivity type formed therein. The vertical transistor is formed by, also from top to bottom, a portion of the second region and a fourth region of the second conductivity type. The third and fourth regions are electrically connected to each other.

Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.

An electrostatic discharge protection device includes: a substrate of a second conductivity type, the substrate including a well of a first conductivity type; a cathode electrode connected to the substrate; a first diffusion region of the second conductivity type and a second diffusion region of the first conductivity type, formed in the substrate and connected to the cathode electrode; an anode electrode connected to the substrate; a third diffusion region of the second conductivity type and a fourth diffusion region of the first conductivity type, formed in the well and connected to the anode electrode; a fifth diffusion region of the first conductivity type, formed on a border of the substrate and the well; and a sixth diffusion region of the first conductivity type, formed in the substrate between the first and second diffusion regions and the fifth diffusion region and configured to receive a bias voltage from outside.