Memory systems and devices with source plate discharge circuits (and associated methods) are described herein. In one embodiment, a memory device includes (a) a plurality of memory cells, (b) a source plate electrically coupled to the plurality of memory cells, and (c) a discharge circuit. The discharge circuit can include a bipolar junction transistor device electrically coupled to the source plate and configured to drop a voltage at the source plate by, for example, discharging current through the bipolar junction transistor device. In some embodiments, the bipolar junction transistor device can be activated using a low-voltage switch or a high-voltage switch electrically coupled to the bipolar junction transistor. In these and other embodiments, the bipolar junction transistor device can operate in an avalanche mode while discharging current to drop the voltage at the source plate.

Structures for a bipolar junction transistor and methods of forming a structure for a bipolar junction transistor. The structure includes an emitter having a raised portion, a collector having a raised portion, and a base having a base layer and an extrinsic base layer stacked with the base layer. The base layer and the extrinsic base layer are positioned in a lateral direction between the raised portion of the emitter and the raised portion of the collector, the base layer has a first width in the lateral direction, the extrinsic base layer has a second width in the lateral direction, and the second width is greater than the first width.

A bipolar transistor includes a stack of an emitter, a base, and a collector. The base is structured to have a comb shape including fingers oriented in a plane orthogonal to a stacking direction of the stack.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device including: a substrate including: a first, second and third doped regions, the second doped region disposed between the first and third doped regions, the second doped region has a first conductivity type and a first doping concentration and the first and third doped regions have a second conductivity type and a second doping concentration; first and second doped terminal regions disposed within the first and second doped regions, respectively; and a doped island region disposed within the second doped region, the first and second doped terminal regions and doped island region have the second conductivity type and a third doping concentration, the third doping concentration higher than the first and second doping concentrations; and conductive terminals respectively coupled to the doped terminal regions; and an insulation layer arranged on the substrate between the conductive terminals and covering at least the second doped region.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a lateral bipolar transistor structure with an emitter/collector (E/C) contact to a doped semiconductor well and related methods. A bipolar transistor structure according to the disclosure may include a doped semiconductor well over a semiconductor substrate. An insulative region is on the doped semiconductor well. A base layer is on the insulative region, and an emitter/collector (E/C) layer on the insulative region and adjacent a first sidewall of the base layer. An E/C contact to the doped semiconductor well includes a lower portion adjacent the insulative region and an upper portion adjacent and electrically coupled to the E/C layer.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a bipolar transistor structure including a semiconductor fin on a substrate. The semiconductor fin has a first doping type, a length in a first direction, and a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A first emitter/collector (E/C) material is adjacent a first sidewall of the semiconductor fin along the width of the semiconductor fin. The first E/C material has a second doping type opposite the first doping type. A second E/C material is adjacent a second sidewall of the semiconductor fin along the width of the semiconductor fin. The second E/C material has the second doping type. A width of the first E/C material is different from a width of the second E/C material.

A lateral transistor tile is formed with first and second collector regions that longitudinally span first and second sides of the transistor tile; and a base region and an emitter region that are between the first and second collector regions and are both centered on a longitudinal midline of the transistor tile. A base-collector current, a collector-emitter current, and a base-emitter current flow horizontally; and the direction of the base-emitter current is perpendicular to the direction of the base-collector current and the collector-emitter current. Lateral BJT transistors having a variety of layouts are formed from a plurality of the tiles and share common components thereof.

A semiconductor device includes an emitter, a base, and a collector. A portion of the collector is located below a trench in a substrate. A collector silicide is located on at least a portion of a bottom portion of the trench and on at least a portion of a sidewall of the trench. The collector silicide structure is electrically coupled to a collector contact structure.

Disclosed is a semiconductor structure including at least one bipolar junction transistor (BJT), which is uniquely configured so that fabrication of the BJT can be readily integrated with fabrication of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices on an advanced silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The BJT has an emitter, a base, and a collector laid out horizontally across an insulator layer and physically separated. Extension regions extend laterally between the emitter and the base and between the base and the collector and are doped to provide junctions between the emitter and the base and between the base and the collector. Gate structures are on the extension regions. The emitter, base, and collector are contacted. Optionally, the gate structures and a substrate below the insulator layer are contacted and can be biased to optimize BJT performance. Optionally, the structure further includes one or more CMOS devices. Also disclosed is a method of forming the structure.

Structures including III-V compound semiconductor-based devices and silicon-based devices integrated on a semiconductor substrate and methods of forming such structures. The structure includes a substrate having a device layer, a handle substrate, and a buried insulator layer between the handle substrate and the device layer. The structure includes a first semiconductor layer on the device layer in a first device region, and a second semiconductor layer on the device layer in a second device region. The first semiconductor layer contains a III-V compound semiconductor material, and the second semiconductor layer contains silicon. A first device structure includes a gate structure on the first semiconductor layer, and a second device structure includes a doped region in the second semiconductor layer. The doped region and the second semiconductor layer define a p-n junction.