Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation

Chieh-Yao Chuang

Shao-Chang Huang

Yeh-Ning Jou

Jung-Tsun Chuang

Hsien-Feng Liao

Hung-Wei Chen

Chih-Hsuan Lin

Ching-Ho Li

Wen-Hsin Lin

Hwa-Chyi Chiou

Kai-Chieh Hsu

Ting-Yu Chang

Ching-Wen Chen

Chi-Hung Lo

Jian-Hsing Lee

Chih-Cherng Liao

Ching-Yi Hsu

Li-Fan Chen

Chun-Chih Chen

Yu-Chen Wu

Jui-Lung Chen

Wei-Ting Chen

Gong-Kai Lin

Chien-Wei Wang

Chang-Min Lin

Jia-Rong Yeh

Wen-Tsung Wang

Wei-Shung Chen

Wei-Sung Chen

Yin-Ting Lin

Tien-Hui Huang

Nai-Lun Cheng

Yu-Yen Lin

Han-Pei Liu

Pei-Chun Yu

Sheng-Chih Chuang

Szu-Chi Chen

Wei-Chung Wu

Shang-Chuan Pai

Pang-Chuan Chen

Yi-Han Wu

A semiconductor structure is provided. At least one first well region is disposed in a semiconductor substrate and has a first conductivity type. At least one gate of a transistor is disposed over the first well region and extends in a first direction. At least one second well region and at least one third well region are disposed on opposite sides of the first well region and extend in the first direction. The second and third well regions have a second conductivity type. A first shielding structure is disposed on at least one end of the gate and partially overlaps the first well region in a vertical projection direction. The first shielding structure is separated from the end of the gate. A bulk ring is disposed in the semiconductor substrate and surrounds the gate, the second well region, the third well region, and the first shielding structure.

Semiconductor structure with a gate and a shielding structure

A trigger circuit coupled between an input-output pad and a core circuit and including an adjustment circuit and a protection circuit is provided. The adjustment circuit adjusts the voltage of the input-output pad to generate an output voltage. The protection circuit is coupled between the adjustment circuit and the core circuit and receives a system enable signal. In response to the system enable signal being disabled or an electrostatic discharge (ESD) event occurring on the input-output pad, the protection circuit disables the core circuit according to the output voltage. In response to the system enable signal being enabled, the protection circuit stops disabling the core circuit.

Trigger circuit and operating circuit

An ESD protection circuit is coupled to a first pad and includes an ESD detection circuit, a P-type transistor, an N-type transistor, and a discharge circuit. The ESD detection circuit determines whether an ESD event occurs on the first pad to generate a detection signal at a first node. The P-type transistor comprises a source coupled to the first pad, a drain coupled to a second node, and a gate coupled to the first node. The N-type transistor comprises a drain coupled to the second node, a source coupled to a ground, and a gate coupled to a second pad. The discharge circuit is coupled between the first pad and the ground and controlled by a driving signal at the second node. When the ESD protection circuit is in an operation mode, the first pad receives a first voltage, and a second pad receives a second voltage.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit

An ESD protection circuit includes a buffer circuit, a driving circuit, and a power-clamping circuit. The buffer circuit includes first and second transistors having a first conductivity type coupled in a cascade configuration between a first node and a first power supply node. A bonding pad is coupled to the first node. The drive circuit determines a state of at least one of the first and second transistors according to a control voltage. The drive circuit includes a third transistor having a second conductivity type, which is coupled between a second power supply node and a gate of the first transistor and is controlled by the control signal. The power-clamping circuit is coupled to the bonding pad and a gate of the third transistor at a second node. The control voltage is generated at the second node and determined by a voltage at the bonding pad.

An ESD protection device includes a substrate, an epitaxial layer, first to third well regions, and first to sixth doped regions. The first to third well regions are disposed in the epitaxial layer. The third well region is disposed between the first and second well regions. The first and second doped regions are disposed on the first well region and coupled to a pad. The third and fourth doped regions are disposed on the second well region and coupled to a ground terminal. The fifth doped region is disposed on the third well region, and the sixth doped region is disposed in the fifth doped region. The third, fifth, and sixth doped regions have the same conductive type. In response to an electrostatic discharge event occurring on the pad, a discharge path is formed between the pad and the ground terminal.

Electrostatic discharge protection device

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit including a detection circuit, a voltage-divider element, and a discharge element is provided. The detection circuit is coupled between a first power line and a second power line. In response to an ESD event, the detection circuit enables a turn-on signal. The voltage-divider element is coupled between the first power line and a third power line and receives the turn-on signal. The discharge element is coupled between the second and third power lines. In response to the turn-on signal being enabled, the first discharge element discharges an ESD current.

A semiconductor structure including a substrate, a first well, a second well, a first doped region, a second doped region, a gate electrode, an insulating layer, a field plate, and a tunable circuit is provided. The first and second wells are formed on the substrate. The first doped region is formed in the first well. The second doped region is formed in the second well. The gate electrode is disposed over the substrate. The gate electrode, the first doped region, and the second doped region constitute a transistor. The insulating layer is disposed on the substrate and overlaps the gate electrode. The field plate overlaps the insulating layer and the gate electrode. The tunable circuit provides either a first short-circuit path between the field plate and the gate electrode, or a second short-circuit path between the field plate and the first doped region.

Semiconductor structure and operation circuit

The protection circuit includes a detection circuit and a discharge circuit. The detection circuit is coupled to first and second power bonding pads and detects whether an ESD event or an EOS event occurs at the first power bonding pad. The detection circuit controls a detection voltage on a detection node according to a detection result. The first and second power bonding pads belong to different power domains. The discharge circuit is coupled to the detection node and the first power pad. In response to the ESD event occurring at the first power bonding pad, the discharge circuit provides a discharge path between the first power bonding pad and a ground terminal according to the detection voltage. In response to the EOS event occurring at the first power bonding pad, the detection circuit activates a second discharge path between the first power bonding pad and the ground terminal.

Protection circuits

An electrostatic discharge protection circuit is provided. The electrostatic discharge protection circuit includes an electrostatic discharge detection circuit, a discharge circuit, and a switch. The electrostatic discharge detection circuit detects whether an electrostatic discharge event occurs at the bounding pad to generate a first detection circuit. The discharge circuit receives the first detection signal. When the electrostatic discharge event occurs at the bounding pad, the discharge circuit provides a discharge path between the bounding pad and a ground terminal according to the first detection signal. The switch is coupled between the core circuit and the ground terminal and controlled by the first detection signal. When the electrostatic discharge event occurs at the bounding pad, the switch is turned off according to the first detection signal.

Integrated circuit and electrostatic discharge protection circuit thereof

A control circuit providing an output voltage and including an N-type transistor, a first P-type transistor and a second P-type transistor is provided. The N-type transistor is coupled to a first power terminal. The first P-type transistor includes a first source, a first drain, a first gate and a first bulk. The first gate is coupled to a gate of the N-type transistor. The first bulk is coupled to the first source. The second P-type transistor includes a second source, a second drain, a second gate and a second bulk. The second source is coupled to a second power terminal. The second drain and the second bulk are coupled to the first bulk.

Control circuit and operating circuit utilizing the same

A voltage regulation circuit is suitable to provide an output voltage to a core circuit. The voltage regulation circuit includes a pad, a pull-low unit, a first controlling unit, a second controlling unit and a voltage regulation circuit. The pad receives and provides an input voltage. The pull-low unit generates a pull-low voltage according to the input voltage. The first controlling unit generates a first controlling signal according to the input voltage and the pull-low voltage. The second controlling unit generates a second controlling signal according to the input voltage and the first controlling signal. The voltage regulation unit regulates the input voltage according to the first controlling signal and the second controlling signal, so as to generate the output voltage.

Voltage regulation circuit suitable to provide output voltage to core circuit

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is provided. A detector is coupled between a first input-output pad and a second input-output pad and detects the voltage levels of the first and second input-output pads to generate a detection signal. A inverter generates a control signal according to the detection signal. A control element is coupled between the first input-output pad and a first node. A current release element is coupled between the first node and the second input-output pad. When the detection signal is at a specific level, the control element and the current release element provide a discharge path to release an ESD current from the first input-output pad to the second input-output pad. When the detection signal is not at the specific level, the control element and the current release element do not provide a discharge path.

An anti-floating circuit including a first pull-high circuit, a first pull-low circuit and a first control circuit is provided. The first pull-high circuit includes a first P-type transistor and a second P-type transistor and is coupled to a first power terminal. The first pull-low circuit includes a first N-type transistor and a second N-type transistor and is coupled to a second power terminal. A first path is between the first P-type transistor and the first N-type transistor. A second path is between the second P-type transistor and the second N-type transistor. A third path is between the first P-type transistor and the second power terminal. In the first mode, the control circuit turns on the first and second paths and turns off the third path. In the second mode, the control circuit turns off the first and second paths and turns on the third path.

Anti-floating circuit

A power-on control circuit controlling a first output switch and a second output switch is provided. A detecting circuit detects a first voltage to generate a detection signal to a first node. A switching circuit receives the first voltage and a second voltage and transmits the first or second voltage to a second node according to the voltage level of the first node. A setting circuit generates a feedback signal to the first node according to a voltage level of the second node. When the first voltage reaches a first pre-determined value and the second voltage has not reached a second pre-determined value, the switching circuit transmits the second voltage to the second node. When the second voltage reaches the second pre-determined value, the switching circuit transmits the first voltage to the second node.

Power-on control circuit

A power-on control circuit is provided. The power-on control circuit includes first and second power terminals, a switch circuit, an inverter chain circuit, and a capacitor. The switch circuit has a control terminal receiving a first control signal, an input terminal coupled to the second power terminal, and an output terminal coupled to a first node. The inverter chain circuit has an input terminal coupled to the first node and generates the first control signal. The capacitor is coupled between the first node and a ground. When the first power terminal receives a first voltage and the second power terminal does not receive a second voltage, the switch circuit is turned on according to the first control signal. When the first power terminal receives the first voltage and the second power terminal receives the second voltage, the switch circuit is turned off according to the first control signal.

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Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Chieh-Yao Chuang