Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Jam-Wem Lee

Yi-Feng Chang

Wun-Jie Lin

Ming-Hsiang Song

Li-Wei Chu

Po-Lin Peng

Tsung-Che Tsai

Yu-Ti Su

Kuo-Ji Chen

Jen-Chou Tseng

Ming-Fu Tsai

Tao-Yi Hung

Shu-Yu Su

Yu-Der Chih

Shao-Yu Chou

Chia-Wei Hsu

Chen-Ming Hung

Shu-Chuan Lee

Tzu-Heng Chang

Chia-Jung Chang

Ching-Hsiung Lo

Yu-Hung Yeh

Kuan-Lun Cheng

Ching-Wei Tsai

Bao-Ru Young

Tung-Heng Hsieh

Yue-Der Chih

Yu-Xuan Huang

Cheng-Hsiung Kuo

Chun-Chia Hsu

Chih-Hung Wang

Hsiang-Hui Cheng

Yung-Feng Chang

Hung-Cheng Sung

Bo-Ting Chen

Wan-Yen Lin

Han-Jen Yang

Yu-Ying Hsu

Tao Yi Hung

Tzu-Hao Chiang

Chia-En Huang

Hung Cho Wang

Chia-Hui Chen

Hsi-Yu Kuo

Roger Wang

Yun-Pei Huang

Andy Lo

Shou Ming Liu

Devices, circuits, and methods for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection are provided. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a first transistor connected between a first voltage and a second voltage, and a first control circuit connected between the first voltage and the second voltage, and configured to supply a control signal to the first transistor. The circuit further comprises a second transistor connected between the second voltage and a third voltage, and a second control circuit connected between the second voltage and the third voltage, and configured to supply a control signal to the second transistor. The first control circuit and the second control circuit are connected to each other via a first interconnect and a second interconnect. The first and second transistors are configured to turn on in response to an ESD event.

ESD power clamp devices and circuits

A semiconductor device includes a first diode having a first cathode and a first anode, wherein the first cathode is floating. The semiconductor device includes a second diode having a second cathode and a second anode, wherein the first anode is coupled to the second anode with the second cathode connected to a first supply voltage. The semiconductor device includes a third diode having a third cathode and a third anode, wherein the third cathode is connected to the first anode at an input/output pin, with the third anode connected to a second supply voltage. The second anode is coupled to a circuit that is powered by the first supply voltage and the second supply voltage. The first diode has a first size and the second diode has a second size, and the first size is substantially greater than the second size.

Electrostatic discharge diodes with different sizes and methods of manufacturing thereof

A semiconductor device includes a first to sixth regions, a first gate, a first metal contact and a second metal contact. The second region is disposed opposite to the first region with respect to the first gate. The first metal contact couples the first region to the second region. The fourth region is disposed opposite to the third region with respect to the first gate. The second metal contact is coupling the third region to the fourth region. The fifth region is disposed between the first gate and the second region, and is disconnected from the first metal contact and the second metal contact. The sixth region is disposed between the first gate and the first region, and is disconnected from the first metal contact and the second metal contact.

Semiconductor device including transistors sharing gates with structures having reduced parasitic circuit

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes a first and second diode in a semiconductor wafer, an ESD clamp circuit and a first conductive structure on a backside of a semiconductor wafer. The first diode is coupled between an input output (IO) pad and a first node. The second diode is coupled to the first diode, and coupled between the IO pad and a second node. The ESD clamp circuit is in the semiconductor wafer, coupled to the first and second node, and between the first and second diode. The ESD clamp circuit includes a first signal tap region in the semiconductor wafer that is coupled to a reference voltage supply. The second diode is coupled to and configured to share the first signal tap region with the ESD clamp circuit. The first conductive structure is configured to provide a reference voltage to the first signal tap region.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit and method of operating the same

Systems and methods are provided for a self-biasing electro-static discharge (ESD) power clamp. The ESD power clamp comprises an ESD detection circuit coupled to a positive supply voltage node and a ground voltage node. The ESD detection circuit includes a first node having a first voltage level during a standby mode and a second voltage level during an ESD mode. The ESD power clamp further comprises a discharge circuit coupled to the ESD detection circuit that includes a plurality of discharge elements a self-biasing node having a third voltage level during the standby mode. The third voltage level provides a voltage drop across at least one of the discharge elements that is less than the first voltage level. The discharge circuit provides a high-impedance path during the standby mode and a low-impedance path during the ESD mode.

Self-biasing ESD power clamp

A semiconductor device is provided, including a first well of a first conductivity type disposed on a substrate, a second well of a second conductivity type, different from the conductivity type, surrounding the first well in a layout view, a third well of the first conductivity type, in which a portion of the second well is interposed between the first well and the third well, a first doped region of the second conductivity type that is in the first well and coupled to an input/output (I/O) pad; and at least one second doped region of the first conductivity type that is in the third well and coupled to a first supply voltage terminal. The first doped region, the at least one second doped region, the first well and the third well discharge a first electrostatic discharge (ESD) current between the I/O pad and the first voltage terminal.

Semiconductor device having multiple electrostatic discharge (ESD) paths

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) structures are provided. An ESD structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a first epitaxy region with a first type of conductivity over the semiconductor substrate, a second epitaxy region with a second type of conductivity over the semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of semiconductor layers. The semiconductor layers are stacked over the semiconductor substrate and between the first and second epitaxy regions. A first conductive feature is formed over the first epitaxy region and outside an oxide diffusion region. A second conductive feature is formed over the second epitaxy region and outside the oxide diffusion region. A third conductive feature is formed over the first epitaxy region and within the oxide diffusion region. A fourth conductive feature is formed over the second epitaxy region and within the oxide diffusion region. The oxide diffusion region is disposed between the first and second conductive features.

ESD structure

In some aspects of the present disclosure, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is disclosed. In some aspects, the ESD protection circuit includes a first transistor coupled to a pad, a second transistor coupled between the first transistor and ground, a stack of transistors coupled to the first transistor, and an ESD clamp coupled between the stack of transistors and the ground.

Circuit and method for high voltage tolerant ESD protection

The present disclosure provides embodiments of semiconductor devices. A semiconductor device according to the present disclosure include an elongated semiconductor member surrounded by an isolation feature and extending lengthwise along a first direction, a first source/drain feature and a second source/drain feature over a top surface of the elongated semiconductor member, a vertical stack of channel members each extending lengthwise between the first source/drain feature and the second source/drain feature along the first direction, a gate structure wrapping around each of the channel members, an epitaxial layer deposited on the bottom surface of the elongated semiconductor member, a silicide layer disposed on the epitaxial layer, and a conductive layer disposed on the silicide layer.

Backside PN junction diode

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection apparatus and method for fabricating the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the ESD protection apparatus, comprises: an internal circuit patterned in a device wafer and electrically coupled between a first node and a second node, an array of electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuits patterned in a carrier wafer, where the ESD circuits are electrically coupled between a first node and a second node and configured to protect the internal circuit from transient ESD events, and where the device wafer is bonded to the carrier wafer.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) array with back end of line (BEOL) connection in a carrier wafer

A semiconductor device includes a substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a doped well in the substrate, wherein the doped well comprises a first concentration of dopants of a first type in the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a doped region in the substrate, wherein the doped region comprises a second concentration of the dopants of the first type, the doped region extends around the doped well, and the doped region is electrically insulated from the doped well. The semiconductor device further includes an active area, and wherein the active area comprises an emitter region and a collector region, wherein the emitter region is electrically connected to the doped region. The semiconductor device further includes a deep trench isolation (DTI) structure extending through the active area and between the emitter region and the collector region.

Electrostatic discharge protection device and method of making

An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first connection tower, and one or more first front side conductors and one or more first front side metal vias. The semiconductor substrate includes a first semiconductor substrate segment having first functional circuitry and a second semiconductor substrate segment having a first electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp circuit. The first connection tower connects to an input/output pad. The one or more first front side conductors and one or more first front side metal vias connect the first buried connection tower to the first functional circuitry in the first semiconductor substrate segment and to the first ESD clamp circuit in the second semiconductor substrate segment.

Integrated circuit and method of manufacturing same

A method of making a semiconductor device includes manufacturing doped zones in a first semiconductor material over a substrate. The method further includes forming an isolation structure between adjacent doped zones of the first semiconductor material. The method further includes manufacturing lines extending in a first direction over the doped zones of the first semiconductor material, wherein each of the lines has a line width measured along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The method further includes trimming the lines into line segments having ends over the isolation structure. The method further includes etching a transistor gate electrode over the substrate, wherein transistor gate electrode has a gate electrode width measured along the second direction, and wherein the line width is substantially similar to the gate electrode width.

Method of making semiconductor device electrostatic discharge diode

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a semiconductor substrate having a first protected circuit, and forming a first guard ring around the first protected circuit including: forming a first wall configured to provide a first reference voltage; and forming a second wall configured to provide a second reference voltage different than the first reference voltage.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing same

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection apparatus and method for fabricating the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the ESD protection apparatus, comprises: a plurality of transistors patterned on a semiconductor substrate during a front-end-of-line (FEOL) process, metal interconnects formed on top of the plurality of transistors during a back-end-of-line (BEOL) process and configured to interconnect the plurality of transistors, and a plurality of passive components formed under the semiconductor substrate in a backside layer during a backside a back-end-of-line (B-BEOL) process, wherein the plurality of passive components are connected to the plurality of transistors through a plurality of vias.

Electrical passive elements of an ESD power clamp in a backside back end of line (B-BEOL) process

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Zhubei, Taiwan

Jam-Wem Lee