Semiconductor integrated circuit device having an ESD protection circuit

• US 10,096,593 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Inventors: Usami, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TOBERGTE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US15/835,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20180108650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/528 Geometry or layout of the interconnection structure H01L27/0207 takes precedence; algorithms G06F30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5286 Arrangements of power or ground buses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0251 for MOS devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0255 using diodes as protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0259 using bipolar transistors as protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0262 including a PNP transistor and a NPN transistor, wherein each of said transistors has its base coupled to the collector of the other transistor, e.g. silicon controlled rectifier [SCR] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0266 using field effect transistors as protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0288 using passive elements as protective elements, e.g. resistors, capacitors, inductors, spark-gaps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0292 using a specific configuration of the conducting means connecting the protective devices, e.g. ESD buses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/861 Diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/87 Thyristor diodes, e.g. Shockley diodes, break-over diodes

Abstract

Diffusion regions having the same conductivity type are arranged on a side of a second wiring and a side of a third wiring, respectively under a first wiring connected to a signal terminal. Diffusion regions are separated in a whole part or one part of a range in a Y direction. That is, under first wiring, diffusion regions are only formed in parts opposed to diffusion regions formed under the second wiring and third wiring connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal, and a diffusion region is not formed in a central part in an X direction. Therefore, terminal capacity of the signal terminal can be reduced without causing ESD resistance to be reduced, in an ESD protection circuit with the signal terminal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device having an ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection circuit, wherein:

the ESD protection circuit comprises;

a first wiring extending in a first direction and electrically connected to a first terminal;

a second wiring and a third wiring extending in the first direction, electrically connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal, and disposed on both sides of the first wiring respectively;

a first region and a second region having a first conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the first wiring and disposed between the second wiring and the third wiring in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first and second regions being at least partially separated from each other and serving as one of an anode or a cathode of a diode;

a third region having a second conductivity type, that is connected to and formed under the second wiring and disposed so as to be opposed to the first region in the second direction; and

a fourth region having the second conductivity type, that is connected to and formed under the third wiring and disposed so as to be opposed to the second region in the second direction, the third and fourth regions serving as the other of an anode or a cathode of the diode,

the third region, the first region, the second region and the fourth region are disposed in this order in the second direction, and

the first conductivity type is different from the second conductivity type.

2. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the first, second, third and fourth regions has a rectangular shape and has a length in the first direction which is greater than a length in the second direction.

3. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein:

the length of each of the first and second regions in the second direction is smaller than the length of each of the third and fourth regions in the second direction.

4. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein:

the third and fourth regions are connected to each other through a connective region having the second conductivity type.

5. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the first region and the third region in the second direction, and

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the second region and the fourth region in the second direction.

6. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the first region and the third region in the second direction, and

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the second region and the fourth region in the second direction.

7. A semiconductor integrated circuit device having an ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection circuit, wherein:

the ESD protection circuit comprises;

a first wiring extending in a first direction and electrically connected to a first terminal;

a second wiring and a third wiring extending in the first direction, electrically connected to a second terminal, and disposed on both sides of the first wiring respectively;

a fourth wiring extending in the first direction and electrically connected to the first terminal;

a fifth wiring extending in the first direction and electrically connected to the second terminal;

a first region and a second region having a first conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the first wiring and disposed between the second wiring and the third wiring in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first and second regions being at least partially separated from each other;

a third region having a second conductivity type, that is connected to and formed under the second wiring and disposed so as to be opposed to the first region in the second direction;

a fourth region having the second conductivity type, that is connected to and formed under the third wiring and disposed so as to be opposed to the second region in the second direction,

a fifth region and a sixth region having the first conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the fourth wiring and disposed between the third wiring and the fifth wiring in the second direction, the fifth and sixth regions being at least partially separated from each other, and the first, second, fifth and sixth regions serving as one of an anode or a cathode of a diode; and

a seventh region having the second conductivity type, that is connected to and formed under the fifth wiring and disposed so as to be opposed to the sixth region in the second direction, the third, fourth and seventh regions serving as the other of an anode or a cathode of the diode,

the third region, the first region, the second region, the fourth region, the fifth region, the sixth region and the seventh region are disposed in this order in the second direction,

the second wiring, the first wiring, the third wiring, the fourth wiring and the fifth wiring are disposed in this order in the second direction, and

the first conductivity type is different from the second conductivity type.

8. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 7, wherein:

each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh regions has a rectangular shape and has a length in the first direction which is greater than a length in the second direction.

9. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 7, wherein:

a length of each of the first, second, fifth and sixth regions in the second direction is smaller than a length of each of the third, fourth and seventh regions in the second direction.

10. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 7, wherein:

the third, fourth and seventh regions are connected to each other through a connective region having the second conductivity type.

11. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 7, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the first region and the third region in the second direction,

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the second region and the fourth region in the second direction,

a space between the third wiring and the fourth wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the fourth region and the fifth region in the second direction, and

a space between the fourth wiring and the fifth wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the sixth region and the seventh region in the second direction.

12. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 7, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the first region and the third region in the second direction,

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the second region and the fourth region in the second direction,

a space between the third wiring and the fourth wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the fourth region and the fifth region in the second direction, and

a space between the fourth wiring and the fifth wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the sixth region and the seventh region in the second direction.

13. A semiconductor integrated circuit device having an ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection circuit, wherein:

the ESD protection circuit comprises;

a first wiring extending in a first direction and electrically connected to a first terminal;

a second wiring and a third wiring extending in the first direction, electrically connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal, and disposed on both sides of the first wiring respectively;

a first region and a second region having a first conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the first wiring and disposed between the second wiring and the third wiring in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first and second regions being separated from each other and serving as one of an anode or a cathode of a diode;

a third region and a fourth region having a second conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the second wiring, and the fourth region being disposed so as to be opposed to the first region in the second direction, the third and fourth regions being separated from each other; and

a fifth region and a sixth region having the second conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the third wiring, and the fifth region being disposed so as to be opposed to the second region in the second direction, the fifth and sixth regions being separated from each other, and the fifth and sixth regions serving as the other of an anode or a cathode of the diode,

the third region is disposed further away from the first region than the fourth region, and the sixth region is disposed further away from the second region than the fifth region, and

the first conductivity type is different from the second conductivity type.

14. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 13, wherein:

each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth regions has a rectangular shape.

15. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 13, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the first region and the fourth region in the second direction, and

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the second region and the fifth region in the second direction.

16. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 13, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the first region and the fourth region in the second direction, and

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the second region and the fifth region in the second direction.

17. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 13, wherein

the ESD protection circuit comprises:

a fourth wiring extending in the first direction and electrically connected to the first terminal;

a fifth wiring extending in the first direction, electrically connected to the power supply terminal or the ground terminal, and the third wiring and the fifth wiring disposed on both sides of the fourth wiring respectively;

a seventh region and an eighth region having the first conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the fourth wiring, and the seventh region being disposed so as to be opposed to the sixth region in the second direction, the seventh and eighth regions being separated from each other and serving as the one of an anode or a cathode of the diode; and

a ninth region and a tenth region having the second conductivity type, that are connected to and formed under the fifth wiring, and the ninth region being disposed so as to be opposed to the eighth region in the second direction, the ninth and tenth regions being separated from each other and the ninth and tenth regions serving as the other of an anode or a cathode of the diode,

the eighth region is disposed further away from the sixth region than the seventh region, and the tenth region is disposed further away from the eighth region than the ninth region.

18. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein:

each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth regions has a rectangular shape.

19. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the first region and the fourth region in the second direction,

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the second region and the fifth region in the second direction,

a space between the third wiring and the fourth wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the sixth region and the seventh region in the second direction, and

a space between the fourth wiring and the fifth wiring in the second direction is smaller than a space between the eighth region and the ninth region in the second direction.

20. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein:

a space between the first wiring and the second wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the first region and the fourth region in the second direction,

a space between the first wiring and the third wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the second region and the fifth region in the second direction,

a space between the third wiring and the fourth wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the sixth region and the seventh region in the second direction, and

a space between the fourth wiring and the fifth wiring in the second direction is larger than a space between the eighth region and the ninth region in the second direction.