ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (ESD) CLAMP

• US 20140175611A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hsu, Chia-Wei
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/618
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4846 Leads on or in insulating or insulated substrates, e.g. metallisation H01L21/4821 takes precedence; metallisation of ceramics in general C04B41/51; printed circuits H05K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection

Abstract

One or more techniques or systems for forming an electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp are provided herein. In some embodiments, the ESD clamp includes a first pad and a second pad. For example, the first pad is a positive supply voltage (Vdd) pad and the second pad is a negative supply voltage (Vss) pad. In some embodiments, active regions and oxide regions are associated with substantially rounded shapes or obtuse angles. Additionally, metal regions are configured to be in contact with at least some of at least one of the active regions or the oxide regions and the first pad. In some embodiments, the metal regions are substantially wedge shaped. In this manner, an ESD clamp with enhanced performance is provided, at least because the respective active regions are substantially rounded or associated with obtuse angles, for example.

Claims

1. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp, comprising:

a first pad;

a first active region associated with a first active substantially rounded shape;

a first oxide region associated with a first oxide substantially rounded shape, the first oxide region encompassing at least some of the first active region;

a second active region associated with a second active substantially rounded shape, the second active region encompassing at least some of the first oxide region;

one or more second pads; and

one or more metal regions associated with a substantially wedged shape, a metal region in contact with at least one of the first pad, the first active region, the first oxide region, the second active region, or at least some of the second pads.

2. The ESD clamp of claim 1, at least one of the first active region, the first oxide region, or the second active region associated with a substantially circular shape.

3. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the first active region associated with a first active thickness.

4. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the first oxide region associated with a first oxide thickness.

5. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the second active region associated with a second active thickness.

6. The ESD clamp of claim 1, comprising one or more additional active regions associated with a substantially rounded shape.

7. The ESD clamp of claim 1, comprising one or more additional oxide regions associated with a substantially rounded shape.

8. The ESD clamp of claim 1, comprising a number of active regions based on a design parameter.

9. The ESD clamp of claim 1, comprising a number of oxide regions based on a design parameter.

10. The ESD clamp of claim 1, at least some of the second pads associated with a negative supply voltage (Vss).

11. The ESD clamp of claim 1, a first metal region of the one or more metal regions not in contact with a second metal region of the one or more metal regions.

12. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the first active region comprising silicon.

13. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the second active region comprising silicon.

14. The ESD clamp of claim 1, the metal region associated with a fan shape.

15. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp, comprising:

a first pad;

a first active region associated with a first active substantially rounded shape and a first active dimension;

a first oxide region associated with a first oxide substantially rounded shape and a first oxide dimension, the first oxide dimension greater than the first active dimension;

a second active region associated with a second active substantially rounded shape and a second active dimension, the second active dimension greater than the first oxide dimension;

one or more second pads; and

one or more metal regions associated with a wedge shape, a metal region in contact with at least one of the first pad, the first active region, the first oxide region, the second active region, or at least some of the second pads.

16. The ESD clamp of claim 15, the metal region associated with backend routing.

17. The ESD clamp of claim 15, the first pad associated with a positive supply voltage (Vdd).

18. The ESD clamp of claim 15, at least some of the second pads associated with a negative supply voltage (Vss).

19. The ESD clamp of claim 15, at least some of at least one of the first active region, the first oxide region, or the second active region arranged in concentric formation.

20. A method for forming an electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp, comprising:

forming a first pad;

forming a first active region associated with a first active substantially rounded shape;

forming a first oxide region associated with a first oxide substantially rounded shape, the first oxide region encompassing at least some of the first active region;

forming a second active region associated with a second active substantially rounded shape, the second active region encompassing at least some of the first oxide region;

forming one or more second pads; and

forming one or more metal regions associated with a substantially wedged shape, a metal region in contact with at least one of the first pad, the first active region, the first oxide region, the second active region, or at least some of the second pads.