LOW CAPACITANCE TRANSIENT VOLTAGE SUPPRESSOR
First Claim
1. A transient voltage suppressing (TVS) device comprising:
- a first high-side steering diode having an anode terminal coupled to a first protected node and a cathode terminal; and
a first low-side steering diode having a cathode terminal coupled to the first protected node and an anode terminal, wherein the first low-side steering diode comprises a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier including alternating p-type and n-type regions where the n-type region between a pair of p-type regions is substantially depleted at a bias voltage of zero volt.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device uses a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) structure for the high-side steering diode and/or the low-side steering diode where the punch-through SCR structure realizes low capacitance at the protected node. In some embodiments, the breakdown voltage of the TVS device is tailored by connecting two or more forward biased diodes in series. The low capacitance TVS device can be configured for unidirectional or bidirectional applications. In some embodiments, the TVS device includes a MOS-triggered silicon controlled rectifier as the high-side steering diode. The breakdown voltage of the TVS device can be adjusted by adjusting the threshold voltage of the MOS transistor.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A transient voltage suppressing (TVS) device comprising:
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a first high-side steering diode having an anode terminal coupled to a first protected node and a cathode terminal; and a first low-side steering diode having a cathode terminal coupled to the first protected node and an anode terminal, wherein the first low-side steering diode comprises a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier including alternating p-type and n-type regions where the n-type region between a pair of p-type regions is substantially depleted at a bias voltage of zero volt. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A transient voltage suppressing (TVS) device comprising:
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a semiconductor layer comprising a first epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type, a first buried layer of a second conductivity type, opposite the first conductivity type, formed on the first epitaxial layer, and a second epitaxial layer of the second conductivity type formed on the first buried layer; a plurality of active regions formed in the semiconductor layer, the active regions being isolated from each other by isolation structures; a high-side steering diode formed in a first active region and having an anode terminal coupled to a first protected node and a cathode terminal; a low-side steering diode formed in a second active region of the plurality of active regions and having a cathode terminal coupled to a second protected node and an anode terminal;
wherein the first low-side steering diode comprises a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier comprising;a first doped region of the first conductivity type formed in the second epitaxial layer; a first well of the first conductivity type formed in the second epitaxial layer spaced apart from the first doped region, wherein the first well is not biased to any electrical potential; and a second doped region of the second conductivity type formed in the first well, wherein the first doped region, the second epitaxial layer, the first well and the second doped region form the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, the first doped region forming the anode and the second doped region forming the cathode of the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, a portion of the second epitaxial layer between the first doped region and the first well being depleted at a bias voltage of zero volt. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification