Input/output protective device

• US 6,414,341 B1
• Filed: 09/22/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Horiguchi, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaudhuri, Olik
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ha, Nathan W.
• Application Number:
  US09/401,129
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 257/203, 257/763, 257/355, 257/356, 257/357, 257/358, 257/360, 257/363, 361/111, 361/56, 361/58, 361/91
• US Class Current: 257/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/62 Protection against overvoltage, e.g. fuses, shunts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0251 for MOS devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

The present invention provides an excellent input/output protective device which has a withstand voltage of 200 V or more in device simulation tests according to the EOS/ESD standard. There is presented an input/output device having a protective element that prevents external noise from degrading the internal circuit therein by inducing an electric discharge between diffusion layers of the second conductive type thereof which are disposed on a semiconductor substrate of the first conductive type and facing each other; wherein there are equipped with a plurality of contacts each of which connects a metal wiring layer with a diffusion layer; and a contact at the end section of the protective element on the side of the input section, at least, is provided with a means to increase the resistance thereof so as to make that larger than the resistance of the other contacts.

Claims

1. An input/output protective comprising:

a protective element which induces an electric discharge between diffusion layers of a second conductive type which are disposed on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type and are facing each other; and

a plurality of contacts each of which connects a metal wiring layer with at least one of the diffusion layers,

wherein at least one contact of the plurality of contacts, the one contact being disposed at an end section of the protective element, has a higher resistance than others of the plurality of contacts.

2. The input/output protective device according to claim 1, wherein the one contact comprises a first contact touching one of the diffusion layers and a second contact touching the metal wiring layer, said first and second contacts are connected to each other through an intermediate wiring layer formed between said at least one of the diffusion layers and the metal wiring layer.

3. The input/output protective device according to claim 2, wherein an increase in the resistance is controlled by a length of the intermediate wiring layer between the first contact and the second contact.

4. The input/output protective device according to claim 2, wherein an increase in the resistance is controlled by a selection of a material for the intermediate wiring layer.

5. The input/output protective device according to claim 2, wherein said intermediate wiring layer is made of tungsten silicide.

6. The input/output protective device according to claim 2, wherein said first contact is formed of a material with a higher resistivity than said second contact.

7. The input/output protective device according to claim 6, wherein said first contact is formed by burying, simultaneously with formation of the intermediate wiring layer.

8. The input/output protective device according to claim 1, wherein the end section, which has the one contact provided thereon, is on a side closest to an input/output terminal.

9. An input/output protective device comprising:

a first diffusion layer connected to an input/output terminal;

a second diffusion layer connected to a ground or supply potential or to a wiring fixed at a predetermined potential, the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer are arranged as facing each other on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; and

a plurality of contacts for connecting wiring layers to the first and second diffusion layers,

wherein the length of the first diffusion layer is larger at both end sections than the length of the second diffusion layer by at least one contact pitch length.

10. The input/output protective device according to claim 9, wherein a number of contacts of one contact array in the first diffusion layer is larger by one or more at the respective end section than that of one contact array in the second diffusion layer.

11. The input/output protective device according to claim 9, wherein the contact pitch of one contact array in the first diffusion layer is longer in the direction of the array than that of one contact array in the second diffusion layer.