Electro-static discharge protection circuit and semiconductor device having the same

• US 7,671,415 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Oki Semiconductor Company Limited (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Toshikazu, Hayashi, Hirokazu, Fukuda, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Purvis; Sue
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quinto; Kevin
• Application Number:
  US11/276,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20060220137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 257/355, 257/360, 257/361, 257/365, 257/565, 257/566, 257/577, 257/E29.211, 257/E29.224, 257/E29.225
• US Class Current: 257/355
• 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

Abstract

An electro-static discharge protection circuit and a semiconductor device having the same is disclosed. The electro-static discharge protection circuit has a current control circuit. The current control circuit has a first capacitive element. When the external source voltage is applied to the external source voltage supply line, the booster circuit in the internal circuitry boosts the internal source voltage of the internal source voltage supply line. The external source voltage becomes transiently greater than the internal source voltage at the early stage of the boosting step when the booster circuit boosts the internal source voltage based on the external source voltage. The first capacitive element restricts a current from flowing from the second terminal of the thyristor rectifier circuit to the internal source voltage, even when the external source voltage becomes transiently greater than the internal source voltage at the early stage of the boosting step when the booster circuit boosts the internal source voltage based on the external source voltage. This prevents the thyristor rectifier circuit from malfunctioning and turning on.

Claims

1. An electrostatic protection circuit, comprising:

a first thyristor rectifier circuit electrically coupled to an internal circuitry, an external source voltage supply line that supplies an external source voltage to the internal circuitry, and an internal fixed voltage supply line that supplies an internal fixed voltage to the internal circuitry;

a first current control circuit electrically coupled to the first thyristor rectifier circuit and an internal source voltage supply line that supplies an internal source voltage to the first internal circuitry, the first current control circuit restricting a current from flowing from the external source voltage supply line to the internal source voltage supply line through the first thyristor rectifier circuit when the external source voltage supply line becomes greater than the internal source voltage supply line, the first current control circuit making a surge current flow to the internal fixed voltage supply line through the first thyristor rectifier circuit by triggering the first thyristor rectifier circuit into a thyristor mode by means of the surge current applied to the external source voltage supply line in order to protect the first internal circuitry from the surge current.

2. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first current control circuit includes a first capacitive element electrically coupled to the internal source voltage supply line and the first thyristor rectifier circuit.

3. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 2, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein, and

the first capacitive element has a first impurity diffusion region having a second conductive type formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first dielectric film lying on the first impurity diffusion portion, and a first conductive firm lying on the first dielectric film.

4. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 2, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein, the semiconductor substrate having a first element separating insulation film, and

the first capacitive element has a first conductive film lying on the first element separating insulation film, a first dielectric film lying on the first conductive film, and a second conductive film lying the first dielectric film.

5. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first current control circuit has one or more diodes electrically coupled to the internal source voltage supply line and the first thyristor rectifier circuit.

6. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 5, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein,

the diodes are comprised of a PN-junction, the PN-junction being formed from the semiconductor substrate and a second well region having a second conductive type formed in the semiconductor substrate.

7. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 5, wherein the diodes have a forward breakdown voltage greater in total than the voltage difference between the external source voltage supply line and the internal source voltage supply line when the external source voltage supply line becomes greater than the internal source voltage supply line.

8. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first thyristor rectifier circuit comprises:

a first bipolar transistor having a first emitter electrically coupled to the external source voltage supply line, a first collector electrically coupled to the internal fixed voltage supply line, and a first base electrically coupled to the first current control circuit;

a second bipolar transistor having a second emitter electrically coupled to the internal fixed voltage supply line, a second collector electrically coupled to the first base and the first current control circuit, and a second base electrically coupled to the first collector and the internal fixed voltage supply line.

9. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a first internal circuitry;

an external source voltage supply line which supplies an external source voltage to the internal circuitry;

an internal source voltage supply line which supplies an internal source voltage to the internal circuitry;

an internal fixed voltage supply line which supplies an internal fixed voltage to the internal circuitry;

at least one electrostatic protection circuit, each electrostatic protection circuit further comprising;

a first thyristor rectifier circuit electrically coupled to the first internal circuitry, the external source voltage supply line, and the internal fixed voltage supply line;

a first current control circuit electrically coupled to the internal source voltage supply line and the first thyristor rectifier circuit, the first current control circuit restricting a current from flowing from the external source voltage supply line to the internal source voltage supply line through the first thyristor rectifier circuit when the external source voltage supply line becomes greater than the internal source voltage supply line, the first current control circuit making a surge current flow to the internal fixed voltage supply line through the first thyristor rectifier circuit by triggering the first thyristor rectifier circuit into a thyristor mode by means of the surge current applied to the external source voltage supply line in order to protect the first internal circuitry from the surge current.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the first current control circuit includes a first capacitive element electrically coupled to the internal source voltage supply line and the first thyristor rectifier circuit.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein, and

the first capacitive element has a first impurity diffusion region having a second conductive type formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first dielectric film lying on the first impurity diffusion portion, and a first conductive film lying on the first dielectric film.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein, the semiconductor substrate having a first element separating insulation film, and

the first capacitive element has a first conductive film lying on the first element separating insulation film, a first dielectric film lying on the first conductive film, and a second conductive film lying on the first dielectric film.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the first current control circuit has one or more diodes electrically coupled to the internal source voltage supply line and the first thyristor rectifier circuit.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type has the first thyristor rectifier circuit and the first current control circuit formed therein,

the diodes are comprised of a PN-junction, the PN-junction being formed from the semiconductor substrate and a second well region having a second conductive type formed in the semiconductor substrate.

15. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 13, wherein the diodes have a forward breakdown voltage greater in total than the voltage difference between the external source voltage supply line and the internal source voltage supply line when the external source voltage supply line becomes greater than the internal source voltage supply line.

16. The electrostatic protection circuit according to claim 9, wherein the first thyristor rectifier circuit comprises:

a first bipolar transistor having a first emitter electrically coupled to the external source voltage supply line, a first collector electrically coupled to the internal fixed voltage supply line, and a first base electrically coupled to the first current control circuit;

a second bipolar transistor having a second emitter electrically coupled to the internal fixed voltage supply line, a second collector electrically coupled to the first base and the first current control circuit, and a second base electrically coupled to the first collector and the internal fixed voltage supply line.