Semiconductor integrated circuit and system LSI including the same

• US 7,821,096 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Usami, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Andújar; Leonardo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harriston; William
• Application Number:
  US11/783,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 257/499, 257/109, 257/E29.325, 257/E29.327, 257/E29.328, 361/91.5, 361/100
• US Class Current: 257/499
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/417 carrying the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/8611 Planar PN junction diodes

Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit having a diode element includes a diffusion layer which constitutes the anode and two diffusion layers which are provided on the left and right sides of the anode and which constitute the cathode, such that the anode and the cathode constitute the diode. A well contact is provided to surround both the diffusion layers of the anode and cathode. Distance tS between a longer side of the well contact and the diffusion layers of the cathode is shorter, while distance tL between a shorter side of the well contact and the diffusion layers of the anode and cathode is longer (tL>tS). Accordingly, the resistance value between the diffusion layer of the anode and the shorter side of the well contact is larger, so that the current from the diffusion layer of the anode is unlikely to flow toward the shorter side of the well contact. Thus, convergence of the current at the contact holes of the diffusion layer of the anode is reduced, so that the reliability of the diode element improves.

Claims

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit, comprising:

a diode including a first polarity-type diffusion layer and a second polarity-type diffusion layer which is disposed next to the first polarity-type diffusion layer in a first direction in a plan view; and

a second polarity-type contact region surrounding, in a plan view, four sides of the diode including the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer, the contact region having a first contact region extending along the first direction and a second contact region extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view,

wherein each of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode has a plurality of contact holes for electrical connection with an external device, and

the second contact region extending along the second direction of the contact region has a plurality of contact holes and the first contact region extending along the first direction has no contact hole, in a plan view.

2. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the second contact region has the plurality of contact holes only in a portion corresponding to a portion that the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer face each other.

8. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode and the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode have the shape of a rectangular stripe.

11. A system LSI, comprising:

a digital circuit and an analog circuit which operate on separate power supplies; and

a single unit of protection device formed by two semiconductor integrated circuits of claim 1 and provided between the digital circuit and the analog circuit for allowing electrostatic discharge from the digital circuit to the analog circuit and electrostatic discharge from the analog circuit to the digital circuit.

14. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode includes two second polarity-type diffusion layers which sandwich the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode, in a plan view.

17. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein al least one of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer includes at least two rows of the contact holes arranged in the first direction, each of the at least two rows including contact holes arranged along the second direction.

3. A semiconductor integrated circuit, comprising:

a diode including a first polarity-type diffusion layer and a second polarity-type diffusion layer which is disposed next to the first polarity-type diffusion layer in a first direction in a plan view; and

a second polarity-type contact region extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view and disposed next to the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode in the first direction,

wherein each of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode and the contact region has a plurality of contact holes for electrical connection with an external device.

9. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode and the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode have the shape of a rectangular stripe.

12. A system LSI, comprising:

a digital circuit and an analog circuit which operate on separate power supplies; and

a single unit of protection device formed by two semiconductor integrated circuits of claim 3 and provided between the digital circuit and the analog circuit for allowing electrostatic discharge from the digital circuit to the analog circuit and electrostatic discharge from the analog circuit to the digital circuit.

15. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode includes two second polarity-type diffusion layers which sandwich the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode, in a plan view.

18. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein al least one of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer includes at least two rows of the contact holes arranged in the first direction, each of the at least two rows including contact holes arranged along the second direction.

4. A semiconductor integrated circuit, comprising:

a diode including a first polarity-type diffusion layer which and a second polarity-type diffusion layer which is disposed next to the first polarity-type diffusion layer in a first direction in a plan view; and

a second polarity-type contact region surrounding, in a plan view, four sides of the diode including the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer, the contact region having a first contact region extending along the first direction and a second contact region extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view,

wherein each of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode and contact region has a plurality of contact holes for electrical connection with an external device, and

a first distance between a nearest periphery of the diode and the first contact region of the contact region is larger than a second distance between a nearest periphery of the diode and the second contact region of the contact region.

5. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein a positioning pitch of the plurality of contact holes of the second polarity-type contact region is greater than a positioning pitch of the plurality of contact holes of the first polarity-type diffusion layer.

6. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the first contact region has no contact hole.

7. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the plurality of contact holes disposed in the contact region is disposed only in the second contact region.

10. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode and the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode have the shape of a rectangular stripe.

13. A system LSI, comprising:

a digital circuit and an analog circuit which operate on separate power supplies; and

a single unit of protection device formed by two semiconductor integrated circuits of claim 4 and provided between the digital circuit and the analog circuit for allowing electrostatic discharge from the digital circuit to the analog circuit and electrostatic discharge from the analog circuit to the digital circuit.

16. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the second polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode includes two second polarity-type diffusion layers which sandwich the first polarity-type diffusion layer of the diode, in a plan view.

19. The semiconductor integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein al least one of the first polarity-type diffusion layer and the second polarity-type diffusion layer includes at least two rows of the contact holes arranged in the first direction, each of the at least two rows including contact holes arranged along the second direction.