Integrated ESD protection device

Abstract

An integrated electrostatic discharge (ESD) device includes a first ESD structure coupled to a pad terminal of the integrated ESD device and a second ESD structure coupled to a ground terminal of the integrated ESD device. The integrated ESD device also comprises a diffusion region that is shared by each of the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure, such that the shared diffusion region forms a portion of at least one semiconductor junction associated with each of the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure.

1 . An integrated electrostatic discharge (ESD) device comprising:
 a first ESD structure coupled to a pad terminal of the integrated ESD device;   a second ESD structure coupled to a ground terminal of the integrated ESD device; and   a diffusion region that is shared by each of the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure, such that the shared diffusion region forms a portion of at least one semiconductor junction associated with each of the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure.   
   
   
       2 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 1 , wherein the first ESD structure comprises a first diode and a second diode, an anode of the first diode and a cathode of the second diode being coupled to the pad terminal and a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode being coupled to the second ESD structure 
   
   
       3 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 2 , wherein the integrated ESD device has a pad terminal to ground terminal ESD activation voltage that is approximately equal to a sum of a forward bias voltage of the first diode and an activation voltage of the second ESD structure from the node to the ground terminal, and wherein the integrated ESD device has a negative voltage shift protection voltage that is approximately equal to a sum of a bias voltage of the second ESD structure from the ground terminal to the node and a forward bias voltage of the second diode. 
   
   
       4 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 1 , wherein the first ESD structure comprises a bi-directional silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) circuit. 
   
   
       5 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 5 , wherein the integrated ESD device has a pad terminal to ground terminal ESD activation voltage that is approximately equal to an ESD activation voltage associated with the second ESD structure from the node to the ground terminal, and wherein the integrated ESD device has a negative voltage shift protection voltage that is approximately equal to an SCR activation voltage of the first ESD structure from the node to the pad terminal. 
   
   
       6 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 5 , wherein the bi-directional SCR circuit comprises a first SCR structure and a second SCR structure, the first SCR structure and the second SCR structure being configured in opposite current flow directions and each comprising a PNP-type bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and an NPN-type BJT, the PNP-type BJT having a base coupled to a collector of the NPN-type BJT and the NPN-type BJT having a base coupled to a collector of the PNP-type BJT. 
   
   
       7 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 1 , wherein the second ESD structure further comprises a Zener diode having an anode coupled to the ground terminal and a cathode coupled to the first ESD structure. 
   
   
       8 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 1 , wherein the shared diffusion region comprises a deep semiconductor well formed in a substrate, each of the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure comprising a plurality of shallow semiconductor wells formed in the deep semiconductor well. 
   
   
       9 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 8 , wherein the deep semiconductor well and the substrate cooperate to provide a parasitic diode having a reverse-bias breakdown voltage characteristic that is greater than a pad-to-ground ESD activation voltage of the integrated ESD device. 
   
   
       10 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 1 , wherein the first ESD structure and the second ESD structure cooperate to provide a pad terminal to ground terminal activation voltage that is greater than about 40 volts and to provide a negative voltage shift protection voltage that prevents leakage current from the ground terminal to the pad terminal for negative shifts in voltage at a substrate of the integrated ESD device up to the negative voltage shift protection voltage, the negative voltage shift protection voltage being at least about −1 volt at the pad terminal relative to the ground terminal. 
   
   
       11 . An integrated electrostatic discharge (ESD) device comprising:
 means for providing ESD protection against an ESD event on a pad terminal of the integrated ESD device relative to a ground terminal of the integrated ESD device, the means for providing ESD protection being coupled between the ground terminal and a node;   means for providing leakage current protection against a leakage current associated with a negative voltage potential on the pad terminal relative to a substrate voltage of the integrated ESD device, the means for providing leakage current protection being coupled between the node and the pad terminal; and   shared means for providing a portion of at least one semiconductor junction in both the means for providing ESD protection and the means for providing leakage current protection.   
   
   
       12 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 11 , wherein the means for providing leakage current protection comprises first and second diodes connected in parallel between the pad terminal and the node, each of the first and second diodes having a semiconductor junction that includes the shared means. 
   
   
       13 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 11 , wherein the means for providing leakage current protection comprises a bi-directional semiconductor-controlled rectifier circuit coupled between the pad terminal and the node. 
   
   
       14 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 11 , wherein the means for providing leakage current protection comprises a Zener diode having an anode coupled to the ground terminal and a cathode coupled to the node. 
   
   
       15 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 14 , further comprising parasitic means for providing a reverse-bias breakdown voltage characteristic that is greater than a pad terminal-to-ground terminal ESD activation voltage of the integrated ESD device. 
   
   
       16 . An integrated electrostatic discharge (ESD) device comprising:
 a substrate;   a semiconductor well formed in the substrate to define a shared well;   a first plurality of doped, shallow semiconductor wells formed in the shared well to form portions of a first ESD structure, at least some first regions of the first plurality of shallow wells being coupled to a pad terminal of the integrated ESD device, and at least some second regions of the first plurality of shallow wells being coupled to a node; and   at least one second doped, shallow semiconductor well formed in the shared well to form a portion of a second ESD structure, at least one region of the at least one second shallow well being electrically coupled to a ground terminal of the integrated ESD device, another region of the at least one second shallow well being electrically coupled with the node, such that the first and second ESD structures are electrically connected in series between the pad terminal and the ground terminal.   
   
   
       17 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 16 , wherein the first ESD structure comprises a first diode and a second diode, each of the first diode and the second diode being configured such that an anode of the first diode and a cathode of the second diode are coupled to the pad terminal and a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode are coupled to the node. 
   
   
       18 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 17 , wherein the integrated ESD device has a pad terminal to ground terminal ESD activation voltage that is approximately equal to a sum of a forward bias voltage of the first diode and an activation voltage of the second ESD structure from the node to the ground terminal, and wherein the integrated ESD device has a negative voltage shift protection voltage that is approximately equal to a sum of a bias voltage of the second ESD structure from the ground terminal to the node and a forward bias voltage of the second diode. 
   
   
       19 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 16 , wherein the first ESD structure is configured as a bi-directional semiconductor-controlled rectifier (SCR) circuit coupled between the pad terminal and the node, wherein the integrated ESD device has a pad terminal to ground terminal ESD activation voltage that is approximately equal to an ESD activation voltage associated with the second ESD structure from the node to the ground terminal, and wherein the integrated ESD device has a negative voltage shift protection voltage that is approximately equal to an SCR activation voltage of the first ESD structure from the node to the pad terminal. 
   
   
       20 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 16 , wherein the second ESD structure is configured as a Zener diode having an anode coupled to the ground terminal and a cathode coupled to the node. 
   
   
       21 . The integrated ESD device of  claim 16 , wherein the shared well and the substrate provide a parasitic diode having a reverse-bias breakdown voltage characteristic that is greater than a pad-to-ground ESD activation voltage of the integrated ESD device.