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Abstract The Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) is widely used for ESD protection due to its superior
performance and clamping capabilities. However, many believe that SCR based ESD protection is prone to
latch-up, competitive triggering, long development cycles and slow trigger speed. This paper provides an
overview of the problems and corresponding design solutions available.
Figure 5: Increased holding voltage by adding series elements at Figure 7: Segmented Anode and Cathode to reduce the effective
the Anode of the SCR. This example shows that 2 additional well resistance increases the holding current and reduces latch-up
diodes can make the SCR protection latch-up immune for 2.5V issues.
power lines. This technique can be applied up to 3.3V
applications in most technologies. These SCR improvements were applied at a number
of IC products in mass production available today,
Trigger point engineering including over 50 ICs in high voltage applications
The trigger voltage and trigger current of the where the latch-up problem is even more threatening.
protection clamp must and can be increased above The example below (Figure 8) is an OKI LCD driver
absolute maximum ratings. By applying a separate IC where the SCR protection was included at the high
trigger element the latch-up conditions can be shifted voltage power cell. High latch-up immunity of
to this trigger element [3,4] >300mA was achieved.
This new approach is currently used in several Figure 11: Silicon proof of effective protection of a thin oxide
hundred mass produced ICs in at least the eight most core monitor transistor in 65nm CMOS technology. The DTSCR
recent CMOS generations. Consistent ESD behavior protection clamp reacts fast enough to protect the sensitive
is achieved. In Figure 10 Diode Triggered SCR (DT- element even under ultra-fast rise time (200ps) stress pulses.
SCR) devices on different process corners are Russ concluded that the main problem with the
LVTSCR was the large Anode-Cathode distance
(LAC) due to the integrated trigger junction. When when the NMOS driver is triggered into NPN
the SCR device is optimized (shortest LAC - Figure conduction before the LVTSCR.
12) and external trigger element is correctly defined In 2005, Van Camp et al. introduced a straight
the protection device is fast enough. forward solution to the problem of competitive
triggering [13] (Figure 13). The sensitive device was
promoted to become the trigger device for the SCR
clamp. Instead of detecting ESD as an overvoltage
stress, this RT-SCR approach relies on the detection
of an excess current flowing through the sensitive
elements in an output buffer. A small resistance of
about 2 ohm is added in series with the output buffer.
Latch-up immunity problems can be solved, even for [2] Chatterjee, A. et al., A Low Voltage Triggering SCR
for On-Chip ESD Protection at Output and Input
High Voltage process technologies, by careful SCR Pads, IEEE EDL-12, 1991
design. The paper provided demonstration of mass
produced ICs where the SCR power clamp is made [3] Mergens, M. et al., High Holding Current SCR (HHI-
SCR) for ESD Protection and Latch-up Immune IC
latch-up immune to high current injection, even at
Operation, EOS/ESD 2002
high temperatures.
[4] Keppens, B. et al., ESD Protection Solutions for High
The common experience of long development cycles Voltage Technologies, EOS/ESD 2004
and extensive process tuning required to fine-tune
[5] Russ, C. et al., GGSCRs: GGNMOS Triggered
basic SCR triggering behavior can be solved easily Silicon Controlled Rectifiers for ESD Protection in
through the use of external trigger circuits coupled to Deep Sub-Micron CMOS Processes, EOS/ESD 2001
the G1/G2 well ties. The trigger circuits can be based
[6] Mergens M. et al, Advanced SCR ESD Protection
on standard and well characterized elements (diode, Circuits for CMOS / SOI Nanotechnologies, CICC
MOS, resistor). proceedings 2005
Many publications in the past have pointed to the [7] Mergens, M. et al., Speed Optimized Diode-Triggered
slow trigger speed of the SCR as a main problem. The SCR (DTSCR) for RF-ESD Protection of Ultra-
paper showed examples and references where recent Sensitive IC Nodes in Advanced Technologies. IEEE
innovations in SCR design can lead to effective ESD TDMR 2005.
protection even for fast transients including CDM and [8] Wu, J. et al., Breakdown and Latent Damage of Ultra-
IEC stress. Thin Gate Oxides under ESD Stress Conditions,
Finally, the optimized CMOS SCR structure has been EOS/ESD 2000.
ported to various technologies including SOI, BCD [9] Brennan, C.J.,Implementation of Diode and Bipolar
and HVCMOS where it is used as an effective ESD Triggered SCRs for CDM Robust ESD protection in
protection structure without influencing the normal 90nm CMOS ASICs, EOS/ESD 2005
operation conditions and bringing great benefits. [10] Watanabe, K., New Protection Techniques and Test
Chip Design for Achieving High CDM Robustness,
It is clear that when the optimized solutions are EOS/ESD 2008
combined with strong expertise, the Silicon
[11] Suzuki, T., CDM Analysis on 65nm CMOS: Pitfalls
Controlled Rectifier device can be safely used for
when Correlating Results between Test Chips and
ESD protection bringing great benefits like Product Level, EOS/ESD 2008
reduced ESD area, low parasitic capacitance, low
[12] Di Sarro, J., A Dual-Base Triggered SCR with Very
leakage current and excellent clamping behavior.
Low Leakage Current and Adjustable Trigger
As is the case with many published ESD design Voltage, EOS/ESD 2008
solutions, most of the techniques and protection [13] Van Camp, B. et al., Current detection trigger scheme
solutions described in this paper are covered under for SCR based ESD protection for Output drivers in
patents and cannot be copied freely. CMOS technologies avoiding competitive triggering,
EOS/ESD 2005.
[14] Marichal, O. et al., SCR based ESD protection in
nanometer SOI technologies, EOS/ESD 2005
About Sofics
Sofics (www.sofics.com) is the world leader in onchip ESD protection. Its
patented technology is proven in more than a thousand IC designs across all
ESDSOLUTIONSATYOURFINGERTIPS
majorfoundriesandprocessnodes.ICcompaniesofallsizesrelyonSoficsforoff
theshelf or customcrafted solutions to protect overvoltage I/Os, other non
standard I/Os, and highvoltage ICs, including those that require systemlevel
protectiononthechip.SoficstechnologyproducessmallerI/Osthananygeneric
ESDconfiguration.ItalsopermitstwicetheICperformanceinhighfrequencyand
highspeedapplications.SoficsESDsolutionsandservicebeginwherethefoundry
designmanualends.
Notes
As is the case with many published ESD design solutions, the techniques and
protection solutions described in this data sheet are protected by patents and
patents pending and cannot be copied freely. PowerQubic, TakeCharge, and
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Version
May2011 SoficsBVBA
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