Displacement current trigger SCR
 Circuits, device structures and methods are disclosed which protect CMOS semiconductor devices, having oxides as thin as 32 Angstrom, from electrostatic discharge (ESD) by utilizing a parasitic silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), intrinsic to the semiconductor device. The protection is afforded by providing low voltage triggering of the parasitic SCR in the order of 1.2 Volt. Triggering at such low voltages is made possible by means of a displacement current trigger which causes components of the SCR (parasitic npn and pnp bipolar transistors) to conduct, i.e., to trigger the SCR. The displacement current is realized by a junction capacitance, which is connected on one side to the pad to be protected and on the other side to terminals of the aforementioned parasitic bipolar transistors. Two ways of realizing the junction capacitance are disclosed. 
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
H H
H01L H01L
inventional inventional
Jiaw-Ren Jian-Hsing Jing-Meng Yi-Hsun
Shih Lee Liu Wu