A Novel ESD Protection Technique for Submicron CMOS Technologies

In this paper, we present a novel electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device which is, against the catastrophic ESD attack, activated as either a reverse-biased punchthrough bipolar junction transistor (BJT) or a forward-biased diode, depending on the polarity of the input pulse. Experimental data show that the new device is more efficient and area-effective than any other conventional one. It also does not cost any extra mask for its realization because of the compatibility with established process. Thus we believe that it is a viable approach for the protection of the scaled CMOS devices and circuits vulnerable to the ESD stress.