ESD Protection for Integrated Circuits

Abstract

Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a semiconductor device that provides a wider layer for the current flow in HEMTs and MESFETs, making ESD protection substantially more robust. By offering higher current conduction, the semiconductor device provides powerful ESD protection for integrated circuits. Moreover, due to the decrease in the size of HEMT or MESFETs, it reduces the cost for the fabrication of the device. The technology can be employed to protect circuits ranging from direct current high power radio frequency (RF).

In the integrated circuit (IC) industry today, electrostatic discharge (ESD) can cause costly damage to pins, terminals, or internal circuitry. Current high Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) based or Metal Electron Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MESFET) based ESD protection devices limit the amount of current that can be discharged before the material fails. The thin conducting channel, known as a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel, is prohibitively narrow and susceptible to damage.

Technical Details

The UCF invention avoids the limitation of current flow in HEMT and MESFET based ESD protection circuits. The design provides a more robust solution and reduces the susceptibility to damage in the HEMT protection circuit. The ESD shunting circuit includes a III-V semiconductor layer, and a first drain-less HEMT or MESFET transistor having a first gate and at least a second drain-less HEMT or MESFET having a second gate formed in the substrate.

The ESD protection circuit provides a drain-less HEMT or MEFET circuit. In this way, the current is conducted in the wider channel in the N+ AlGaAs donor layer above the 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel. Drainless HEMTs/MESFETs can be formed from conventional HEMTSs/ MESFETs by not connecting their drain to the ESD protection circuit, which is done by adjusting the circuit design. Experiments have shown that new HEMTs can handle 100 percent greater induced current than conventional devices.

Benefit

Market Application