Implementation of diode and bipolar triggered SCRs for CDM robust ESD protection in 90 nm CMOS ASICs

We report the characterization of diode and bipolar triggered SCRs with VFTLP measurements and product ESD testing. A dual base Darlington bipolar triggered SCR (DbtSCR) in a triple well structure is demonstrated to provide 4 kV HBM, 300 V MM, and 1000 V CDM protection for 90 nm ASIC I/Os. A very fast turn-on time of 460 ps was measured for the DbtSCR, compared to 8 ns for a diode triggered SCR.