ESD robustness improving for the low-voltage triggering silicon-controlled rectifier by adding NWell at cathode

The low-voltage triggering silicon-controlled rectifier (LVTSCR) device is widely used in on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection owing to its low trigger voltage and strong current-tolerating capability per area. In this paper, an improved LVTSCR by adding a narrow NWell (NW2) under the source region of NMOS is discussed, which is realized in a 0.5-μm CMOS process. A 2-dimension (2D) device simulation platform and a transmission line pulse (TLP) testing system are used to predict and characterize the proposed ESD protection devices. According to the measurement results, compared with the preliminary LVTSCR, the improved LVTSCR elevates the second breakdown current (It2) from 2.39 A to 5.54 A and increases the holding voltage (Vh) from 3.04 V to 4.09 V without expanding device area or sacrificing any ESD performances. Furthermore, the influence of the size of the narrow NWell under the source region of NMOS on holding voltage is also discussed.