The present invention relates to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices, and more specifically, to an electrostatic discharge (ESD) diode for SOI devices.
Conventionally, semiconductor devices have become more compact and circuit layouts have become more complex. As a result, semiconductor devices in circuits are more susceptible to burn-out by ESD events. Various approaches for minimizing ESD burn-out have been presented. The known approaches are based on reverse-biased diodes formed in the substrate of the semiconductor material. In SOI wafers, however, the devices are electrically insulated from the substrate by a layer of silicon dioxide. In thin film SOI wafers, the silicon film is too thin to form large area vertical diodes.