Vertical TSV-Like Diode ESD Protection

On-chip ESD protection remains a headache to IC designers. Traditional pad-based full-chip ESD protection schemes consume substantial die area, becoming increasingly unacceptable for complex ICs at advanced technology nodes. This paper reports a novel vertical inside thru silicon via (TSV) hole diode ESD protection device, which is validated experimentally by transmission-line pulse (TLP) testing. The new vertical TSV-like diodes offer area-efficient layout-friendly ESD protection, which can also be integrated into 3D packaging and used for internally distributed CDM ESD protection.