Patent ID: 7888701

Claim:
An integrated circuit arrangement comprising: an anode region located in a substrate, the anode region doped in accordance with a p doping type; a cathode region located in the substrate, the cathode region spaced apart from the anode region and doped in accordance with an n doping type in the substrate; an n-type inner region doped in accordance with the n doping type and with a lower dopant concentration in comparison with the anode region, said n-type inner region adjoining the anode region in the substrate; a p-type inner region doped in accordance with the p doping type and with a lower dopant concentration in comparison with the cathode region, said p-type inner region adjoining the cathode region and the n-type inner region in the substrate; a p-type well containing a maximum dopant concentration along a first path running counter to the direction of the normal to a surface of the substrate and through or at the cathode region down to a depth at which the maximum dopant concentration of the p-type well is situated, the maximum dopant concentration of the p-type inner region remains below the maximum p-type dopant concentration of the p-type well; and/or in an n-type well containing a maximum n-type dopant concentration, along a second path running counter to the direction of the normal to the surface of the substrate and through or at the anode region down to a depth at which the maximum dopant concentration of the n-type well is situated, the maximum dopant concentration of the n-type inner region remains below the maximum n-type dopant concentration of the n-type well; wherein the anode region, the cathode region, the n-type inner region and the p-type inner region are constituent parts of an electrostatic discharge protection element of the integrated circuit arrangement; wherein the anode region or the cathode region is connected to an external connection of the integrated circuit arrangement.