Patent ID: 7608913

Claim:
An integrated circuit, comprising: a first circuit block formed in a substrate; a second circuit block formed in the substrate; and a plurality of regions formed between the first circuit block and the second circuit block, wherein the plurality of regions are configured to provide noise isolation between the first circuit block and the second circuit block, and the plurality of regions includes: a p-well block region formed in the substrate, which has a first doping concentration of a p-type dopant, a first portion of a guard region formed in the substrate between the p-well block region and the first circuit block, wherein the first portion of the guard region has a second doping concentration of a p-type dopant, a second portion of the guard region formed in the substrate between the p-well block region and the second circuit block, wherein the second portion of the guard region has the second doping concentration, a first grounded highly doped region formed in the substrate between the first portion of the guard region and the first circuit block, wherein the first grounded highly doped region has a third doping concentration of a p-type dopant, and a second grounded highly doped region formed in the substrate between the second portion of the guard region and the second circuit block, wherein the second grounded highly doped region has the third doping concentration, and wherein the second doping concentration is higher than the first doping concentration; wherein the guard region has an intermediate amount of doping between the first doping concentration of the p-well block region and the third doping concentration of the first grounded highly doped region; wherein the p-well block region does not include any active region therein; and wherein the guard region surrounds the p-well block region and has a depth substantially deeper than that of the first and second grounded highly doped regions.