Patent ID: 8174077

Claim:
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device having a breakdown voltage (BV), comprising: a semiconductor layer having a first electrical conductivity type and a top surface; a deep well in the semiconductor layer, the deep well having a second electrical conductivity type, and the deep well having a first junction with the semiconductor layer at the top surface; a shallow well in the deep well, the shallow well having the second electrical conductivity type and a higher dopant concentration than the deep well, and the deep well having a second junction with the shallow well at the top surface; one or more isolation regions in the top surface, including a first isolation region covering at least a portion of the second junction and covering a degree of a surface portion of the deep well between the first and second junctions, wherein the degree to which the surface portion is covered by the first isolation region establishes the breakdown voltage of the device; and one of an anode or cathode region in the shallow well, the one of the anode or cathode region having the second electrical conductivity type and a higher dopant concentration than the shallow well.