Patent ID: 7968936

Claim:
A quasi-vertical gated NPN-PNP (QVGNP) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device, comprising: one of a cathode or anode region comprising: a first buried layer having a first conductivity type in a semiconductor body having a second conductivity type; an epitaxial layer having the first conductivity type above the first buried layer; a first well having a second conductivity type in the epitaxial layer, the first well situated over the first buried layer; and a deep well having the first conductivity type in the epitaxial layer adjacent to and alongside the first well and extending down to the first buried layer; and the other of the cathode or anode region comprising: a shallow well having the second conductivity type in the epitaxial layer, wherein the shallow well is spaced apart laterally from the first well and the first well is located between the shallow well and the deep well; and a shallow implant having the first conductivity type in the shallow well; wherein the first well, epitaxial layer and shallow well at least partly define one of coupled pnp and npn bipolar components; the shallow implant, shallow well and epitaxial layer at least partly define the other of the coupled pnp and npn bipolar components; and upon an ESD event occurring at an input node connected to the deep well and the first well, the coupled npn-pnp bipolar components are triggered, thereby shunting a current at the deep well to the shallow implants.