US 12,136,645 B2
Coupled guard rings for edge termination
Clifford Drowley, Santa Clara, CA (US); Andrew P. Edwards, Santa Clara, CA (US); Hao Cui, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Subhash Srinivas Pidaparthi, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed on Jan. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/584,215.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/142,909, filed on Jan. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0238643 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 29/06 (2006.01); H01L 21/265 (2006.01); H01L 21/266 (2006.01); H01L 29/20 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 29/0619 (2013.01) [H01L 21/2654 (2013.01); H01L 21/26546 (2013.01); H01L 21/266 (2013.01); H01L 29/2003 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a drift region characterized by a first conductivity type;
a field region coupled to the drift region and characterized by a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type;
an active device region coupled to the drift region and surrounded by the field region;
a plurality of guard rings arranged in a first concentric pattern in the field region surrounding the active device region and characterized by the second conductivity type;
a plurality of junctions arranged in a second concentric pattern in the field region surrounding the active device region and characterized by the second conductivity type, wherein at least one of the plurality of junctions is arranged between two adjacent guard rings of the plurality of guard rings, and the plurality of junctions have a different resistivity than the plurality of guard rings; and
a plurality of coupling paths characterized by the second conductivity type, wherein at least one of the plurality of coupling paths is arranged to connect two adjacent guard rings of the plurality of guard rings.