MOSFET IC WITH ON-CHIP PROTECTION AGAINST OXIDE DAMAGE CAUSED BY PLASMA-INDUCED ELECTRICAL CHARGES

摘要

An integrated circuit (IC) with metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) circuitry and on-chip protection against oxide damage caused by plasma-induced electrical charges includes a MOSFET circuit for receiving and processing an input signal and a complementary MOSFET pass gate coupled to the input thereof for receiving and passing the input signal thereto. The complementary MOSFET pass gate includes complementary MOSFETs with control terminals, input terminals and output terminals, with the control terminals being connected for receiving the IC power supply voltage and ground potentials, the input terminals connected together for receiving the input signal and the output terminals connected together and to the input of the MOSFET circuit for passing the input signal thereto in response to the receiving of the IC power supply voltage and ground potentials. The semiconductor region forming the drains, sources and channels of the complementary MOSFETs, interposed between the metallization connections to the drain and source terminals of the complementary MOSFETs, minimizes the lengths of the metallization "antennas" and thereby minimizes gate oxide damage caused by plasma-induced electrical charges which collect on the metallization and discharge through small gate oxide areas.