Advanced CMOS chips are often integrated with multiple power domains to fulfill sophisticated functionalities, which complicates cross-power domain electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. In this work, a novel silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) device, named nMOS-triggered dual-power SCR (NMT_DP_SCR), featuring up to 12 discharge paths for ESD protection, is proposed and demonstrated in a 0.18- μ m CMOS process. The NMT_DP_SCR, with embedded multiple discharge paths, is optimized for ESD protection in advanced CMOS technologies with isolated power domains. Among the 12 discharge paths, the most vulnerable path achieves a transmission line pulse (TLP) second breakdown current ( It2 ) of 3.78 A and a human-body model (HBM) ESD robustness of 4500 V. The full-chip ESD protection capability of the NMT_DP_SCR device is further verified through integration with a level shifter across two separate power domains. A record-high figure of merit (FoM), evaluated as the most vulnerable discharge current times the number of the discharge paths per unit area, is achieved by the proposed NMT_DP_SCR device.
C.-Y. Liang, H.-H. Wang, and Chun-Yu Lin, “Compact ESD protection device for separated power domain application,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 72, no. 11, pp. 5830-5837, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.1109/TED.2025.3608741