Samsung patents chip design with built-in metal rails to prevent static damage
This patent describes a semiconductor chip design where metal rails are embedded deep inside the silicon substrate. These rails form part of the power grid and connect directly to a static discharge component to safely drain excess electricity.
In the filing’s own words
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a plurality of metal rails embedded in the substrate, and a power grid embedded in the substrate, at least one of the plurality of metal rails being part of the power grid and being directly connected to the substrate to control an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) in the semiconductor device.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; an electrostatic discharge (ESD) device including a diode and configured to control an electrostatic discharge in the semiconductor device; a plurality of metal rails embedded within the substrate; and a power grid embedded within the substrate, at least one of the plurality of metal rails being part of the power grid and being directly connected to the ESD device, wherein the plurality of metal rails are buried in the substrate below a top surface of the substrate, and wherein the ESD device is disposed on and overlaps a buried portion of the power grid in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
- Official title
- Semiconductor device with improved ESD performance, ESD reliability and substrate embedded powergrid approach
- Patent number
- US12772858B2
- Application number
- 17950175
- Filed
- Sep 22, 2022
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H10W 42/60 Electricity & electronicsH10W 20/20 Electricity & electronicsH10W 20/427 Electricity & electronicsH10W 40/228 Electricity & electronicsMore from Samsung in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.