New GGNMOS I/O Cell Array for Improved Electrical Overstress Robustness

A 0.18-${\mu}m$ 3.3 V grounded-gate NMOS (GGNMOS) I/O cell array for timing controller (TCON) application is proposed for improving electrical overstress (EOS) robustness. The improved cell array consists of 20 GGNMOS, 4 inserted well taps, 2 end-well taps and shallow trench isolation (STI). Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation results show that the inserted well taps and extended drain contact gate spacing (DCGS) is effective in preventing EOS failure, e.g. local burnout. Thermodynamic models for device simulation enable us to obtain lattice temperature distributions inside the cells. The peak value of the maximum lattice temperature in the improved GGNMOS cell array is lower than that in a conventional GGNMOS cell array. The inserted well taps also improve the uniformity of turn-on of GGNMOS cells. EOS test results show the validity of the simulation results on improvement of EOS robustness of the new GGNMOS I/O cell array.