High-voltage transistor having shielding gate

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of high-voltage insulated-gate field-effect transistors arranged in a matrix form on the main surface of a semiconductor substrate and each having a gate electrode, a gate electrode contact formed on the gate electrode, and a wiring layer which is formed on the gate electrode contacts adjacent in a gate-width direction to electrically connect the gate electrodes arranged in the gate-width direction. And the device includes shielding gates provided on portions of an element isolation region which lie between the transistors adjacent in the gate-width direction and gate-length direction and used to apply reference potential or potential of a polarity different from that of potential applied to the gate of the transistor to turn on the current path of the transistor to the element isolation region.

1 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A semiconductor device comprising:
 first, second, third, and fourth high-voltage transistors on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, the first and second high-voltage transistors being adjacent to each other in a gate-width direction, the third and fourth high-voltage transistors being adjacent to each other in the gate-width direction, the first and third high-voltage transistors being adjacent to each other in a gate-length direction, and the second and fourth high-voltage transistors being adjacent to each other in the gate-length direction,
 wherein the first high-voltage transistor includes a first gate electrode and a first gate electrode contact on the first gate electrode, 
 the second high-voltage transistor includes a second gate electrode and a second gate electrode contact on the second gate electrode, 
 the third high-voltage transistor includes a third gate electrode and a third gate electrode contact on the third gate electrode, and 
 the fourth high-voltage transistor includes a fourth gate electrode and a fourth gate electrode contact on the fourth gate electrode; and 
   a shielding gate provided on an element isolation region such that the shielding gate extends across a first portion of the element isolation region between the first and third high-voltage transistors and a second portion of the element isolation region between the second and fourth high-voltage transistors.