ESD positive and negative detection and capture, and logging circuitry
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorMark B. Welty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) logging system includes ESD detection circuitry having at least one input electrically connected coupled to a node of an ESD protection circuit. The ESD detection circuitry provides a detector signal in response to detecting an ESD event at the node of the ESD protection circuit. Capture circuitry is electrically connected to an output of the ESD event detector. The capture circuitry asserts a capture signal to indicate the occurrence of the ESD event in response to the detector signal. A logic circuit provides a logic output in response to the capture signal.
Claims19
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) logging system comprising:
- (a) protection circuitry having a differential input including a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal and having clamping circuitry connected to the input terminals;
- (b) ESD detection circuitry including:
- (i) positive strike detection circuitry having an input coupled to the clamping circuitry and having a positive detector signal output;
- (ii) first negative strike detection circuitry having an input coupled to the positive input terminal and having a first negative detector signal output;
- and
- (iii) second negative strike detection circuitry having an input coupled to the negative input terminal and having a second negative detector signal output;
- (c) capture circuitry including:
- (i) positive capture circuitry having a positive detector signal input coupled to the positive detector signal output, a positive delayed detector signal output, and a delay stage and a pulse circuit coupled between the positive detector signal input and the positive delayed detector signal output;
- (ii) first negative capture circuitry having a first negative detector signal input coupled to the first negative detector signal output, a first negative delayed detector signal output, and a delay stage and a pulse circuit coupled between the first negative detector signal input and the first negative delayed detector signal output;
- (ii) second negative capture circuitry having a second negative detector signal input coupled to the second negative detector signal output, a second negative delayed detector signal output, and a delay stage and a pulse circuit coupled between the second negative detector signal input and the second negative delayed detector signal output;
- and
- (d) logic circuitry having inputs coupled to the positive delayed detector signal output, the first negative delayed detector signal output, and the second negative delayed detector signal output, and having a strike event output.
A process of logging electrostatic discharge (ESD) events on positive and negative, differential input terminals comprising:
- (a) clamping an ESD event that occurs at one of the differential input terminals;
- (b) producing at least one of a positive detector output signal, a first negative detector output signal, and a second negative detector output signal in response to the ESD event at the differential input terminals;
- (c) delaying the at least one detector signal;
- (d) producing a pulse signal from the delayed at least one detector signal;
- and
- (e) generating a strike event output signal in response to the pulse signal to log the detected ESD event.
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) logging system comprising:
- (a) protection circuitry having a differential input including a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal and having clamping circuitry connected to the input terminals;
- (b) ESD detection circuitry having a plurality of ESD detectors, each of the plurality of ESD detectors having at least one input electrically connected coupled to an input terminal, and a detector output signal providing a detector signal in response to detecting an ESD event at the input terminal;
- (c) capture circuits electrically connected to the detector output signals of the ESD detectors, each respective capture circuit providing a corresponding capture signal to indicate the occurrence of an ESD event that is detected by a respective one of the plurality of ESD detectors;
- and
- (d) a logic circuit to provide a logic output in response to a capture signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.