US 10,593,661 B2Granted

Circuit overvoltage protection

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorsRobert Callaghan Taft, Tobias Hoehn, Karim Thomas Taghizadeh Kaschani

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An electronic circuit includes an electronic device, an input/output terminal, and a protection device. The electronic device includes a signal terminal to receive an input signal. The input/output terminal is configured to receive the input signal from a source external to the electronic circuit. The protection device is coupled to the electronic device and to the input/output terminal. The protection device is configured to protect the electronic device from voltage of the input signal exceeding a threshold. The protection device includes a first semiconductor region, a first contact, and a second contact. The first contact connects the first semiconductor region to the input/output terminal. The second contact connects the first semiconductor region to the signal terminal of the electronic device.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An electronic circuit, comprising:

an electronic device comprising a signal terminal to receive an input signal;
an input/output terminal configured to receive the input signal from a source external to the electronic circuit;
and
a protection device coupled to the electronic device and the input/output terminal, and configured to protect the electronic device from voltage of the input signal exceeding a threshold, the protection device comprising:
a first semiconductor region;
a first contact that connects the first semiconductor region to the input/output terminal;
and
a second contact that connects the first semiconductor region to the signal terminal of the electronic device;
wherein the protection device comprises a third contact that connects a second semiconductor region of the protection device to a reference voltage;
wherein the protection device comprises a fourth contact that connects the second semiconductor region of the protection device to a reference voltage terminal of the electronic device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/825,813Filed 29 Nov 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 3 Mar 2017
Published: US 2018/0254269 A16 Sep 2018
Granted: 17 Mar 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H10D 89/611
For devices having insulated gate electrodes, e.g. for IGFETs or IGBTs: using diodes as protective elements
H10D 89/811
For devices having insulated gate electrodes, e.g. for IGFETs or IGBTs: using FETs as protective elements
H10W 72/00
Interconnections or connectors in packages
H02H 9/046
Adapted to a particular application and not provided for elsewhere: responsive to excess voltage appearing at terminals of integrated circuits