Apparatus and method for controlling leakage current in bipolar esd clamping devices
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAlan Botula, Steven Voldman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for controlling leakage current in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamping network of an integrated circuit includes a bipolar ESD protection circuit having a trigger device and at least one discharge device. A leakage disablement network is coupled to the ESD protection circuit, wherein the leakage disablement network is configured to limit leakage current through one or more of the trigger device and the at least one discharge device, in the absence of an ESD event.
Claims20
An apparatus for controlling leakage current in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamping network of an integrated circuit, comprising:
- a bipolar ESD protection circuit including a trigger device and at least one discharge device;
- and
- a leakage disablement network coupled to said ESD protection circuit;
- wherein said leakage disablement network is configured to limit leakage current through one or more of said trigger device and said at least one discharge device in the absence of an ESD event.
A method for controlling leakage current in a bipolar electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit of an integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- configuring a leakage disablement network with the ESD protection circuit;
- wherein said leakage disablement network limits leakage current through one or more of a trigger device and at least one discharge device included in the ESD protection circuit, in the absence of an ESD event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.