Active esd protection circuit with blocking diode
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsMUHAMMAD YUSUF ALI, RAJKUMAR SANKARALINGAM
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Abstract
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate having a semiconductor surface, a high power supply rail (VDD) and a low power supply rail (VSS) on the semiconductor surface. A trigger circuit including at least one trigger input and at least one trigger output is coupled between VDD and VSS. An active shunt including at least a large MOSFET is coupled between VDD and VSS. The trigger output is coupled to a gate electrode of the large MOSFET, and at least one diode or diode connected transistor (blocking diode) is coupled between VDD and the trigger circuit, within the trigger circuit or between the trigger output and gate electrode.
Claims13
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, comprising:
- a substrate having a semiconductor surface;
- a high power supply rail (VDD) and a low power supply rail (VSS) on said semiconductor surface;
- a trigger circuit including at least one trigger input and at least one trigger output coupled between said VDD and said VSS;
- an active shunt including at least a large MOS field effect transistor (large MOSFET) having a gate electrode coupled between said VDD and said VSS,
- wherein said trigger output is coupled to said gate electrode of said large MOSFET, and
- at least one diode or diode connected transistor (blocking diode) coupled between said VDD and said trigger circuit, within said trigger circuit, or between said trigger output and said gate electrode.
An ESD protected integrated circuit (IC), comprising:
- a substrate having a semiconductor surface;
- a high power supply rail (VDD) and a low power supply rail (VSS) on said semiconductor surface;
- functional circuitry on said semiconductor surface connected by a VDD pad to said VDD and a VSS pad to said VSS and a plurality of inputs/outputs comprising at least one input bond pad (IN) and at least one output bond pad (OUT) for external connections to said functional circuitry,
- diode protection from said IN to said VDD and to said VSS;
- diode protection from said OUT to said VDD and to said VSS;
- a trigger circuit including at least one trigger input and at least one trigger output coupled between said VDD and said VSS;
- an active shunt including at least a large MOS field effect transistor (large MOSFET) having a gate electrode coupled between said VDD and said VSS,
- wherein said trigger output is coupled to said gate electrode of said large MOSFET, and
- at least one diode or diode connected transistor (blocking diode) coupled between said VDD and said trigger circuit, within said trigger circuit, or between said trigger output and said gate electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.