# US 2021/0242677 A1 · System and method for temperature compensated esd protection

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- Number: US 2021/0242677 A1
- Document ID: US20210242677A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/777,195
- Filed: 2020-01-30
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-30
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Gernot Langguth; Adrien Benoit Ille; Steffen Schumann
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210242677A1

## CPC

- H02H 9/046: {responsive to excess voltage appearing at terminals of integrated circuits}
- H02H 9/005: {avoiding undesired transient conditions}
- H10D 89/611: {using diodes as protective elements}
- H10D 89/819: {Bias arrangements for gate electrodes of FETs, e.g. RC networks or voltage partitioning circuits (FETs in a Darlington configuration H10D89/817)}
- H10D 89/911: {using passive elements as protective elements}
- H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, a method for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection includes: dividing a voltage between a plurality of circuit nodes using a voltage divider circuit to form a divided voltage; compensating a temperature dependency of the divided voltage to form a temperature compensated divided voltage; monitoring the voltage between the plurality of circuit nodes using a transient detection circuit to form a transient detection signal; and activating a clamp circuit coupled between the plurality of circuit nodes based on the temperature compensated divided voltage and based on the transient detection signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, the method comprising:
dividing a voltage between a plurality of circuit nodes using a voltage divider circuit to form a divided voltage;
compensating a temperature dependency of the divided voltage to form a temperature compensated divided voltage;
monitoring the voltage between the plurality of circuit nodes using a transient detection circuit to form a transient detection signal; and
activating a clamp circuit coupled between the plurality of circuit nodes based on the temperature compensated divided voltage and based on the transient detection signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising amplifying the temperature compensated divided voltage and providing the amplified temperature compensated divided voltage to an input node of the clamp circuit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising amplifying the transient detection signal and providing the amplified transient detection signal to the clamp circuit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the transient detection signal to the voltage divider circuit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising amplifying the transient detection signal, and providing the amplified transient detection signal to the voltage divider circuit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein temperature compensating the voltage divider circuit comprises providing a temperature dependent current to a node of the voltage divider circuit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the voltage divider circuit comprises a plurality of diode circuits coupled in series with a resistor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein:
each diode circuit of the plurality of diode circuits comprises a diode connected transistor; and
temperature compensating the voltage divider circuit comprises using a temperature compensation circuit comprising a transistor having a load path coupled between a node of the voltage divider circuit and one of the plurality of circuit nodes, and a resistor network coupled between the node of the voltage divider circuit and a control node of the transistor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the transient detection circuit comprises an RC circuit.

### Claim 10

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit comprising:
a voltage divider circuit coupled between a first circuit node and a second circuit node;
a temperature compensation circuit coupled to the voltage divider circuit;
a transient detection circuit coupled to at least one of the first circuit node or the second circuit node; and
a clamp circuit having a load path coupled between the first circuit node and the second circuit node, and a control node coupled to an output of the voltage divider circuit and to an output of the transient detection circuit.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The ESD circuit of claim 10, further comprising a first amplifier coupled between the output of the voltage divider circuit and the control node of the clamp circuit.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The ESD circuit of claim 11, further comprising a second amplifier coupled between the output of the transient detection circuit and the control node of the clamp circuit.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The ESD circuit of claim 11, further comprising a second amplifier coupled between the output of the transient detection circuit and the voltage divider circuit.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The ESD circuit of claim 11, wherein the first amplifier comprises an inverter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The ESD circuit of claim 10, wherein:
the voltage divider circuit comprises a plurality of diode circuits coupled in series with a resistor; and
the temperature compensation circuit is configured to provide a temperature dependent current.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The ESD circuit of claim 15, wherein:
each of the plurality of diode circuits comprises a diode connected transistor; and
the temperature compensation circuit comprises a transistor having a load path coupled between a node of the voltage divider circuit and one of first circuit node or the second circuit node, and a resistor network coupled between the node of the voltage divider circuit and a control node of the transistor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The ESD circuit of claim 15, wherein the temperature compensation circuit comprises a plurality of temperature compensation circuits.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The ESD circuit of claim 10, wherein the first circuit node is a power supply node, and the second circuit node is a ground node.

### Claim 19 (depends on 10)

The ESD circuit of claim 10, wherein the transient detection circuit comprises an RC circuit coupled to at least one of the first circuit node or the second circuit node.

### Claim 20

An integrated circuit comprising:
a plurality of diode connected transistors and at least one resistor disposed on a semiconductor substrate, the plurality of diode connected transistors and the at least one resistor coupled in series between a first power supply connection and a second power supply connection;
a temperature compensation circuit disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the temperature compensation circuit coupled to the plurality of diode connected transistors and the at least one resistor;
a filter resistor and a filter capacitor disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the filter resistor and the filter capacitor coupled in series between the first power supply connection and the second power supply connection;
a clamping transistor disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the clamping transistor having a load path connected between the first power supply connection and the second power supply connection;
a first amplifier disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the first amplifier coupled between the plurality of diode connected transistors and a control node of the clamping transistor; and
a second amplifier disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the second amplifier coupled between the filter capacitor and the control node of the clamping transistor.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The integrated circuit of claim 20, wherein:
each of the plurality of diode connected transistors comprises a diode connected MOS transistor; and
the clamping transistor comprises a MOS transistor.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The integrated circuit of claim 21, wherein: the temperature compensation circuit comprises:
a first MOS transistor having a first source/drain coupled to the plurality of diode connected transistors and a second source/drain coupled to the second power supply connection;
a first resistor coupled between a gate of the first MOS transistor and the first source/drain; and
a second resistor coupled between the gate and the second source/drain.