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US 5,705,941 AGranted
Output driver for use in semiconductor integrated circuit
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsHidetaka Fukazawa, Satoshi Sekine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An output driver that allows for static protection during generation of static discharge. The output driver includes a static protection circuit located between a predrive stage and a power drive stage.
Claims17
An output driver for a semiconductor integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a predriver stage for converting an input signal into a desired voltage to generate a power-drive-stage drive signal and applying it to a drive signal line;
- and a power drive stage for applying to a bonding pad an output signal corresponding to said power-drive-stage drive signal, said output driver including:
- when a high voltage greater than a predetermined voltage value is applied to said drive signal line, a static protection circuit for connecting said drive signal line and a power-supply bus line to forcefully conduct the current induced by said high voltage applied thereto into said power-supply bus line.
An output driver for a semiconductor integrated circuit device, comprising:
- a predriver stage for converting an input signal into a desired voltage to generate a power-drive-stage drive signal and applying it to a drive signal line;
- and
- a power drive stage for applying to a bonding pad an output signal corresponding to said power-drive-stage drive signal,
- wherein a last-stage MOS transistor in said predriver stage comprises a metal wire connected to said drive signal line, a diffusion area on which a polysilicon gate wire is disposed, and a contact hole for connecting said metal wire and said diffusion area, and wherein said contact hole is formed away from an end face of said polysilicon gate wire over a distance greater than a minimum gate-to-contact hole distance specified by a layout design rule for said semiconductor integrated circuit device.
1 more element
An output driver capable of providing electrostatic discharge protection, comprising:
- a predrive circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal;
- a first protection circuit having first and second bias terminals and a drive node, wherein the output terminal of the predrive circuit is coupled to the drive node;
- a drive stage having an input terminal and an output terminal, wherein the input terminal is coupled to the drive node;
- and
- a second protection circuit having first and second bias terminals and a coupling node, wherein the output terminal of the drive stage is coupled to the coupling node.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.