Method and system for protecting integrated circuits against a variety of transients
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorCharvaka Duvvury
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A high-energy pulse protection device (10) protects an integrated circuit (28 and 30). The integrated circuit (28 and 30) is associated with an integrated circuit substrate region (64). The high-energy pulse protection device (10), has a protection circuit substrate region (74) that is disassociated from the integrated circuit substrate region (64). A primary protection circuit (40 and 42) is associated with the protection circuit substrate region (74) and has at least one connection (22) with the integrated circuit (28 and 30) for receiving and dissipating, through the at least one connection (22), a high-energy pulse. This protects the integrated circuit (28 and 30) from the high-energy pulse.
Claims21
A high-energy pulse protection apparatus for protecting an integrated circuit from an externally created high-energy pulse, the protection apparatus comprising:
- an integrated circuit substrate region associated with the integrated circuit, said integrated circuit substrate region comprising a first conductive substrate;
- a protection circuit substrate region being disassociated from said integrated circuit substrate region while being connected in common with said integrated circuit substrate region to electrical ground, said protection circuit substrate region comprising a second conductive substrate;
- a primary protection circuit associated with said protection circuit substrate region and having at least one connection with the integrated circuit for receiving a high-energy pulse and dissipating the high-energy pulse through said at least one connection and through said protection circuit substrate region to said electrical ground for protecting the integrated circuit from the high-energy pulse.
A method for protecting an integrated circuit from an externally created high-energy pulse, comprising the steps of:
- associating an integrated circuit substrate region with the integrated circuit, said integrated circuit substrate region comprising a first conductive substrate;
- disassociating a protection circuit substrate region from the integrated circuit substrate region while connecting the integrated circuit substrate region in common with the protection circuit substrate region to electrical ground, said protection circuit substrate region comprising a second conductive substrate;
- associating a primary protection circuit with the protection circuit substrate region so that the integrated circuit has at least one connection to the primary protection circuit and dissipating a high-energy pulse through the at least one connection and the protection circuit substrate region to the electrical ground to, thereby, protect the integrated circuit from the high-energy pulse.
A method of forming a high-energy pulse protection apparatus for protecting an integrated circuit from an externally created high-energy pulse, comprising the steps of:
- forming an integrated circuit substrate region associated with the integrated circuit, said integrated circuit substrate region comprising a first conductive substrate;
- forming a protection circuit substrate region that is disassociated from the integrated circuit substrate region while being connected in common with the integrated circuit substrate region to electrical ground, said protection circuit substrate region comprising a second conductive substrate;
- forming a primary protection circuit associated with the protection circuit substrate region and having at least one connection with the integrated circuit for receiving a high-energy pulse and dissipating through the at least one connection and through the protection circuit substrate region to the electrical ground for protecting the integrated circuit from the high-energy pulse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.