Charge-device model electrostatic discharge protection using active device for CMOS circuits
AssigneeIndustrial Technology Research Institute
InventorsMing-Dou Ker, Tang-Kui Tseng, Hsin-Chin Jiang
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Abstract
An integrated circuit for providing electrostatic discharge protection that includes a contact pad, a CMOS device including a transistor having a substrate, and a CDM clamp for providing electrostatic discharge protection coupled between the contact pad and the CMOS device, the CDM clamp including at least one active device, wherein the CDM clamp conducts electrostatic charges accumulated in the substrate of the transistor to the contact pad and wherein the CMOS device is coupled between a high voltage line and a low voltage line.
Claims31
An integrated circuit for providing electrostatic discharge protection, comprising:
- a contact pad;
- a CMOS device including a transistor having a substrate;
- and
- a CDM clamp for providing electrostatic discharge protection coupled in series between the contact pad and the CMOS device, the CDM clamp including at least one active device, wherein the CDM clamp conducts electrostatic charges accumulated in the substrate of the transistor to the contact pad and wherein the CMOS device is coupled between a high voltage line and a low voltage line, and
- wherein the at least one active device is a transistor having a source, a drain, and a biased gate, and the gate is not in electrical connection with either the source or the drain.
An integrated circuit, comprising:
- a contact pad;
- a transistor having a substrate;
- a CDM protection circuit comprising a CDM clamp coupled in series between the contact pad and the substrate of the transistor, the CDM clamp including at least one active device;
- and
- an HBM/MM protection circuit disposed between the contact pad and the CDM protection circuit comprising at least one HBMIMM clamp coupled to the contact pad,
- wherein the CDM clamp conducts electrostatic charges accumulated in the substrate of the transistor to the contact pad as the contact pad is grounded, and
- wherein the at least one active device is a transistor having a source, a drain, and a biased gate, and the gate is not in electrical connection with either the source or the drain.
A method for providing electrostatic discharge protection, comprising:
- providing a contact pad;
- grounding the contact pad;
- providing a transistor having a substrate;
- providing an active device CDM clamp, coupled in series between the contact pad and the substrate of the transistor, the active device CDM clamp being a transistor having a source, a drain, and a gate that is not in electrical connection with either the source or the drain;
- biasing the gate of the transistor of the active device CDM clamp;
- accumulating electrostatic charges in the substrate of the transistor;
- and
- conducting the accumulated electrostatic charges in the substrate of the transistor to the contact pad.
A method for providing electrostatic discharge protection, comprising:
- providing a contact pad;
- providing a transistor having a substrate;
- providing a CDM protection circuit including a CDM clamp coupled in series between the contact pad and the substrate of the transistor, the CDM clamp including at least one active device, the at least one active device being a transistor having a source, a drain, and a gate that is not in electrical connection with either the source or the drain;
- biasing the gate of the transistor of the at least one active device;
- providing an HBM/MM protection circuit disposed between the contact pad and the CDM protection circuit comprising at least one HBM/MM clamp coupled to the contact pad;
- and
- conducting electrostatic charges accumulated in the substrate of the transistor to the contact pad as the contact pad is grounded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.