Systems and methods for protecting electrical components such as light emitting diodes are described. In some embodiments, electrical components are protected from high level electrostatic discharge (“ESD”) events by a circuit board that provides an intrinsic level of ESD protection. At the same time, such electrical components are protected against low level ESD events by one or more diodes that are electrically coupled thereto. The one or more diodes may be thin film diodes comprising at least one layer of p-type semiconductive material and at least one layer of n-type semiconductive material. Devices including ESD protection and methods for manufacturing such devices are also described.