摘要:
An Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection circuit (9) includes a plurality of I/O and power supply pad cells (22, 40) that comprise external pads (31, 41) and circuitry requiring ESD protection. The protection circuit includes an array of shunting devices (36, 46) coupled in parallel between an ESD bus (14) and a VSS bus (18) and distributed among the plurality of pad cells. One or more trigger circuits (50) control the shunting devices. ESD events are coupled from any stressed pad onto two separate buses: the ESD bus which routes the high ESD currents to the positive current electrodes of the multiple shunting devices, and a Boost bus (12) which controls the trigger circuits. During an ESD event, the trigger circuits drive the control electrodes of the shunting devices to a voltage level greater than possible with prior art circuits, thereby reducing the on-resistance of the shunting devices.
摘要:
An integrated circuit includes a first I/O cell disposed at a substrate, the first I/O cell including a first electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp transistor device. The first ESD clamp transistor device includes a control electrode, a first current electrode coupled to a first voltage reference bus, and second current electrode coupled to a second voltage reference bus. The first ESD clamp transistor device has a first channel width. The integrated circuit further includes a second I/O cell including a second ESD clamp transistor device. The second ESD clamp transistor device includes a control electrode, a first current electrode coupled to the first voltage reference bus, and second current electrode coupled to the second voltage reference bus. The second ESD clamp transistor device has a second channel width different than the first channel width.
摘要:
An ESD protection circuit (81) and a method for providing ESD protection is provided. In some embodiments, an N-channel transistor (24), which can be ESD damaged, is selectively turned on and made conducting. The purpose of turning on the N-channel transistor (24) is to maximize the Vt1 of the N-channel transistor (24). Vt1 is the drain-to-source voltage point at which the parasitic bipolar action of the N-channel transistor (24) first occurs. In some embodiments, the ESD protection circuit (81) includes a diode (64) which provides an additional current path from the I/O pad 31 to a first power supply node (76).
摘要:
An ESD protection circuit (81) and a method for providing ESD protection is provided. In some embodiments, an N-channel transistor (24), which can be ESD damaged, is selectively turned on and made conducting. The purpose of turning on the N-channel transistor (24) is to maximize the Vt1 of the N-channel transistor (24). Vt1 is the drain-to-source voltage point at which the parasitic bipolar action of the N-channel transistor (24) first occurs. In some embodiments, the ESD protection circuit (81) includes a diode (64) which provides an additional current path from the I/O pad 31 to a first power supply node (76).
摘要:
An ESD protection system for I/O cells of an integrated circuit. The I/O cells of a bank of cells include a first type of I/O cells having ESD trigger circuits and a second type of I/O cells having ESD clamp devices. In one embodiment, the ESD trigger circuits of the first type are located at the same area of an active circuitry floor plan as the area in the floor plan for the ESD clamp devices of the I/O cells of the second type.
摘要:
A transient detection circuit which may be used in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp circuit. The transient detection circuit includes a filter circuit and an inverter circuit. The voltage switch point of the inverter circuit has a constant voltage offset from one of the nodes. When a filtered voltage level from the filter circuit crosses the voltage switch point of the inverter circuit (indicative of an ESD event), the inverter circuit provides a signal indicating an ESD event.
摘要:
An ESD protection circuit (81) and a method for providing ESD protection is provided. In some embodiments, an N-channel transistor (24), which can be ESD damaged, is selectively turned on and made conducting. The purpose of turning on the N-channel transistor (24) is to maximize the Vt1 of the N-channel transistor (24). Vt1 is the drain-to-source voltage point at which the parasitic bipolar action of the N-channel transistor (24) first occurs. In some embodiments, the ESD protection circuit (81) includes a diode (64) which provides an additional current path from the I/O pad 31 to a first power supply node (76).
摘要:
An integrated circuit includes a first I/O cell disposed at a substrate, the first I/O cell including a first electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp transistor device. The first ESD clamp transistor device includes a control electrode, a first current electrode coupled to a first voltage reference bus, and second current electrode coupled to a second voltage reference bus. The first ESD clamp transistor device has a first channel width. The integrated circuit further includes a second I/O cell including a second ESD clamp transistor device. The second ESD clamp transistor device includes a control electrode, a first current electrode coupled to the first voltage reference bus, and second current electrode coupled to the second voltage reference bus. The second ESD clamp transistor device has a second channel width different than the first channel width.
摘要:
An ESD protection circuit (201) is for use with a high-voltage tolerant I/O circuit in an IC. This is accomplished by providing a small ESD diode (217) from the I/O pad to a relatively small boosted voltage bus (BOOST BUS). The BOOST BUS is used to power a trigger circuit (203). This path has very little current flow during an ESD event due to minimal current dissipation in the trigger circuit. There is a diode drop but only very little IR voltage drop from the I/O pad to the trigger circuit (203). The trigger circuit (203) controls relatively large cascoded clamp NMOSFETs (207, 209). The net result is that a gate-to-source voltage (VGS) of both of the clamp NMOSFETs is increased thus increasing the conductivity of the cascoded clamp NMOSFETs (207, 209). This reduces the on-resistance of each of the NMOSFETS (207, 209), thereby improving the ESD performance, and reducing the layout area required to implement robust ESD protection circuits.
摘要:
An ESD protection circuit (201) is for use with a high-voltage tolerant I/O circuit in an IC. This is accomplished by providing a small ESD diode (217) from the I/O pad to a relatively small boosted voltage bus (BOOST BUS). The BOOST BUS is used to power a trigger circuit (203). This path has very little current flow during an ESD event due to minimal current dissipation in the trigger circuit. There is a diode drop but only very little IR voltage drop from the I/O pad to the trigger circuit (203). The trigger circuit (203) controls relatively large cascoded clamp NMOSFETs (207, 209). The net result is that a gate-to-source voltage (VGS) of both of the clamp NMOSFETs is increased thus increasing the conductivity of the cascoded clamp NMOSFETs (207, 209). This reduces the on-resistance of each of the NMOSFETS (207, 209), thereby improving the ESD performance, and reducing the layout area required to implement robust ESD protection circuits.