Patent · US Expired

Electrostatic discharge protection device for gallium arsenide resident integrated circuits

US5023672A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
5References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 15, 1989
Grant dateJun 11, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 15, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D89/60

Abstract

A mechanism for effectively preventing damage to a GaAs-resident semiconductor device directs electrostatic charge buildup to a neutralizing source of reference potential by means of a parasitic bypass Schottky circuit that is effectively invisible to normal input signals, but which otherwise provides a current sink discharge path for the unwanted electrostatic charge. The mechanism employs one or more parasitic Schottky diodes formed as a result of the deposition of input/power supply metal on the surface of a semi-insulating GaAs substrate, coupled in series with low resisitivity regions between the input metal and respective power supply terminals.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.