Patent · US Expired

Structures for electrostatic discharge protection of electrical and other components

US5341267A · kind A · utility

95Cited by
3References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 23, 1991
Grant dateAug 23, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 23, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/3011
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A first passive ESD protection device for an electronic component in a microcircuit includes a fuse element shunting the component to be protected and includes a passive programming path from the outside of the microcircuit to the fuse element. A second passive ESD protection device is deactivatable and reactivatable and includes a first fuse element shunted by a second fuse element in series with a first antifuse element. Shunting the second fuse element with a third fuse element in series with a second antifuse element permits a second deactivation and reactivation to be performed. Additional deactivation/reactivation cycles may be permitted by providing additional series combinations of fuse elements and antifuse elements shunting the preceding fuse element. Combinations of the passive protection device and dual elements comprise ESD protection schemes which may be deactivated and activated multiple times.

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