Power supply ESD protection circuit

US5825601A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• LSI Logic Corporation · US

Inventors

• Timothy V. Statz · Minneapolis, US
• Dongwook Suh · Saratoga, US
• Kevin Spielberger · Eden Prairie, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 16, 1997
• Grant date: Oct 20, 1998
• Expiry date: Jun 16, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D89/811

Abstract

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes first and second supply terminals, a current source, a shunt transistor, an inverter and a voltage level shifting device. The shunt transistor is coupled between the first and second supply terminals and has a control terminal. The inverter includes an input coupled to the current source, an output coupled to the control terminal of the shunt transistor and pull-up and pull-down transistors coupled between the first and second supply terminals. The pull-up and pull-down transistors have control terminals which are coupled to the input. The voltage level shifting device is coupled between the input and the control terminal of one of the pull-up and pull-down transistors.