ESD protection circuit for integrated circuits having a bipolar differential input
US5862031A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 26, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 19, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03F1/52
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An ESD protection circuit allows a certain level of ESD current to flow through a protected circuit, and actuates a bypass path for greater ESD current levels when the sensed current reaches a threshold level. For a protected circuit having a pair of differential input terminals and a reference voltage terminal, the bypass path is provided between an input terminal which receives an ESD and the reference voltage terminal when the reference voltage is fixed, and between the two input terminals when the reference voltage is floating. The bypass circuit is preferably implemented with a pair of bipolar transistors of a first conductivity that are actuated by an ESD current flow through the protected circuit, and a pair of bipolar transistors of opposite conductivity that are actuated by current flows through the first conductivity transistors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.