Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor device having an electrostatic discharging protection circuit using a non-ohmic material

US5889308A · kind A · utility

24Cited by
9References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 8, 1997
Grant dateMar 30, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 8, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/19107
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Disclosed is a semiconductor device capable of protecting an internal circuit from an ESD impact, damage and a mistaken working caused by an electrostatic discharge, a surge pulse and a noise, and more particularly to a semiconductor device capable of protecting an internal circuit from an external abnormal input without a protection circuit. The semiconductor device includes a varistor coupled to a conductor for discharging an abnormal input signal input to a ground voltage level. The varistor acts as a conductor when an input signal is an abnormal input signal and acts as an insulator when the input signal is a normal input signal. The use of the varistor may provide an improved ESD protection circuit and then promote the reliability of the semiconductor device.

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