Electrostatic discharge protection device for giga-hertz radio frequency integrated circuits with varactor-LC tanks
US6885534B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 21, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 26, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02H9/046
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to a device for protecting high frequency RF integrated circuits from ESD damage. The device comprises at least one varactor-LC circuit tank stacked to avoid the power gain loss by the parasitic capacitance of ESD circuit. The varactor-LC tank could be designed to resonate at the RF operating frequency to avoid the power gain loss from the parasitic capacitance of ESD circuit. Multiple LC-tanks could be stacked for further reduction in the power gain loss. A reverse-biased diode is used as the varactor for both purposes of impedance matching and effective ESD current discharging. Because the inductor is made of metal, both the inductor and the varactor can discharge ESD current when ESD condition happens. It has a high enough ESD level to prevent ESD discharge.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.