Method and apparatus for a floating well RC triggered electrostatic discharge power clamp

US6972939B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• XILINX, INC. · US

Inventors

• Fu-Hing Ho · San Francisco, US
• Patrick J. Crotty · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 18, 2004
• Grant date: Dec 6, 2005
• Expiry date: Jun 18, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H03K2217/0018

Abstract

An Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection circuit activates an ESD conduction circuit in response to an ESD event. A deactivation circuit generates an exponentially increasing deactivation signal in response to the ESD event, such that once the deactivation signal has increased to a trigger point of a control circuit, the ESD conduction circuit is deactivated. An active resistance component within the deactivation circuit incorporates a biasing element to maintain a resistance value of the active resistance component substantially constant over all operating conditions.