Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for protecting a gate oxide using source/bulk pumping

US7233467B2 · kind B2 · utility

15Cited by

2References

24Claims

0Family size

Assignees

Sarnoff Corporation · US
Sarnoff Europe BVBA · BE

Inventors

Markus Mergens · Plainsboro, US
Frederic De Ranter · Aalter, BE
Benjamin Camp · Brugge, BE
Koen Gerard Maria Verhaege · Gistel, BE
Phillip Czeslaw Jozwiak · Plainsboro, US
John Armer · Middlesex, US
Bart Keppens · Gistel, BE

Key dates

Filing date	Mar 23, 2005
Grant date	Jun 19, 2007
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Apr 12, 2025

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH03K17/08122
WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing ESD event protection for a circuit using a source or bulk pump to increase the bulk and/or source potential level during an ESD event. The apparatus comprises a protection circuit that, in response to an ESD event, limits the voltage formed between two terminals of a transistor by adjusting a potential level on the second terminal.

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