Patent · US Active

Programmable electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device

US7660086B2 · kind B2 · utility

12Cited by

5References

25Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation · US

Inventors

Thurman J. Rodgers · Woodside, US
Babak Taheri · San Francisco, US
Dan Zupcau · Boca Raton, US

Key dates

Filing date	Jun 8, 2006
Grant date	Feb 9, 2010
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Oct 2, 2026

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH02H9/046
WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved ESD protection device, integrated circuit and method for programmably altering a sensitivity of the ESD protection device is provided herein. More specifically, an active shunt ESD protection device is provided with an improved trigger circuit design. The improved trigger circuit design enables the sensitivity of the ESD protection device to be altered by providing a variety of programmable elements for adjusting an RC time constant of a slew rate detector contained therein. The programmable elements allow the RC time constant to be altered at the wafer or package level, and avoid the significant time and cost typically associated with conventional trial-and-error adjustment procedures.

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