Apparatus and method for electronic circuit protection
US8553380B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 18, 2011 |
| Grant date | Oct 8, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 10, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D89/711
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for electronic circuit protection are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a substrate includes an n-well and a p-well adjacent the n-well. An n-type active area and a p-type active area are disposed in the n-well. The p-type active area, the n-well, and the p-well are configured to operate as an emitter, a base, and a collector of an PNP bipolar transistor, respectively, and the p-type active area surrounds at least a portion of the n-type active area so as to aid in recombining carriers injected into the n-well from the p-well before the carriers reach the n-type active area. The n-well and the p-well are configured to operate as a breakdown diode, and a punch-through breakdown voltage between the n-well and the p-well is lower than or equal to about a breakdown voltage between the p-type active area and the n-well.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.