Patent · US Active

Voltage switchable dielectric for die-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection

US8633562B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by

2References

11Claims

0Family size

Assignee

QUALCOMM Incorporated · US

Inventors

Shiqun Gu · San Diego, US
Ratibor Radojcic · San Diego, US
Yiming Li · Lo Wu, CN

Key dates

Filing date	Apr 1, 2011
Grant date	Jan 21, 2014
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Aug 5, 2031

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01L2924/14
WIPO fieldSemiconductors
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A voltage-switchable dielectric layer may be employed on a die for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. The voltage-switchable dielectric layer functions as a dielectric layer between terminals of the die during normal operation of the die. When ESD events occur at the terminals of the die, a high voltage between the terminals switches the voltage-switchable dielectric layer into a conducting layer to allow current to discharge to a ground terminal of the die without the current passing through circuitry of the die. Thus, damage to the circuitry of the die is reduced or prevented during ESD events on dies with the voltage-switchable dielectric layer. The voltage-switchable dielectric layer may be deposited on the back side of a die for protection during stacking with a second die to form a stacked IC.

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