ESD-Robust Stacked Driver

• Main Authors: Smedes, Taede, Grad, Marcin, Cappon, Paul H
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.07.2020
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

An integrated "pull-down" driver circuit (210) is formed with a combination device consisting of an output driver transistor (N1) electrically coupled between a current source circuit (Ns) and the conductive pad, and an ESD bypass transistor (N3) electrically coupled in series with the output driver transistor, where one or more conductive interconnect layers connect the ESD bypass transistor in parallel with the current source circuit so that the ESD bypass transistor is in an off-state during normal operation and is activated to form a parasitic bipolar junction transistor with the output driver transistor to conduct ESD current between a first power supply conductor and the conductive pad during ESD events, and where a complementary integrated "pull-up" driver circuit may be formed with three corresponding PMOS transistors (P1, PS, P3) connected as shown between a second power supply conductor and the conductive pad.