Infineon Technologies Ag

Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Gernot Langguth

Christian Cornelius Russ

Wolfgang Soldner

Adrien Benoit Ille

David Alvarez

Karlheinz Mueller

Holger Wille

Harald Gossner

Sven Albers

Krzysztof Domanski

Klaus Diefenbeck

Klaus Von Arnim

Bernd Eisener

Christian Lehrer

Karl-Heinz Malek

Eberhard Rohrer

Claudia Kupfer

Wolfgang Roesner

Cornelius Christian Russ

Andreas Grassmann

Stefan Willkofer

Karl-Heinz Mueller

Klaus Roeschlau

Steffen Schumann

Mirko Scholz

Krysztof Domanski

Michael Runde

Christoph Eichenseer

Stefan Kokorovic

Anton Boehm

A radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) device includes: a first RF input/output (I/O) terminal; a second RF I/O terminal, where the first and the second RF I/O terminals are configured to transmit or receive an RF signal; a capacitor coupled between the first and the second RF I/O terminals; a first coil coupled between the first and the second RF I/O terminals, where the first coil is configured to provide ESD protection to the capacitor during a first ESD event; and a fast transient ESD protection circuit coupled between the first and the second RF I/O terminals, where the fast transient ESD protection circuit is configured to provide ESD protection to the capacitor during a second ESD event different from the first ESD event, where a first rise time of the first ESD event is longer than a second rise time of the second ESD event.

Electrostatic discharge protection for RF pins

In accordance with an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes: an n-doped region disposed over an insulating layer; a p-doped region disposed over the insulating layer adjacent to the n-doped region, where an interface between the n-doped region and the p-doped region form a first diode junction; a plurality of segmented p-type anode regions disposed over the insulating layer, each of the plurality of segmented p-type anode regions being surrounded by the n-doped region, where a doping concentration of the plurality of segmented p-type anode regions is greater than a doping concentration of the p-doped region; and a plurality of segmented n-type cathode regions disposed over the insulating layer. Each of the plurality of segmented n-type cathode regions are surrounded by the p-doped region, where a doping concentration of the plurality of segmented n-type cathode regions is greater than a doping concentration of the n-doped region.

SCR structure for ESD protection in SOI technologies

In accordance with an embodiment, a method for protecting a circuit includes: receiving a stress caused by an electrostatic discharge (ESD) event from a first node; limiting a current using a current limiting element coupled between the first node and a second node connected to the circuit; and limiting a voltage on the second node caused by the ESD event using a protection circuit including at least one MOS transistor having a load path coupled to the second node, where the at least one MOS transistor is disposed in a well, and a bias circuit coupled to a gate and a bulk connection of the at least one MOS transistor and a supply node.

System and method for ESD protection

In accordance with an embodiment, a method for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection includes: dividing a voltage between a plurality of circuit nodes using a voltage divider circuit to form a divided voltage; compensating a temperature dependency of the divided voltage to form a temperature compensated divided voltage; monitoring the voltage between the plurality of circuit nodes using a transient detection circuit to form a transient detection signal; and activating a clamp circuit coupled between the plurality of circuit nodes based on the temperature compensated divided voltage and based on the transient detection signal.

System and method for temperature compensated ESD protection

A semiconductor device includes an active device of a transistor disposed in a semiconductor substrate. An isolation layer is disposed at the semiconductor substrate, and a polysilicon substrate layer is disposed over the isolation layer and the semiconductor substrate. The polysilicon substrate layer includes a semiconductor device region of an interface protection circuit of the transistor.

Poly silicon based interface protection

In some examples, a device includes a first power supply node, an input-output node, and a second power supply node positioned between the first power supply node and the input-output node. The device also includes a protection element configured to block a parasitic flow of carriers between the first power supply node and the input-output node, wherein the parasitic flow of carriers is based on a voltage level of the second power supply node.

Suppression of parasitic discharge path in an electrical circuit

A circuit may comprise an electronic switching element, an integrated sensor, and a low-impedance path from one of the terminals of the sensor to one of the terminals of the electronic switching element.

Electronic switching element and integrated sensor

Techniques and architectures corresponding to electrostatic discharge clamping circuits with tracing circuitry are described.

Electrostatic discharge clamping devices with tracing circuitry

Techniques and architectures corresponding to electrostatic discharge blocking circuits are described.

Electrostatic discharge blocking circuits

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection techniques. For example, some embodiments include a variable resistor that selectively shunts power of an incoming ESD pulse from a first circuit node to a second circuit node and away from a semiconductor device. A control voltage provided to the variable resistor causes the transistor to change between a fully-off mode where only sub-threshold current, if any, flows; a fully-on mode wherein a maximum amount of current flows; and an analog mode wherein an intermediate and time-varying amount of current flows. In particular, the analog mode allows the ESD protection device to shunt power more precisely than previously achievable, such that the ESD protection device can protect semiconductor devices from ESD pulses.

ESD clamp adjustment

Implementations are presented herein that include an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor has a first terminal that is coupled to a first supply line and a bulk that is coupled to a second supply line. The second transistor has a first terminal that is coupled to the second supply line, a bulk that is coupled to the first supply line and a second terminal that is coupled to a second terminal of the first transistor to define a protected node. The ESD protection circuit further includes a current limiting element that has a first terminal that is coupled to the protected node.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit, integrated circuit and method of protecting circuitry from an electrostatic discharge voltage

A semiconductor device for protecting against an electro static discharge is disclosed. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a first low doped region disposed in a substrate, a first heavily doped region disposed within the first low doped region, the first heavily doped region comprising a first conductivity type, and the first low doped region comprising a second conductivity type, the first and the second conductivity types being opposite, the first heavily doped region being coupled to a node to be protected. The semiconductor device further includes a second heavily doped region coupled to a first power supply potential node, the second heavily doped region being separated from the first heavily doped region by a portion of the first low doped region, and a second low doped region disposed adjacent the first low doped region, the second low doped region comprising the first conductivity type. A third heavily doped region is disposed in the second low doped region, the third heavily doped region comprising the second conductivity type and being coupled to a second power supply potential node.

Electro static discharge protection device

An ESD protection apparatus includes a substrate, a transistor structure arranged in the substrate, and a diode structure arranged in the substrate, a high-resistance electrical connection being provided between the transistor structure and the diode structure in the substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Oberhaching, Germany

Gernot Langguth