Hynix Semiconductor Inc.

Nak Heon Choi

Kook Whee Kwak

Jung Eon Moon

Si Woo Lee

Hee Jeong Son

Joon Won Lee

Dae Gwan Kang

Seong Hoon Jeong

Suk Yun

Yun Suk

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit protects a gate oxide of elements in an internal circuit against ESD. During an ESD test, if the sum of driving voltages of ESD protectors connected between a power pad and a ground pad is higher than the gate oxide breakdown voltage of elements in the internal circuit, the structure of the ESD protector is changed or another ESD protector is additionally provided so as to protect the gate oxide of the elements in the internal circuit against ESD.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit and electrostatic discharge protection method of a semiconductor memory device

An electrostatic discharge protection circuit protects the internal circuits of a semiconductor. The electrostatic discharge protection circuit includes a first electrostatic protection unit connected to a power source supply pad. The first electrostatic protection unit discharges an ESD current into the power source supply pad when an ESD is introduced into the input/output pad, and generates a first driving voltage by utilizing the ESD current flow through a voltage-drop unit. A driver driven by the first driving voltage generates a second driving voltage by an ESD current. A second electrostatic protection unit discharges the introduced ESD current into the power source supply pad by the second driving voltage such that a voltage applied to a gate of the first NMOS transistor is reduced.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit protecting thin gate insulation layers in a semiconductor device

A device to protect a semiconductor device from electrostatic discharge is disclosed. In order to protect an internal circuit from electrostatic discharge, the semiconductor electrostatic protection device includes a transfer unit for transferring static electricity inputted to an input/output terminal to a first power line. A driving unit is also included for outputting a driving voltage corresponding to a potential difference between the input/output terminal and the first power line. Finally, a discharge unit for discharging the static electricity inputted to the input/output terminal to a second power line by way of the driving voltage is provided. The semiconductor electrostatic protection device prevents damage to an internal circuit due to the voltage drop of an intermediate medium by reducing the intermediate medium on a static electricity discharge path.

Device to protect a semiconductor device from electrostatic discharge by efficiently discharging a micro current

A device for discharaging static electricity protects an internal circuit against an electrostatic current. The device includes a discharge part which is connected between an input/output pad and a ground voltage line to form a discharge path discharging an electrostatic current introduced from an input/output pad; and an amplification circuit which is connected in parallel with the discharge part and supplies a sense amplification signal generated by amplifying the electrostatic current as a control signal of the discharge part.

Device for discharging static electricity

A device to protect a semiconductor device from electrostatic discharge includes a transferring unit transferring the static electricity inputted to said input/output terminal to the power line, a detecting unit sensing the potential difference between both ends of the transferring unit, located between an input/output terminal and one of the power lines, to output the detection voltage, and a discharging unit driven by said detection voltage and discharging the static electricity led to a specific power line to the other power line, and performs the discharging operation smoothly even with minute electrostatic current and a latter part of the static electricity by using the driving voltage, which is used to drive a conventional detecting unit, as the driving voltage of the ESD protection device, thereby safely protecting an internal circuit of a semiconductor device.

Device to protect semiconductor device from electrostatic discharge

Disclosed is an electrostatic protection device for a semiconductor device, which protects the semiconductor device from damage due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). The electrostatic protection device includes a delivery unit for inducing the static electricity introduced to the input/output port to an external voltage line, a detection unit for detecting the static electricity induced to the external voltage line and outputting a detected voltage in response to the static electricity induced to the external voltage line, and a driver driven by the detected voltage in order to drive the electrostatic discharge unit in response to the static electricity induced to the external voltage line.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoungki-do, South Korea

Nak Heon Choi