Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

TSMC China Company Limited

TSMC Nanjing Company, Limited

Ya-Qi Ma

Lei Pan

Wei Zhang

Zhen Tang

Zhang-Ying Yan

Kai Zhou

Yong-Liang Jin

Di Fan

An integrated circuit includes a control circuit and first to second voltage generation circuits. The control circuit is coupled between a first voltage terminal providing a first supply voltage and a first node coupled to a first capacitive unit. The first voltage generation circuit includes at least one first transistor that has a source terminal receiving a second supply voltage, a drain terminal coupled to a second node in contact with a second capacitive unit, and a gate terminal coupled to the first node. The second voltage generation circuit is coupled to the first voltage terminal and the first and second nodes. Firstly the control circuit turns on the at least one first transistor to adjust a voltage level of the second node to have the second supply voltage. The second voltage generation circuit adjusts a voltage level of the first node to have the first supply voltage.

Integrated circuit and an operation method thereof

A device includes a voltage regulator circuit configured to pull up a voltage at an output terminal to equal to half of a supply voltage; multiple first transistors coupled between the output terminal and a voltage terminal providing the supply voltage; and a control circuit configured to pull down gate voltages of the first transistors from the supply voltage to a voltage level between the supply voltage and a ground voltage at a first time. The first transistors are configured to pull up the voltage at the output terminal to the supply voltage at a second time.

Linear voltage regulator circuit and multiple output voltages

A method is provided and includes the operation below: discharging electrostatic charges from a pad to a first voltage terminal through a first active region coupled to the pad and a second active region coupled between the first active region and the first voltage terminal, in which the first active region and the second active region are the same conductivity type and have different widths from each other, and the first active region and the second active region are included in a first transistor having a first breakdown voltage; and discharging the electrostatic charges through an ESD primary circuit having a first terminal coupled with the first active region and a second terminal coupled with the first voltage terminal. The ESD primary circuit has a trigger voltage lower than the first breakdown voltage.

Integrated circuit

An integrated circuit includes first to second transistors and a resistive device. The first transistor is coupled between a pad and a first voltage terminal that provides a first supply voltage. The second transistor is coupled in parallel with the first transistor. A breakdown voltage of the first transistor is different from a trigger voltage of the second transistor. The resistive device is coupled between the pad and a second voltage terminal that provides a second supply voltage higher than the first supply voltage, and operates with the second supply voltage in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) event when the first and second transistors discharge a ESD current between the pad and the first voltage terminal.

An integrated circuit includes a control circuit, a first voltage generation circuit, and a second voltage generation circuit. The control circuit is coupled between a first voltage terminal and a first node, and generates an initiation voltage at the first node. The first voltage generation circuit and the second voltage generation circuit are coupled to a first capacitive unit at the first node and coupled to a second capacitive unit at a second node. The first voltage generation circuit generates, in response to the initiation voltage at the first node, a first control signal based on a first supply voltage to the second voltage generation circuit. The second voltage generation circuit generates, in response to the first control signal received from the first voltage generation circuit, a second control signal to the first node, based on a second supply voltage.

A device includes a voltage regulator circuit, a power switch circuit, and a control circuit. The voltage regulator circuit generates an output voltage at an output terminal. The power switch circuit is coupled to the voltage regulator circuit. The control circuit receives a first control signal and generates a second control signal that includes a first portion gradually declining between a first time and a second time later than the first time. When the voltage regulator circuit is turned off and a logic state of the first control signal changes at the first time, the power switch circuit is turned on at the second time, in response to the second control signal, to adjust the output voltage.

An integrated circuit includes a pull-up circuit, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) primary circuit, and a pull-down circuit. The pull-up circuit is coupled between a pad and a first voltage terminal. The ESD primary circuit includes a first terminal which is coupled to the pad and the pull-up circuit, and a second terminal coupled to a second voltage terminal different from the first voltage terminal. The pull-down circuit has a first terminal which is coupled to the pad, the ESD primary circuit and the pull-up circuit, and a second terminal coupled to the second voltage terminal. The pull-down circuit includes at least one first transistor of a first conductivity type having a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the pull-down circuit. A breakdown voltage of the at least one first transistor is greater than a trigger voltage of the ESD primary circuit.

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Shanghai, China

Ya-Qi Ma