The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 17, 1989
Filed:
Jul. 06, 1988
Applicant:
Inventor:
Jeff Huard, Puyallup, WA (US);
Assignee:
National Semiconductor Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Attorneys:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H02H / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
361 56 ; 361 91 ; 361 92 ; 361111 ; 357 2313 ; 307544 ; 307557 ;
Abstract
An input protection structure effectively protects input circuitry from positive-going ESD pulses. The input protection structure includes a transistor having a reduced beta, connected in series with one or more diodes between the input pin and VCC. In one embodiment, the transistor having reduced beta is constructed in the same manner as a fuse device. The structure is formed in an integrated fashion, without the need for metallic interconnections within the structure itself, thereby decreasing impedance while minimizing surface area in the integrated surface.