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:
Apr. 23, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 03, 1995
SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza, IT;
Abstract
In an anti-ESD protective structure, especially designed for pins destined to reach below ground and/or above supply voltages, includes a pair of Zener diodes or lateral NPN structures with a resistive connection between base and emitter, connected in opposition among each other between the pin to be protected and a grounded substrate of the integrated circuit. An amplifying effect on the leakage current which is drawn/injected through the pin by the protective structure caused by the triggering of an intrinsic parasitic transistor is effectively eliminated by connecting a biasing element, such as a forward biased junction, between the node of interconnection between the two Zener orlateral NPN structures and a node of the integrated circuit biased with a voltage sufficiently high as to ensure, under any condition, a reverse biasing of the base-emitter junction of the parasitic transistor.